Questions about No Greater Joy ministry grow - child 'training' manual linked to murder of 7 yr old

[Shallah Kali]

http://www.paradisepost.com/news/ci_14469888

Controversy and media attention is mounting surrounding a Paradise couple accused of murdering their 7-year old adopted daughter, Lydia Schatz, earlier this month.

Much of the attention centers on a link between the girl's death and the child training, discipline and "chastisement" methods taught by a fundamentalist religious ministry based in Tennessee, called No Greater Joy ( http://nogreaterjoy.org _. Michael and Debi Pearl, founders of No Greater Joy Ministry and co-authors of a controversial religious parenting book, "To Train Up a Child," recommend that parents spank their children with a quarter-inch plumbing supply line - the same instrument used on Lydia Schatz and her 11-year-old sister, Zariah Schatz - reportedly for hours prior to Lydia's death and the arrest of their adoptive parents, Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz on Feb. 6.

Lydia reportedly died of organ failure before she reached the hospital and Zariah had been beaten so badly her kidneys were failing. She was hospitalized and was listed in critical condition.

snip

Ramsey said one parent held the 7-year-old down while the other one used the quarter-inch plumbing supply line. Then, Ramsey claims, they would switch places.

Ridge parents arraigned on murder
http://www.paradisepost.com/ci_14378467

Posted: 02/11/2010 01:00:00 AM PST

Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz, the Paradise couple accused of murdering their 7-year-old adopted daughter during a discipline session last Saturday morning were arraigned in court Tuesday. The couple is also charged with the torture of their 11-year-old adopted daughter, who remains in critical condition at a Sacramento hospital, and a misdemeanor count of cruelty to a child for signs of bruising discovered on their 10-year-old biological son.

The couple has not yet entered a plea. A further arraignment hearing was continued until today at 8:30 a.m. Both are currently being held on $2 million bail. Kevin, 46, and Elizabeth, 42 could face life in prison upon conviction.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said both girls sustained extensive bruising and whip-like marks on their bodies that were consistent with a 15-inch length of rubber or flexible plastic tubing - commonly found in toilet tanks. There were a total of nine children living in the Schatz home - six biological children ranging in ages 8-16 and three adopted children. Ramsey said the other children indicated they were disciplined in a similar manner, but none of them displayed any signs of abuse. The children were taken into custody and released to the Butte County Children's Services Division.

snip

She is listed in critical condition at the Sacramento children's hospital, suffering from kidney failure among other injuries. She is undergoing dialysis treatment in hopes it will help the organs recover. The two girls had reportedly been adopted by the Schatz couple along with a 3-year-old girl from an orphanage in Liberia about three years ago. The other children reportedly told investigators the parents blamed the 11-year-old for "being a bad influence" on her younger siblings. Ramsey said the evidence suggests 7-year-old Lydia Schatz was being disciplined "for hours" prior to the 911 call for mis-pronouncing a word during a home-school reading lesson. When police searched the family's Crestwood Drive residence, they took a photograph of a 15-inch length of tubing lying on the parents' bed next to a children's book about a frog and a toad, which Ramsey said the girl had been reading from.

Godly discipline turned deadly
A controversial child "training" practice comes under fire -- this time from Christians themselves
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 20:20 EST
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2010/02/22/no_greater_joy/

Four years ago this month, a 4-year-old boy named Sean Paddock died when his adoptive mother wrapped him in blankets so tightly that he couldn't breathe. His adoptive mother, Lynn Paddock, was later convicted of his murder. The case brought some mainstream attention -- including a 2006 Salon story http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/05/25/the_pearls/index.html -- to the popular, pervasive and controversial child "training" http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/child-training/ practices of Michael and Debi Pearl, which Lynn Paddock was said to have followed. The teachings of the Pearls and their Tennessee-based No Greater Joy ministry, which brought in $1.8 million last year in sales of books, DVDs and the like, are widely known and normalized across many conservative Christian churches and home-schooling communities. Perhaps the most popular of several ultra-conservative Christian figures to carry forward this centuries-old strain of Christian thought, the Pearls advocate a specific program of even-tempered, non-injurious corporal punishment, or "chastisement," designed to bring about total obedience -- even by infants http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2006/june/21/too-young-to-spank/ -- to their sovereign parents. (The Pearls' ministry and principles are described in greater depth, and broader context, here.) By no means do the Pearls advocate suffocation with blankets; they are emphatically against "abuse." http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/index.php?id=84&cHash=8440f96b4a&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=89&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=12 But they do not spare the rod. From their Web site:http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2000/may/01/questions-answered/ A length of quarter-inch plumbing supply line is a "real attention-getter."

This month, another child has died: 7-year-old Lydia Schatz, an apparent victim of repeated beating with -- as it turns out -- quarter-inch plumbing supply line. Her parents, Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz of Paradise, Calif., who reportedly called 911 to report that she was not breathing, stand charged with her murder. They are expected to enter a plea on Thursday. According to the authorities, forceful and numerous whippings, apparently with plumbing line, may have caused tissue breakdown so massive that Lydia's vital organs could no longer function. The Schatzes also face torture and abuse charges for significant injuries sustained by Lydia's also-adopted sister Zariah, 11, who was hospitalized in critical condition, as well as for extensive bruising on a 10-year-old biological son. (The Schatzes have six biological children and three adopted from Liberia.) Though the remaining children showed no visible signs of abuse, they told police they'd been "disciplined" with the tubing as well. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey told Salon that the Schatzes had explicitly described to police their adherence to the Pearls' philosophy, which, as one of many horrified anti-Pearl bloggers within the conservative Christian community observes http://docsdomain.net/blog/?p=1319 -- recalling precisely what prompted the Schatzes' call to 911 -- includes the admonition that a proper spanking leaves a child "without breath to complain." http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/child-training/attitudes/article-display/archive/1998/august/01/angry-child/

snip

"Obviously, I don't think Mr. Pearl stood over Lydia's body with plumbing line in hand," says Rebecca Diamond, a Bible Belt-born observant Christian and home-schooler in eastern Canada whose blog http://mommypress.com/rebecca/this-made-me-cry-today.htm is critical of the Pearls. "But when he uses phrases such as continuing to whip until the crying turns into a 'wounded, submissive whimper' http://www.achristianhome.org/to_train_up_a_child.htm or 'without breath to complain,' I'm not sure how he doesn't bear moral guilt for this. Legally, I don't know if he can be charged. But morally? I believe that absolutely, anyone who advocates treating children like that bears responsibility."

It's not just about parents who lose it or children who die. A Pearl spokesperson says that more than 1,400,000 copies of their book "To Train Up a Child" are in print worldwide http://www.tulipgirl.com/index.php/2005/10/pearls-po-russki/ , distributed at conferences, in church-member welcome baskets, and to military families http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2005/march/07/ministry-to-military-families/ . What about the kids who live with this "discipline" every day? Diamond, for example, recalls hearing a mother talk about hitting her 6-month-old with a glue stick because the child "cooed and wriggled during a two-hour-long church service, and she wanted to 'train' the child to be silent."

2006 Salon article:
Spare the quarter-inch plumbing supply line, spoil the child
Saying no to "timeouts," some fundamentalist Christians "train up" their children by carefully hitting them with switches, PVC pipes and other "chastening instruments."
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/05/25/the_pearls/...

"If you want a child who will integrate into the New World Order and wait his turn in line for condoms, a government funded abortion, sexually transmitted disease treatment, psychological evaluation and a mark on the forehead," writes Pearl in "To Train Up a Child," "then follow the popular guidelines in education, entertainment and discipline, but if you want a son or daughter of God, you will have to do it God's way." {my emphasis}

Michael Pearl's rural church is tiny, and his home base so remote that, with no broadband access, Internet connections require a satellite hookup, says their business manager, Mel Cohen. Still, the Pearls' 18-employee nonprofit company, No Greater Joy ministries, is big business. According to Cohen, much of the ministries' $1.5 million annual earnings go right back out the door via product donations as well as financial support for missionaries in nine countries. The Pearls have sold or donated -- to churches, military families and community groups -- more than 1,000,000 copies of their books, CDs, DVDs and other materials related to the Christian family. Their bimonthly newsletter has 74,000 subscribers, a number that's growing each month. "To Train Up a Child," in particular, is frequently sold or passed around via church groups and home-schooling conferences.

snip

"Select your instrument according to the child's size," writes Pearl. "For the under one year old, a little, ten to twelve-inch long, willowy branch (stripped of any knots that might break the skin) about one-eighth inch diameter is sufficient. Sometimes alternatives have to be sought. A one-foot ruler, or its equivalent in a paddle, is a sufficient alternative. For the larger child, a belt or larger tree branch is effective." Additional advice from their Web site: Switching with a length of quarter-inch plumbing supply line is a "real attention-getter."

snip

Yet again, in a sense, so is the switch. "The parent holds in his hand (in the form of a little switch) the power to absolve the child of guilt, cleanse his soul, instruct his spirit, strengthen his resolve, and give him a fresh start through a confidence that all indebtedness is paid..." writes Pearl. "After a short explanation about bad attitudes and the need to love, patiently and calmly apply the rod to his back-side. Somehow, after eight or ten licks, the poison is transformed into gushing love and contentment. The world becomes a beautiful place. A brand new child emerges. It makes an adult stare at the rod in wonder, trying to see what magic is contained therein."

snip

Does Anast {daughter of Michael & Debi Pearl} "train" her own three kids? Yes, though "98 percent of the time" she and her husband rely on the more "creative" penalties she remembers from her childhood. If they do spank, they use a "tiny little switch the size of a chopstick," she says. "It's a little swat on the back of the hand that says, 'Don't touch that,' or a swat on the back of the calf that says, 'Stop crying, buck up, be a happy girl.' It never breaks the skin or leaves a mark. It's not like 'going out to the barn for a beating.'" {my emphasis}

[Shallah Kali]

1. Alice Miller writes about the consequences of abuse from infancy like this

in her book For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence - full text can be read here with the permission of the author: http://www.nospank.net/fyog.htm This is not to excuse monsterous acts but to explain what influences made them more likely and how, if in any way, can they be prevented or at least reduced in the future.

Alice Miller: The Childhood Trauma
http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/alice_miller2.html

Philosophy failed to answer my question and the Freudian theory of the death instinct has never convinced me. Nor could I make sense of genetic explanations of the evil, of the naive idea that a human being can be "born bad." Nobody could answer the crucial question: How is it that so many turn-of-the-century German children were born with such malignant genes that they'd later become Hitler's willing executioners? It has always been inconceivable to me that a child who comes into the world among attentive, loving and protective caregivers could become a monster. Then, by closely examining the childhood histories of murderers, especially mass murderers and dictators, I began to comprehend the roots of good and evil: not in the genes, as commonly believed, but in the earliest days of life. Today, neurobiological research seems to fully corroborate what I discovered almost twenty years ago.

At that time I quoted in For Your Own Good at length the pedagogical advice given to parents in Germany a century ago, and detailed what I believed to be a connection between the systematic cruelty of these methods and the systematic cruelty of Hitler's executioners forty years later. The numerous and widely-read tracts by Dr. Daniel Gottlieb Schreber, the inventor of the Schreberg�rten (the German word for "small allotments"), are of major interest here. Some of his books ran to as many as forty editions around the year 1860, and their central concern was to instruct parents in the systematic upbringing of infants from the very first day of life. Many people—motivated by what they thought to be the best of intentions—complied with the advice given them by Schreber and other authors about how best to raise their children. Today we would call it a systematic instruction in child persecution and maltreatment. One of Schreber's convictions was that when babies cry they should be made to desist by the use of spanking, assuring his readers that "such a procedure is only necessary once, or at the most twice, and then one is master of the child for all time. From then on, one look, one single gesture will suffice." Above all, these books counseled that the newborn child should be forced from the very first day to obey and to refrain from crying.

We all know—or, today, we should all know—that physical punishment only produces obedient children but cannot prevent them from becoming violent or sick adults precisely because of this treatment. This knowledge is now scientifically proven and was finally officially accepted by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1998. Contrary to common opinion prevalent as recently as fifteen years ago, the human brain at birth is far from being fully developed. It is use-dependent, needing loving stimulation for the child from her first day on. The abilities a person's brain can develop depend on experiences in the first three years of life.

Studies on abandoned and severely maltreated Romanian children, as an example, revealed striking lesions in certain areas of the brain. The repeated traumatization has led to an increased release of stress hormones which have attacked the sensitive tissue of the brain and destroyed the new, already built-up neurons. The areas of their brains responsible for the "management" of their emotions are twenty to thirty percent smaller than in other children of the same age. Obviously, all children (not only Romanian) who suffer such abandonment and maltreatment will be damaged in this way.

The neurobiological research makes it easier for us to understand the way Nazis like Eichmann, Himmler, Hoss and others functioned. The rigorous obedience training they underwent in earliest infancy stunted the development of such human capacities as compassion and pity for the sufferings of others. Their total emotional atrophy enabled the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes imaginable to function "normally" and to continue without the slightest remorse to impress their environment with their efficiency in the years after the war. Dr. Mengele could make the most cruel experiments with Jewish children in Auschwitz and then live for thirty years like a "normal," well adjusted man.

[juno jones]

10. Thank you for the links.

Here's another site, which has some interesting articles on the effects of culturally-sanctioned child abuse and it's results historically amongst populations.

http://www.psychohistory.com/

Not only were the nazis damaged by this kind of upbringing, the atrocities in the former yugoslavian states had its roots in a culture of strict discipline and child abuse, physical, sexual and mental.

[LeftyMom]

2. The Pearls are some sick, evil fucks.

Their daughter Rebecca Anast wrote about how their house was intentionally built with all of the bedroom doors entering into the central living area, and how they were only allowed to keep their doors closed for five minutes to change clothes, otherwise their father would barge in unannounced. The implication (she, of course, never uses the word) is that Micheal Pearl went to all that effort to prevent the children from masturbating.

That, of course, shouldn't set off any abuse alarm bells at all. :sarcasm: Neither should the fetishized descriptions of how and with what to administer a spanking. :eyes:

[leftofcool]

3. Thay do not offer "training" they advocate child abuse

[Jokinomx]

4. The leaders of this cult should all be charged also..imo

sick bastards.... it just pisses me off... and I can bet they supported chimp and the rethugs also.

[Karia]

5. Sickening

The Pearls advocate beating infants and children, and also wives (they give women permission to leave only if their husbands leave marks that are still visible 2 hours after a beating). They also say a woman cannot leave a husband who has sexually abused their children if he has repented. If he is convicted of pedophilia, she is supposed to welcome him back lovingly when he gets out of prison. Because Jesus hates divorce, doncha know.

[Shallah Kali]

7. Here is their advice to abused women

::puke: :puke: :puke: X infinity

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/marriage-family/husbandwife-relations/article-display/archive/1999/september/01/abusive-husband/

[ohheckyeah]

6. Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz should be charged with murder

and attempted murder and they should spend the rest of their miserable fucking lives in prison.

Adults to have to resort to this type of behavior to discipline a child prove how incredibly ignorant and cruel they are.

[Karia]

8. More Pearl creepiness

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2009/august/04/survival/
"We know that Christians, homeschoolers, and conservatives in general are now in the crosshairs of government assassins, right along with terrorists and anarchists. There is a strong sense amongst us that we are being increasingly isolated by the reigning world philosophies. It all makes us feel that when the time is right, they will feed us to the lions in the name of liberal morality."

[arcadian]

36. Classic cult conditioning

Persecution complex and creating 'Us & Them' boundaries.

[Shallah Kali]

9. Hold ‘em Down, Defeat Totally - one Christian woman blogs against the Pearl methods

http://www.tulipgirl.com/index.php/2010/02/hold-em-down-defeat-totally/

“…the seven-year-old was held down for several hours by Elizabeth and beaten dozens of times by Kevin on the back of her body, causing massive tissue damage. “It was torture.”"

–DA Mike Ramsey

Compare what was done by the Schatz parents to what is taught by Michael and Debi Pearl:

“…then use whatever force is necessary to bring him to bay. If you have to sit on him to spank him then do not hesitate. And hold him there until he is surrendered. Prove that you are bigger, tougher, more patiently enduring and are unmoved by his wailing. Defeat him totally. Accept no conditions for surrender. No compromise. You are to rule over him as a benevolent sovereign. Your word is final.”

From To Train Up a Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl
Chapter 6: Applying the Rod

The Pearls refused to be interviewed by the Paradise Post, unless allowed editorial control over what was reported. However, Michael Pearl did submit an e-mailed statement:

“We do not teach ‘corporal punishment’ nor ‘hitting’ children,” Michael Pearl, CEO of No Greater Joy Minstries, wrote in an emailed statement to The Post. “We teach parents how to train their children, which sometimes requires the limited and controlled application of a spanking instrument to hold the child’s attention on admonition.”

Really? Judge for yourself.

“Otherwise, tell him to bend over on the bed or couch; and while he is in this position give some choice admonition. You have his undivided attention. Slowly begin to spank. . . . I found five to ten licks usually sufficient. Sometimes, with older children, usually when the licks are not forceful enough, the child may still be rebellious. . . . A general rule is to continue the disciplinary action until the child is surrendered.

“Any spanking, to effectively reinforce instruction, must cause pain. . . For the under one year old, a little, ten- to twelve-inch long, willowy branch (striped of any knots that might break the skin) about one-eighth inch diameter is sufficient. . . . A one-foot ruler, or its equivalent in a paddle, is a sufficient alternative. For the larger child, a belt or larger tree branch is effective.”

From To Train Up a Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl
Chapter 6: Applying the Rod

I’ve heard several apologists for Michael and Debi Pearl and their parenting teachings. Usually the defense is along the lines of, “but you and any abusive parent is taking the teachings out of context!”

Really? Seriously? In what context is ingraining in parents an attitude of “defeat them totally” okay? In what context is is okay to use an implement to strike a 4 month old? Pull a nursing baby’s hair? Hit a toddler with a toy? Whipping (the term often used by the Pearls) on bare skin; for “every transgression”? Whipping a baby who cannot sleep? Whipping a year old for crying? Whipping a 3 y/o until “totally broken?” Using a “tree branch” to spank? No matter what the “context” this advice is harmful to both parents and children.

[Shallah Kali]

11. The Pearls ARE Swine! ~ Religiously Motivated Child Abuse (part I) by dogemperor

http://godsownparty.com/blog/2010/02/the-pearls-are-swine-religiously-motivated-child-abuse-part-i/

So far, I’ve written several stories on what is probably one of the major “deep, dark secrets” of the dominionist movement–namely, the promotion of religiously-motivated child abuse as a form of “child training”, the idea being that one can literally beat the devil out of your child and make him a good little “God Warrior” in doing so. (Much of the more hardline material is largely promoted within the “spiritual warfare” movement in dominionism.)

We started initially with an expose of the worst offendershttp://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/18/3915064-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-1 , including some well-known names like James Dobson and Lisa Welchel http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/19/3921411-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-2 ; we also covered the considerable legal roadblocks that dominionist promoters of “Bible-based baby beating” have put up http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/20/3925456-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-3-why-they-arent-in-jail to make prosecution of religiously motivated child abuse as difficult as possible.

snip

By Pearl’s math, one-sixth of the nation’s estimated 3 million home-schooling families use his training methods

snip

Disturbingly, Michael Pearl may be involved in “faith-based coercion” in the prison system, especially disturbing in light of the fact that fully 83.8 percent or more of people in the prison system who are incarcerated for violent offences have histories of severe child abuse and there is increasing evidence that severe abuse may in fact cause criminal behaviour in a percentage of the population (this based on a NZ study showing that for the one third of the human population having low levels of monoamine oxidase A, 85% of boys with low MAOA who have suffered physical abuse have gone one to commit antisocial and criminal behaviour as adults):

snip

The child is “docile”, but most pediatricians will tell you docility is one of the two possible consequences of abuse–essentially the kid withdraws. One pediatrician (whose wife is a regular poster on Dark Christianity) has reported that some children from dominionist households that use these sorts of “chastening” methods have withdrawn to the point they have symptoms almost indistinguishable from higher-functioning autism. Even for kids who deal with abuse by being docile and withdrawing, there are severe, lifelong trust issues that can prevent them from establishing stable relationships with other people.

More at the link: http://godsownparty.com/blog/2010/02/the-pearls-are-swine-religiously-motivated-child-abuse-part-i/

[Shallah Kali]

12. "In Micheal Pearl’s world, Lydia Shatz is better dead than spelling that word wrong."

http://blogs.alternet.org/vyckie/2010/02/25/in-micheal-pearls-world-lydia-shatz-is-better-dead-than-spelling-that-word-wrong/

They were trafficking Liberian children for the glory of God’s kingdom. And, they were preying upon highly Conservative, Patriarchal, Evangelical and often Quiverful families … These children adopted from Liberia are survivors. They do NOT ’submit’. They fake it, but they don’t mean it in their hearts. And, Pearl flat-out says to BEAT THEM AGAIN http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/child-training/attitudes/article-display/archive/1998/august/01/angry-child/ , make their heart reflect submission. Hit them over and over and over again until their heart complies to what you want, or you will condemn them to the pits of Hell if you don’t.

by “Jo” ~ this post comes from the No Longer Quivering discussion forums. http://nolongerquivering.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=ngj&thread=733&post=11864

He (Michael Pearl) insisted that Christians could achieve total sanctification (a state of sinless living) in this lifetime. We heartily disagree. We actually believe that is an un-Biblical and unhealthy teaching which can lead to any number of problems – in particular legalism and perfectionism.


The is the HEART of Micheal Pearl’s teachings. Its a STRONG belief in QF/P circles in general. But, its paramount to Pearl.

If you take these traumatized children and you decide that the only way you can parent them is to force them into a SINLESS life, its a death sentence.

Those who don’t lose their lives often lose their souls. The Reactive Attachment Disorder this creates is often insurmountable. But, for a few, it is so much worse because it becomes literal, physical death.

And, what Micheal Pearl is NOT putting in his latest press release is quite simple. His theology and parenting philosophy taken to its logical conclusion is an acceptance that these children are better off DEAD than not having attained the sinless life that is required of them.

In Micheal Pearl’s world, Lydia is better dead than spelling that word wrong. Plain and simple. Read his site (with a BIG bowl to puke in) and its everywhere. He is very MUCH responsible for this child’s death and the threat to the others. And, the sickening fact is that wackadoo’s sphere of influence is GROWING and infilitrating the non-Quiverfull/non-P Evangelical community at large.

I know what its like to parent these children from the war ravaged regions of W. Africa. My son is one of those children. He’s one of the FEW who has fully resolved his PTSD through intensive and specialized trauma therapy. His former therapist still consults with families whose children have been adopted from the region because the success rate of helping these children heal is SOO low.

SNIP

When you put Micheal Pearl’s work into the hands of families with these traumatized children, its a recipe for disaster. Four years ago, a little boy came out of the foster system traumatized and into the hands of a woman who was die-hard adovate for Pearl. Sean Pollock lost his life for that mistake. Lynn Pollock could NOT distinquish where a ‘line’ was when she disciplined Sean. And, the reason she couldn’t find the LINE is because if you strictly follow Pearl’s teachings, there is NO LINE. The LINE is when the child submits, with a cheerful spirit, and nothing less. These children are survivors. They do NOT ’submit’. They fake it, but they don’t mean it in their hearts. And, Pearl flat-out says to BEAT THEM AGAIN, make their heart reflect submission. Hit them over and over and over again until their heart complies to what you want, or you will condemn them to the pits of Hell if you don’t.

Micheal Pearl’s teachings are death to a child who is not attached to his parents. Because, its NOT Pearl that establishes a line that keeps children alive. Read his work. Go to his website. Its very quick easy to realize that there is NO line for Pearl. The real LINE is the small voice in the back of a mother’s heart that says, this is wrong, I must stop, I will do damage if I push through any further.

Much more at the link: http://blogs.alternet.org/vyckie/2010/02/25/in-micheal-pearls-world-lydia-shatz-is-better-dead-than-spelling-that-word-wrong/

[Hekate]

13. Home-schooling these kids ensures their isolation from normal society, doesn't it?

It's not surprising that this kind of sick abuse and home-schooling go hand-in-hand.

Hekate

[Hekate]

14. I seem to remember a few Bible verses about the evils of mistreating children...

Jesus (who they have the nerveless gall to claim to follow) has some things to say about treating children kindly. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke he is quoted as saying:

Mark 9:42
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Matthew 18:6
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Luke 17:2
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Hekate

[Berry Cool]

18. Of course, their definition of "offend" is "fail to beat them enough."

What sick stuff is this?

"Somehow, after eight or ten licks, the poison is transformed into gushing love and contentment. The world becomes a beautiful place. A brand new child emerges. It makes an adult stare at the rod in wonder, trying to see what magic is contained therein."

That sounds uncomfortably to me like a parent who has just had an orgasm from beating his or her own child. "Gushing love and contentment"? "The world becomes a beautiful place"? I doubt that "love and contentment" is coming from the beaten child, or that the child feels the world has been transformed into a beautiful place. No, it's more like the parent is enjoying the sort of afterglow provided by the opportunity to give a child a severe beating. And if that's what you need to get your rocks off...enough said.

"It's a little swat on the back of the hand that says, 'Don't touch that,' or a swat on the back of the calf that says, 'Stop crying, buck up, be a happy girl.'" Yeah, a kid is gonna be real happy if she gets hit and swatted every time she cries.

[Heidi]

15. Recommended.

:kick:

[Cass]

16. They advocate hitting INFANTS with willow branches and other items.

Any spanking, to effectively reinforce instruction, must cause pain, but the most pain is on the surface of bare skin where the nerves are located. A surface sting will cause sufficient pain, with no injury or bruising. Select your instrument according to the child's size. For the under one year old, a little, ten- to twelve-inch long, willowy branch (striped of any knots that might break the skin) about one-eighth inch diameter is sufficient. Sometimes alternatives have to be sought. A one-foot ruler, or its equivalent in a paddle, is a sufficient alternative. For the larger child, a belt or larger tree branch is effective.
http://www.achristianhome.org/to_train_up_a_child.htm

This is some sick shit here. The diseased warped psychopaths who wrote this manual on how to beat babies and children should be locked up behind bars. The authorities need to be all over that fundie religious cult.

[Heidi]

17. Unbelievable. Here is some advice given on a "health" website owned by the Pearls' daughter.

Shoshanna (Pearl) Easling...is Mike and Debi’s fifth child. She is married to James Easling, inventor and builder. They are the owners of The Bulk Herb Store, Thread Tree, Shoshanna Gardens, and Well Tell Me.

From the Well Tell Me website, a particularly alarming question and answer:

[Karia]

19. 15 months and they have not consulted a physician???

Their children need to be rescued from them.

[Shallah Kali]

21. these are people into unassisted home births even without midwives

because their lord and master aka the husband has a hankering to play doctor:

http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,353.270.html

[Pithlet]

30. Physicians are mandatory reporters.

If you have to wait until those pesky little plumbing supply line bruises heal, the opportunities to go to the doctor are probably few and far between.

[Shallah Kali]

20. A nashville news station's article on the No Greater Joy connection

Ministry Cited In 7-Year-Old's Fatal Beating
Couple Charged With Murder Say They Followed Tenn. Pastor's Advice
http://www.wsmv.com/news/22637596/detail.html

Video of news report: http://www.wsmv.com/video/22638872/index.html

Pearl lives in the mostly Amish Cane Creek community. A world-renowned knife and tomahawk thrower, Pearl publishes books and sells DVDs called To Train Up A Child. He also has a show during which he answers Bible questions.

Pearl declined Channel 4's interview request but offered this statement:

"We do not teach 'corporal punishment' nor hitting children. We teach parents how to train their children, which sometimes requires the limited and controlled application of a spanking instrument to hold the child's attention on admonition. Over 1,000,000 parents have applied these Biblical principles with joyful results."

The California district attorney said his investigation into No Greater Joy shows no support for the couple's behavior.

No Greater Joy does into great detail about spanking and how to use a spanking instrument, but it also goes into great detail about not harming the children and not striking in anger. Pearl says to hit oneself once before hitting the child so as to understand what it feels like.

Only Salon and bloggers are willing to quote the really sick shit the Pearl's spew. No amount of disclaimers can counter act all the advice to spank infants, sit on toddlers and spank them until the surrender with a smile.

[Blue_Tires]

22. hmmm...All adopted from Liberia?

and six biological kids that don't show any signs of abuse?? The plot thickens...

I personally would love it if there was some organizational link between these 'ministries' and the organization trying to steal kids out of Haiti...Would really help connect some dots

[Shallah Kali]

23. They are charged abuse of the biological son as well

but not for torture like the adopted daughter who survived being abused to the point of kidney failure. I posted a link above from the No Longer Quivering message board from a woman who adopted kids from Liberia in which she talks of some of the problems with the religious adoption agencies:

http://nolongerquivering.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=ngj&thread=733&post=11864

I also am fully, FULLY aware of what the 2 main facilitators who were placing children from Liberia were doing at the time this particular family adopted their children. I personally reported one of those facilitators to the US Embassy. And, I got into some bitter disputes with the personnel of the other facilitator.

They were trafficking, one for cash and the for the glory of God's kingdom. And, they were preying upon highly Conservative, Patriarchail, Evangelical and often Quiverful families for the cash the needed to continue their 'work' (and hefty paychecks but that's not to be discussed). Most adoption agencies don't work with QFs for the simple fact that you cannot get pregnant in the process of adopting. You cannot adopt within 6-12 months of having a baby (depending on the agency and the country). And, you cannot continue with an adoption if you get pregnant.

During our international adoptions were actually the only time in our QF years when we were deliberately using birth control. It turned out I had health issues which left me with secondary inferitlity. But, we were using birth control so we COULD adopt.

Liberia attracted a lot of QF/P adoptive families because these 2 faciltiators targetted those families. The 'godly' facilitator was heavily marketed via Above Rubies. Though, I'm sure they never declared to that sect they were not a true adoption agency and had been cited by the state they were in repeatedly for lying about it.

Both groups were actually stealing children from families in Liberia and selling them. It was AWFUL and the QF/P movement contributed wholly to the situation. The only dvelopment in adoption that made me happier than seeing Liberia closed to international adoptions was the day Charles Taylor was captured and transported to Sierra Leone to face his victims. On both days, I actually danced for joy to read the news.

So, the situation when this family brought these girls was AWFUL. The Liberian children were in HORRIBLE conditions. The UN had snuck into the grounds of one facilitator's compound with Liberaian officials and tried to get them closed down. The children were traumatized, often stolen from their families, treated like second rate citizens and shipped off to do-gooder Americans as bounty.

And, into the hands of those Americans, these facilitators encouraged the writings of Micheal Pearl. Now, to be fair, most of these families were already avid followers of the nut job. Most of them were well versed in their plumbing tubing and had raised their armies will great success for years already.

But, they brought traumatized children into a situation where strangers were beating them...in much the same manner their 'rescuers' in Liberia had done. They knew how to survive, but they most definitely did NOT know these people were family, parents, protectors. And, when these people acted like foe, these children respond in the same fashion.

More at the link: http://nolongerquivering.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=ngj&thread=733&page=3#11864

[REP]

31. This is the sort of thing I mean when I post about the seamy side of foreign adoptions

There was another story this month - not involving abusive adoptive families, thanks be - about children being taken from their families to be essentially 'sold' in adoption to wealthy western families; children that were middle-class by local standards with extensive family to care for them, but with few legal resources to help retrieve their children once they were gone. This blogger seems to be a best-case scenario - someone who wanted to help a child who needed help, not someone who merely wanted an exotic accessory, as some of the other families seem to treat the children (and killing/nearly killing them when they don't blend in right).

[LeftyMom]

24. Liberia is a common adoption option for fundie families because it's one of the few countries that

doesn't place limits on the number of children who may be in the adopting home.

[Shallah Kali]

25. article - they were training the oldest daughter to give the spankings as well

http://www.khsltv.com/content/localnews/story/DA-Deadly-Child-Abuse-Case-Linked-To-Biblical/v9e-rmj-dk6t5b2Dx8U_gA.cspx


Investigators say the Shatz practiced a similar form of corporal punishment on their six biological children and were training their oldest daughter in the proper way to deliver spankings.

[pepperbear]

26. OK, this just plain sounds like hannibal lecter or dirty harry....

Now that I have emphasized the seriousness of this I will offer some practical advise. Cause you son to know that he does not have any say or authority over what foods are set in front of him. You do this by never allowing him to veto your decisions once they are made. If you want to offer him a choice before you prepare the meal, that is gracious of you and perfectly suitable, but never allow him to direct events with anger or ill temper. You must not be angry. No not plead for understanding or acceptance in your role as head dietician. Display indifference with dignity. Rise above petty debate and bickering. Like an army Sargent, state your will and accept nothing less. If he doesn’t like what is on the table and he is rude, send him away from the table and do not let him eat until the next meal. Do not feed him snacks between meals, and let him get good and hungry. He will then eat baby food spinach and love it. If you think it is appropriate and you spank him make sure that it is not a token spanking. Light, swatting spankings, done in anger without courtroom dignity will make children mad because they sense that they have been bullied by an antagonists. A proper spanking leaves children without breath to complain. If he should tell you that the spanking makes him madder, spank him again. If he is still mad…. He desperately needs an unswayable authority, a cold rock of justice. Keep in mind that if you are angry you are wasting your time trying to spank his anger away.

I could break his anger in two days. He would be too scared to get angry. On the third day he would draw into a quiet shell and obey. On the fourth day I would treat him with respect and he would respond in kind. On the fifth day the fear would go away and he would relax because he would have judged that as long as he responds correctly there is nothing to fear. On the sixth day he would like himself better and enjoy his new relationship to authority. On the seventh day I would fellowship with him in some activity that he enjoyed. On the eight day he would love me and would make a commitment to always please me because he valued my approval and fellowship. On the ninth day someone would comment that I had the most cheerful and obedient boy that they had ever seen. On the tenth day we would be the best of buddies.

[Shallah Kali]

27. Link to your quote on the No Greater Joy website

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/nc/articles/general-view/archive////angry-child/?tx_ttnews=3&tx_ttnews=83

[pepperbear]

28. oh snap! I forgot the link. thanks.

[Shallah Kali]

29. yw. glad to help

.

[blogslut]

32. kick

Too late to recommend.

FYI: For new parents, I highly endorse child rearing titles published by the Children's Television Workshop - Family Living Series.

[Odin2005]

33. There are no words...

:cry: :grr:

[crikkett]

34. so a couple of Schatz beat their Liberian children to death

I wonder if there's a hate crime in this.

[Shallah Kali]

35. Dominionism and child abuse, part 3: Why they aren't in jail

http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/20/3925456-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-3-why-they-arent-in-jail

So far in what will be a continuing series on religiously motivated child abuse, we've been focusing http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/18/3915064-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-1 on the most popular promoters http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/19/3921411-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-2 of religiously motivated child abuse in the dominionist community.

People have asked two very good very good questions related to this--"Why aren't the promoters in prison yet?" and "How does this relate to dominionism?"

There are many reasons--the dominionist "parallel economy" is increasingly a large reason why, as is the reluctance to prosecute by CPS agencies--and even a few cases of quisling CPS agencies who see nothing wrong with this sort of abuse. Also--as incredulous as it may seem--in many cases, the promotion and even execution of this madness is legal--including the giving away of tools designed for abuse.

The "How does this relate to dominionism?" section

The relationship to dominionism is multifold. Among other things:

a) Some of the same folks promoting this are the very same groups promoting political dominionism--including some of its leaders.

b) A disturbing number of dominionist "parallel economy" institutions exist in part to protect religiously motivated child abusers.

Two leaders known for political dominionism and religiously motivated child abuse in particular are Bill Gothard and James Dobson.

Much, much more at the link: http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/20/3925456-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-3-why-they-arent-in-jail

Dominionism and child abuse, part 1
http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/18/3915064-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-1

Dominionism and child abuse, part 2
http://dogemperor.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/19/3921411-dominionism-and-child-abuse-part-2

[BolivarianHero]

37. Random sentence from one of the articles on the site...

"While the public school system continues to degenerate into a drug-stupid, sex-oriented, illiterate morass of misfit, Marxist clones, the homeschool movement is producing intelligent, clear-thinking, confident citizens ready to stand in the middle of cascading corruption and declare their allegiance to God and family."

Holy fuck...

These people are stupid, stupid, stupid.

Nominally Marxist societies have often been about the most repressive societies in the world with respect to drugs or sex.