Posted on 12/30/2011 5:01:11 PM PST by TheDon
A Christian parenting book has come under fire after the deaths of three children from abuse. The families are reported to have been following the guidance of the book "To Train Up a Child" by Michael and Debi Pearl.
The "Today" show reports:
Hana Williams, 13, died of hypothermia after allegedly being starved, abused and locked outside by her parents. Lydia Schatz, age 7, died after being repeatedly beaten by her parents. And 4-year-old Sean Paddock suffocated after his mother wrapped him in a blanket too tightly in an effort to keep him from getting out of bed.
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(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
That looks sort of interesting. I’m always interested in fringe groups like that. It’s somewhat amazing that they have been able to keep their culture alive.
Agreed, stupid article. Stilted amateurish journalism like this is what The Onion has aped for years, only this is not funny.
Good for you. I would have done the same.
Nonetheless, although I think the authors are profoundly in error about many things, the failure of the parents mentioned in the article to use common sense is not the fault of the authors.
Exactly. I tend to think that parents who read a book that espouses beating children into submission and other extreme forms of physical punishment, were probably prone to do so even without the book, the book was just further justification for them doing so.
why not just skip the kid and whip the wife, good grief. you get a Christian lady who has a psychotic Moose hubby, the lady is supposed to just welcome the angry nut back home with joy? at the least she should welcome him to leave her life. i think she should move to a state where she can pack a gun.
“To Train up a Child” is a very fine book that should be read by all parents and especially those with large families. The author is a modern Evangelical who passes along parenting lessons he learned rearing his children while living within an Amish community. It is like reading reports from a time traveler who went back to examine the family life of our great-great-great-grandparents.
Notably, the book suggests strategies for implementing the biblical injunctions to correct childhood misbehavior by spanking. Parents are warned to avoid punishing in anger. In my opinion and having raised children to adulthood, corporal punishment is indispensable in a household of rambunctious boys. Administering the correction with businesslike impartiality is essential for maintaining those all-important parent-child bonds of affection.
A book that recommends moderate spanking cannot be blamed for parents killing their children.
That does not change by one iota the egregious syncretism of that approach
>> Having never read the book ...
>> [the book] is the catalyst.
Seriously?
Could not stand this legalistic, behaviorism, training children as if they were worse than animals, with classical conditioning.
However - read Sears books and immediately liked them, knew it was the right way- Highly recommend!
Dude, I'm gonna have to look that up to find out what you mean.
Ok, I googled it.
Not sure WHO voiced approval of the approach the parent took that ended with the death of the 4 year old boy, but it wasn’t me.
I’m just saying that wrapping kids in blankets is not what the Pearl’s teach.
Took some things from the Pearl’s book, a few things from Ezzo, but only a few, and a few from the Sear’s also.
None of them, (to me) were completely right.
You won't find that in the Pearl's book. They have never advocated beatings.
This isn’t actually a smear job. Browse the Pearls’ website, read where they advocate whipping three month olds, staying with a husband who is molesting your children and tempting children and then punishing them. (Contrary to the Lord’s Prayer) They also found the deaths of these children funny, see his facebook page.
But they aren’t truly Christians. They are paleagians with strong gnostic tendencies. Reading their work indicates a flawedn if not heretical, understanding of Jesus Christ as both God and man.
Oh don’t even get me started on Created to be his Helpmeet. The Pearls are sick, messed up people. But I think she’s the more messed up one.
They actually advocate first calling the popo.....
Depends on what you read. He answers one emailer by saying that you simply stay with the molester if he promises never to do it again. And you don’t report him. Only if he does continue then you call the police but don’t allow the children to testify against him and make them visit him in prison. And welcome him back into your home when he’s released.
I’ve read the book and nothing in it would lead to this kind of thing unless the parents already had serious problems.
In the book, Created to be a Help Meet, they say always call the police.
I don’t agree with them on lots of things, but I do think it’s important that I speak to the thinks I do know.
The bottom line with Debi Pearl’s book is that all problems are the wife’s fault.
It only comes acrossed that way because it’s written to women. The Pearls definately put the bulk of responsibility on the husband. They just don’t let the women completely off the hook like some others do.
Having never read the book... how can you state it’s a catalyst?
There is more actual evidence that the pillows and blankets were to blame. If only we had laws to control the damn pillows and blankets./s
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