Beating Babies in the Name of Jesus? The Shady World of Right-Wing 'Discipline' Guide

[ktlight]

FYI:
"There is a brutal movement in America that legitimizes child abuse in the name of God. Two stories recently converged to make us pay attention. Last week, a video went viral of a Texas judge brutally whipping his disabled daughter. And on Monday, the New York Times published a story about child deaths in homes that have embraced the teachings of To Train Up a Child, a book by Christian preacher Michael Pearl that advocates using a switch on children as young as six months old.

What many people may not realize is that in the evangelical alternative universe of the home school movement, tightly knit church communities and the following of a number of big-time leaders and authors, physical punishment of children has been glorified for years.

As the Times illustrates -- "Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate" -- the books of Michael Pearl and his wife Debi have been found in the homes where several children were killed.

They're not the only right-wing Christians who advocate these methods. Some of the most respected evangelical discipline gurus have made beating children not just "respectable" in conservative religious circles, but even turned it into a godly activity.

In 1977 James Dobson founder of the "Focus on the Family" religious empire and radio program, wrote a book called Dare To Discipline, whose purpose was, essentially, to get parents to beat their children.

In his book Dobson glorified a sadomasochistic/spiritual ritual of "discipline." He said he wanted to stop a "liberal" trend in America that was moving away from the godly thrashing of infants. He wanted to help "restore" America to God and the good old days of child hitting. This fit in well with the notion of God as retribution-in-chief that evangelicals endorse.

Dobson isn't alone. There's also the work of evangelical "family values" guru Bill Gothard, with a following of millions. As reported by the Cincinnati Beacon, Matthew Murray, the young shooter who killed a bunch of churchgoers in 2007, had been raised according to the teachings of evangelist Bill Gothard.

"I remember the beatings and the fighting and yelling and insane rules and all the Bill Gothard rules and then trancing out," he wrote Dec. 1 under the monicker "nghtmrchld26" on a Web forum for former Pentecostal Christians.

Bill Gothard is the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles in Illinois, which promotes a Christian home "education" program. As quoted in the Beacon article Murray said "I remember how it was, like every day was Mission Impossible trying to keep the rules or not get caught and just ...survive every single (expletive) day,""

source for more
http://www.alternet.org/belief/153006/beating_babies_in_the_name_of_jesus_the_shady_world_of_right-wing_%27discipline%27_guides/?page=entire

[Kindred]

I'm afraid this issue is far deeper than one can imagine, and has been ongoing virtually since the beginning of the human race (on Earth). Moreover, there are aspects and details that are completely hidden within the medical community, and I'm certain, others as well.

I, for one, was victimized in the medical setting as part of an 'experiment', virtually from the moment I was born. I've only recently been able to 'move past' these issues, after having a fuller understanding of what had transpired, and the effects they had upon me. In so doing, I've been greatly enlightened and inspired to learn as much as possible... ultimately bringing me to this forum.

Ktlight - Thanks for bringing this subject into our view.

[ktlight]

Kindred, if you feel inclined to tell us about it, please do.

[9eagle9]

Letsee....I think the study of child beatings in this fashion is incomplete.

If we were to switch the parents of these children everytime we viewed them as doing something wrong like openign their big mouths and reading utterly idiotic drivel like they do, I think we'd be able to compile more convincing evidence that perhaps this is WRONG.

Granted I've swatted my kid on the butt a few times, and I've met a number of bratile types that in my personal opinion could have benefited from a smart slap on the arse . Granted I have low tolerance for bratiles so I admit bias in advance. But switches and beatings?

I have always maintained religion drives people insane ...what ever parent thinks its a good to switch a six month old baby should know that baby will grow into a full grown adult (if they survive childhood) capable of strangling them in their sleep.

I'm about to say something nasty so I'll sign off now...

[Unified Serenity]

I do not believe any responsible loving parent believes in beating any child and would never accept hitting a baby. Beating and discipline are not the same thing. Now, I am not a proponent of whipping children, but I don't think a smack on the hand when your child is trying to put metal objects into outlets or is trying to light matches over and over after being told "no" is the same thing.

Parenting is very difficult if done properly is requires a great deal of time and attention. Much of that attention in decades past was done by their mother, but with our society particularly in the west necessitating both parents work outside of the home, that child rearing is going more and more to the State and daycare centers staffed by people often making minimum wage and who really don't care whether your child is a brat or not.

Welfare states encourage illegitimate births and I had more than one teenage girl tell me that when she turned 16 she was going to have her own baby so she could get her "paycheck". Yes, that's right, "Paycheck"! She was going to get pregnant after being raised by a woman who dropped out of school in the tenth grade who got pregnant and on public assistance whose mother also did the same thing. I have had a number of jobs in my life and one of my first one's out of college was as a State of Florida Public Assistant specialist III. I redetermined whether or not a family continued to receive public assistance and how much they would get. I had over 120 families and a million dollars I was responsible for monitoring. Not everyone on assistance is a generational welfare recipient, but there are quite a few who are, who do not value education or ever getting off of assistance. Young girls see it as easy money, and when they can get free housing, cash, medical, and food why not drop out of school at 16, have a baby and live on your own? Oh, and forget having a man around because if he lives in the home then you don't qualify, so it's set up ahead of time to have children having children, not having education on positive parenting, and not having both parents in the home which is proven to provide a more stable environment for children to grow up.

So, we have kids being raised by the State, a welfare state that encourages illegitimacy and ill trained parents, and state sponsored harassment of loving parents who get reprimanded for very small examples of physical discipline like a smack on the hand. Children are now insolent, rude, lawless, lack consciences, back talking, brats who dare their parents to discipline them.

No, I don't support BEATING your child, but there is a far difference in disciplining a child and beating a child. Of course it does not look pretty when a child is spanked. They of course cry bloody murder and act as if they are dying. Oh, I've caught my youngest in an acting skit crying in her room, seen my middle child in another room and the youngest actually slapped herself and cried and blamed the middle child! Let me tell you, there was some discipline over that little scenario! We have taken to digging holes here in the country and picking up buckets of rocks all while saying something appropriate to discourage whatever ill behavior the little heathen was up to. I've had them write essays on various things that fit the scenario of the inappropriate behavior.

I have spanked them when they were little when it was a most grievous and life threatening situation. It's been years since I have spanked my children because they know the rules. Oh, they try to push it from time to time, and we discuss things often though lately I just tell them I am not debating, playing ball, and they can just go dig a hole for two hours. It's amazing how the behavior stops. Oh, and btw, I am a trained behavior modification specialist and there are a lot more ways to modify someone's ill behavior than hitting them, trust me.

[jagman]

I believe in God and I have never beaten my sons! I have very seldom had to raise my voice at them!
I just dont understand how people can harm their children and think its ok! Or use a scripture in the bible to justify
their actions!
I would also like to add when my sons were smaller I did give them little smacks on the butt, Not to hurt them.To get their attention! But I never yelled at them or cursed at them! And i never disciplined them when I was angry! What people need to do is hug and kiss your children everyday
and tell them everyday you love them! Even if your mad at them!

[shamanseeker]

Thanks Ktlight,
People should know that these things are happening to those dear little souls. I teach children and have discovered that if you give them much love and understanding, they soon calm down and behave well. I was abused psychologically not beaten physically but was hit quite often when a child and I was extremely well-behaved and polite as a child I can tell you: "the ideal child". When I came to Italy (the Italians are far more tolerant with their children and allow them more freedom and don't inhibit them as much though obviously child abuse exists here like anywhere else) people kept saying to me: Stop saying your sorry! I've improved a lot but I had problems with anger and resentment for a long time as a result.
I would go to my grandmother and great-aunt and tell them about what was happening to me and they just listened. When I grew up my great-aunt told me that they hadn't believed me. I think it was a case of being in denial and not wanting to believe. As a society the tendency is this so these negative elements who systematically abuse children get away with it.

The important thing in my opinion is not to "turn a deaf ear" to these children. Listen to them and help them. If a child talks about abuse, psychological or physical, listen to them. I asked a small boy on Tuesday what he did at home and he told me does nothing. He was incredibly sad and had tears in his eyes. There was definitely something wrong but his teacher kept saying Oh no, it's OK. He's just strange, but then later another teacher told me that there is something strange going on. There was a boy who's now in the middle school whom I don't see any more who had problems looking people in the eye: very sweet but totally inhibited and terrified of doing the wrong thing. He very often came to school with black eyes (almost every week). I asked him about it and he would say he'd fallen and hit a piece of furniture or he had got the black eye playing football. I talked to his teachers and they said his parents were both policemen and that for them meant that there was nothing wrong! People don't want to know so what chance do these dear, innocent souls have?

I'm so glad I don't believe any more in a god with an ego but that love is God and God is love. I believe love is the only important thing when dealing with little souls. Tell them off, yes, but I've discovered that if I show them that they are still loved and that has not changed even though I've had to tell them their behavious is wrong, I see the relief and amazement wash over their faces when they understand that they're loved unconditionally.

[jjjones]

pathological,sick, sick, sick! the people need to get off of this ride, sheer insanity:( namaste, peace and love universally