Disciplining to Death ~ No Greater Joy Ministries and Child Abuse

[katty]

Posted by vyckie at 3:02 pm
February 19, 2010 REPLIES: 0 Disciplining to Death ~ No Greater Joy Ministries and Child Abuse
Advocating Biblical chastisement blurs the lines between discipline and beating. No Greater Joy Minister, Michael Pearl suggests using a 1/4 inch plumber’s supply line 10 times, per chastisement, increasing that amount if the child resists the discipline.

This article was first published at No Longer Quivering.

by WanderingOne

more:
http://blogs.alternet.org/vyckie/2010/02/19/disciplining-to-death-no-greater-joy-ministries-and-child-abuse/

Friday, February 5, Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz, were charged with beating their 7 year old daughter to death for mispronouncing a word, and torturing her 11 year old sister, who was brought to Sacramento Children’s Hospital in critical condition from kidney failure and other injuries.<1>

In addition to the two girls, who were adopted, the Schatz’s have 6 biological children and another adopted child—all of whom were rarely seen out of doors or playing with other children, report neighbors<2>. Recently, the Butte county DA has reported that the Schatz’s followed the teachings of Michael Pearl, founder of No Greater Joy Ministries.<3>

Pearl advocates what he refers to as “Biblical Chastisement,” that is punishing children through the use of a rod, quoting Proverbs 13: 24 as a prooftext:

“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

[Ex Lurker]

1. these creeps have a FB page

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=no+greater+joy+ministries&init=quick#!/pages/No-Greater-Joy-Ministries/98287219406?v=info&ref=search

[katty]

2. o, yuck

[Jefferson23]

3. I'm not sure where to begin, at first glance I thought, we have here a couple

of blind twisted assholes who believe they are required to hurt their children. But is there any published author that suggests such torture of children and to ignore child development without including God to sell this hideous crap? I doubt it.

Could it be correct, this treatment is to begin at infancy? Fucking lunatics, it's hard to believe we are talking about anything like this
in 2010. If freedom of religion allows for this behavior, then many children will unfortunately, be doomed.

[katty]

4. when I read 'begin at infancy' - WTF?! call Child Protection Svcs

[Ex Lurker]

5. unfortunately, these groups are good at hiding the abuse

as the article implies, they only associate with likeminded people who are not inclined to blow the whistle.. And they start early on the kids, who don't know that what they're going through is not normal, and thus don't self-report.

[Jefferson23]

6. Yes, I think that's right and the reason the couple received support from those families.

Despite the fact they had killed their own daughter!

[Jefferson23]

7. SPARE THE CHILD The Religious Roots of Punishment and the Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse. By

Cruel and Usual Punishment

A trio of perspectives shapes "Spare the Child," Philip Greven's study of the physical punishment of children in America: the detachment of the scholarly researcher, the clinical expertise of the therapist and the indignation of the moral crusader. The result is at once a carefully drawn history of such punishment, a contentious analysis of its psychological effects and, above all, a zealous plea for its abolition.

Writing as a historian of ideas, Mr. Greven, the author of "The Protestant Temperament," traces the justifications for corporal discipline invoked by fundamentalist, evangelical and Pentecostal Protestants. The main source of sanction is, of course, the Bible. Many Old Testament texts present the harsh chastisements of Jehovah as models for parental correction of children. So far as a rationale can be found in the New Testament -- the Jesus of the Gospels, Mr. Greven points out, never urges punishment for children -- it comes mostly from assurances of the reality of hell. The key text is Proverbs 23:14 -- "Thou shalt beat him with the rod, / And shalt deliver his soul from hell." The certainty that wickedness will be punished in the hereafter makes the infliction of pain in the present an act of love, sparing the child eternal torment.

This reasoning prevails in the contemporary fundamentalist child-rearing manuals that Mr. Greven, a history professor at Rutgers University, examines, such as "Dare to Discipline" and "God, the Rod, and Your Child's Bod," which offer detailed advice on the discipline ritual, recommending what instruments to use and where to position children when hitting them. Mr. Greven identifies milder forms of the same thinking in mainstream Protestantism too. They appear in the writings of influential Christian "moderates," from John Locke's "Some Thoughts Concerning Education" (1690) through the many editions of Dr. Benjamin Spock's "Baby and Child Care." Ambivalently, the Christian moderates firmly discourage physical punishment of children, yet allow for it in cases where no amount of gentle persuasion has worked. Such reasoning reaches even into the courts. In Ingraham v. Wright (1977), the Supreme Court ruled that the Eighth Amendment, prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, does not apply to the paddling of children in school.

Writing as a clinician, Mr. Greven also describes and explains the psychological effects of such punishment. By his account, the severity of damage ranges from apathy to obsessiveness, paranoia and extreme dissociation. He concludes that fear of the rod does not make children obedient and law-abiding, as its religious proponents maintain, but can incite them to delinquency, criminality and domestic violence. Its consequences are therefore felt throughout the secular culture as well. In fact, Mr. Greven links physical punishment of children to specific kinds of political behavior: authoritarianism; "the persistent 'conservatism' of American politics"; the passive acceptance, even the welcoming, of the annihilation of the planet as a wrathful Father's ultimate scourging of his wayward children.

As this skeletal summary suggests, Mr. Greven sees righteous corporal discipline as a radix malorum, a root of all evil that entwines itself in consciousness, deforming every aspect of personality and society. His zeal to eliminate it produces some of the most affecting parts of the book. "Spare the Child" is punctuated by one jolting account after another of some assault on the head, hands, buttocks, stomach or feet of a child by a stick, belt, shoe, switch or razor strap. The author draws harrowing but unsensationalized sketches of many of those who have beaten or been beaten in the name of obedience to the will of God, among them Susanna Wesley (who regularly used the rod on her sons John and Charles, the future founders of the Methodist Church), Edmund Gosse, the Rev. Billy Graham (who, while being flailed by his father with a leather belt, kicked back and broke two of his tormentor's ribs) and Ingmar Bergman, whose autobiographical film "Fanny and Alexander" Mr. Greven analyzes brilliantly.

remainder here: http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/17/books/cruel-and-usual-punishment.html?pagewanted=1

[elshiva]

8. I just finished reading Greven's "Spare the Child."

I highly recommend it.

[Mopar151]

9. No Greater Joy

Than torturing a child? With an instrument selected to inflict pain without leaving obvious marks? How dare these monsters lecture anyone, about anything, after committing such heinous crimes?
Fred Phelps beat his children with a pick handle, until they fled, or became monsters themselves. George W. Bush branded pledges with a hot coat hanger at Skull & Bones. Cheney, North, and their ilk speak of torture with misty eyes, and our nation's secret shame has been the export of torture and terror through our intelligence services, and means like The School of the Americas. in our names monsters have been created that rival anything Roger Corman can dream up.

[Hestia]

10. Over on Daily Kos Dog Emperor has written extensively on Dominionism, Quiverful

and the other ministries that advocate child abuse. She lived it and extensive knowledge on these matters. (I do hope she doesn't mind that I am directing people to her diaries. They are an eyeful.)

[Shallah Kali]

11. links to some of dogemperor's posts & more on religiously motivated child abuse

Dominionism and child abuse, part 1 by dogemperor http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/13/370953/-Dominionism-and-child-abuse,-part-1

Dominionism and child abuse, part 2 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/14/114136/732/786/371430

Dominionism and child abuse, part 3: Why they aren't in jail http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/15/17423/4121



A followup re the Pearls' dominionist child abuse
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/4/30/133030/205

FLOGGING FOR GOD: Violence toward children under the guise of religion http://nospank.net/floggers.htm

Stop the Rod http://stoptherod.net /

[Shallah Kali]

12. For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence

the full text of the book can be read at this link with permission of the author:

For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence
by Alice Miller
http://www.nospank.net/fyog.htm

[Shallah Kali]

13. the pearls advise sitting on a 3 yr old who screams or tries to flea punishment

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2003/july/01/different-techniques-to-control-parents/

Likewise, pouting is an expression of anger, designed to control those at whom it is directed. Children do it because it gets results—attention, compromise, and negotiation. Parents say of a pouty child, “I don’t want to upset her.” “Leave her alone; don’t get her started again.” When parents organize and manage a child so that pouting is counterproductive, the child will take up smiling as a method of getting her way.

When she screams or flees, calmly follow through by physically subduing her. Sit on her, if you have to, and slowly explain that you will not tolerate this resistance. Explain in a normal tone (She will eventually stop screaming and listen) that you are going to give her, say, five licks for the original offense and an additional two licks for the fit. Slowly apply the five licks, counting out loud. When I say slowly, I mean with a thirty second gap between each lick and a calm explanation to the screaming child that you are not the least impressed except that you are going to spank harder and she still gets the additional two licks plus one more for her ongoing screaming. When you have finally arrived at five well- anticipated and carefully counted licks, say, “OK, your spanking is over; that is the five licks you got for hitting your brother, but now I must give you two more for trying to run away.” Give her one lick and say, “Now, that is one of the licks for running away; you have one more coming.” Give the second lick, and then calmly and slowly explain that all her licks are over now, except for the one additional lick she incurred for continuing to scream during the spanking. After you have finished, tell her that you are going to let her up now, if she stops screaming, otherwise you are going to give her one additional lick. If she stops, or at least makes a great effort to, then you have won. You may never have to go through this horrible time again. But, if she is continuing to scream in defiance, you have the option of continuing to warn and spank, or of ceasing here with a parting warning: “Next time you better not run and throw a fit; for if you do, you will only get more licks and harder ones.”

snip

Every child has their way of controlling their parents. One child will hold his breath and pass out, while another will hit his head against the wall or pinch himself. As we read in another letter, the little girl’s wild fits seem to do the trick in controlling her mama. For the fit-pitcher we suggest that you, mama, slow down. When she starts pitching her wild fit, just hold her, talking all the time about how she needs to learn self-control and how silly she is acting. Explain to her as you hold her down that she will get 1 or 2 more licks every time she acts wild. While holding her tell her you are going to give her another lick in 2 minutes and give a running commentary on the time that remains; then tell her it will be 3 more minutes before the next lick. It will be an extremely trying, tiring, terrible time, but she will get the idea and she will also exhaust herself. The object in life is to teach our children self-control. All self-control is tied together, whether it is in their emotional response, their eating habits, or anger. In order for a child to become a balanced individual, teaching them self-control is close to the top of the list.

The 3-year-old little girl’s pitiful stance is also working to control her mama and daddy. It is important to never allow your face to show concern over the scared look, but have a set rule of the number of licks she receives for certain offenses and one extra for looking pitiful. Too much rebuke (yaky-yak) provokes a child to wrath and steals all joy. A hard fast lick or two, a short admonishment, and then let it go and cheer up is the best training tool.

[JoeyT]

14. WTF?

Hit the kid harder and more times because she's screaming because you're beating her?
Because not hitting her is just too difficult for them to grasp? :wtf:

[Shallah Kali]

15. a post by a blogger who knew the family & attended Lydia's funeral

Lydia’s smile could have lit a room
http://nolongerquivering.com/2010/02/22/lydias-smile-could-have-lit-a-room/

It is now exactly two weeks since we got a phone call….well, let me back up. Over a year ago a new family began attending our tiny church. A husband and wife with nine kids – six biological, three adopted from Liberia. They were a lovely family, the children polite and well behaved. They home-schooled. That’s how they found our church actually. They belonged to the same home-school organization as our pastor. Anyway, the wife was one of the, kindest women I’ve ever known. Anytime there was a gathering of the church she and I would often find ourselves off somewhere together, talking quietly until it was time to leave. Her warmth was a soothing thing. No two people could be more different than she and I, and yet there was a sweet comfort in our times together. We’d been to their house a few times for church related functions, and once just Paul and I were there, for dinner. We ate shepherd’s pie, and the children were a delight. They showed us how to milk their goats. The husband also had always taken time to reach out to Paul, who in person is extremely reserved and tends to be overlooked, and so Paul was fond of him as well.

After about nine months they decided to leave our church. They had just completed our series of membership classes, so their change of heart came as a bit of a shock, and a disappointment. As I understood it, one of the reasons for their leaving was that the husband had a strong disagreement with a doctrinal stance of our church. He 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. When no agreement could be reached, he determined to find a church more in keeping with his position. I was so sad, because I’d grown so fond of my friend, and also her little adopted girls, especially little Lydia, who always looked at me like I was some kind of miracle.

snip

I can’t tell you how this has shocked and devastated us. We loved this family. We love them still. The first thing we did when we learned of all this, before we had any idea who did what, and still held out hope that it was all some kind of mistake, was to write them letters. Our next instinct was to want to rescue the children, at least one or two of them. But we were told by others who knew them that they would not allow anyone with any connection to the parents to have anything to do with the children (which would become quite understandable later as more details began to surface). So we felt helpless. We then began simply waiting, praying for the best outcome for all involved, and hoping some light would be shed on how such a thing could have happened – and wishing none of it was real. Elizabeth, the mother, is possibly the warmest person I’ve ever known. One of the hardest things for me, has been squaring the soft, meek woman I know with the hard cold fact of a dead child (and another who was at that time critically injured and fighting for her life).

snip

They {{ NoGreaterJoy.org }}claim to be a Christian organization, and yet offer no grace and NO mercy. They actually teach parents to show no mercy to their children, and to love them only when they are lovable. (“When they do something lovely, then you can love them.”) The whipping is to begin in infancy. It is to be used in “training” – what you might call behavior modification, and in “chastisement” which is actual punishment. They suggest keeping a whipping instrument in every room, and that the plumbing line they recommend is a perfect implement because it is inexpensive, available at Home Depot, and the parent can even drape it around his or her neck, so when the children see the parent, they see the whip*. And it gets worse. They speak as if it’s all sweetness and delight, and yet talk about calmly stalking the child if it runs from the spanking, laughing at their frail attempts to escape. And there’s so much more**, yet all couched in language of smiles and happy families. There is no Good News to be found there, just legalism, punishment – salvation by “the rod”. Listen to the powers Michael Pearl ascribes to the rod – powers I’ve only heard elsewhere ascribed to Christ and His Cross:

“When a child is bound in self-blame and low self-esteem, parents are not helpless. God has given them the gift of the rod. The rod can bring repentance, but it goes much deeper than that. The rod in the hands of a righteous authority will supply the child’s soul with that moment of judgment that he feels he so deserves. Properly applied, with instruction, it will absolve the child of guilt, cleanse his soul, and give him a fresh start through a confidence that all indebtedness is paid.” (Emphasis mine)

more at the link including some of the more revolting advice Michael and Debi Pearl dish out on their website.