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Discipline Method Implicated in Deaths
A discipline method popular among conservative Christian homeschoolers is coming under fire after the death of a 7-year-old girl from injuries sustained from beatings. Her parents stand charged with her murder, and are also facing torture and abuse charges for injuries incurred by two of their nine children.
Police said that Lydia Schatz’s beatings were so numerous and severe that her internal organs may have been no longer able to function.
Lydia’s parents were aherents to the teaching of conservative Christian writers Michael and Debi Pearl, who advocate a method of child training known as “No Greater Joy.” According to this well-researched, remarkably balanced article by Lynn Harris on Salon (as well as my own perusal of the Pearl’s website) they promise total and complete obedience by children trained with this method — even from infants. That obedience is obtained by, among other methods, spanking the child until he has “no breath left to complain.” They recommend a length of quarter-inch wide plumbing supply line — which has authorities believe, the murder weapon used on Lydia Schatz. They even recommend the parents wear their rod on a string around their neck, as a constant reminder to their children.
What’s interesting is that this time, the uproar is not coming only from the more secular communities, but from the Pearls’ own sector of conservative Christian homeschoolers. One blogger, Laurie Mathers, and her husband Paul have spoken out extensively over their disagreement with the Pearl’s methods and their heartbreak over Lydia’s death, and others have said the same thing. Some have been emboldened to ensure the Pearls’ books aren’t used in any church sponsored parenting classes or to let other parents know that they refuse to use their methods and why.
Another child, four-year-old Sean Paddock, died four years ago this month after his mother used another of the Pearls’ methods –wrapping him in blankets so tightly that he couldn’t breathe. Despite all this, the Pearls deny anything is wrong with their teachings. From a statement issued by Michael Pearl after Lydia’s death: “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.”
Bafflingly, they draw a line between what they term “Biblical chastisement” and hitting children — and in their defense, they repeatedly say they do not advocate or believe in child abuse. Pearl posted a defense of their methods here. To me, it’s pretty chilling and and represents the basest misinterpretation of the words of the Bible — and I am glad to see those who are aligned with the Pearls in religious views stepping up to do the same.
Illustration by Mignon Khargie for Salon, via TruthDig
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33 Comments
blue commented on Feb 23 10 at 3:25 pmEVIL.
PlumbLucky commented on Feb 23 10 at 3:33 pmMy frequent comment of late: false prophets.
Tell you what…I’ll grab a supply line for a sink or a drinking fountain from the back shop and give it up for inspection to see if you would consider hitting ANYONE with it. Poly or metal, those things are wicked.
And can someone PLEASE explain to me how beating your child til they lack the breath to complain is NOT child abuse? Anyone? So glad to see that others from their particular brand of Christianity are speaking out about this, and fairly loudly!
GP commented on Feb 23 10 at 3:37 pmOh. My. God. How is hitting someone ever “joyful”…the few times I’ve wacked my kid on the butt, I was nothing but joyful. I was sad and ashamed.
GP commented on Feb 23 10 at 3:38 pmedit that…sorry…nothing LIKE joyful…I have to say I am pretty shocked by the idea that people would actually do this to their kids…
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Feb 23 10 at 4:06 pmSick.
alison commented on Feb 23 10 at 4:07 pmWe are conditioned to view our experiences as “normal” and it takes a lot of strength to break the cycle of abuse. Unfortunately, a lot of prominent conservatives (Dobson, Falwell, Gingrich) were severely abused as children and they praise the adults who abused them, crediting them with turning them into the fine upstanding citizens they believe themselves to be. I suspect the people who find themselves able to carry out the Pearls’ views (as well as the Pearls themselves) experienced similar “discipline” as children and while they may hear differing views, this is what feels right to them. It is unfortunate that the Pearls have given people justification to abuse, but I don’t blame them entirely for the abuse as many people beat their children without such justification. Of course, the fact that they would consider any part of their system “joyful” is sickening.
a's mom commented on Feb 23 10 at 4:42 pmso since this is all based on how the old testament says we should handle things, do they think we should go back to publicly stoning people to death for adultery? cause that’s in the bible.
Manjari commented on Feb 23 10 at 4:53 pmThis is so disgusting. I wish the US would follow Sweden’s example. Hitting kids is wrong, and taking it to this extreme is monstrous.
Va Mommy commented on Feb 23 10 at 9:18 pmAbsolutely horrible. The website is scary.
Anonimon commented on Feb 23 10 at 9:34 pm“A discipline method popular among conservative Christian homeschoolers” Really? I know many conservative Christian homeschoolers and have never, ever heard of this method of obedience through torture. That statement is biased and misleading. Perhaps most who use this method are homeschoolers, but most homeschoolers do not use this method.
Abuse is abuse, and this certainly qualifies.
lisa commented on Feb 23 10 at 9:48 pmBatshit crazy. I often see comments on various local boards from moms who *love* this method. Seriously. There are churches that still teach the curriculum or whatever it is. I actually had a woman advise me to start spanking my child and how she regretted that she hadn’t started earlier when they were wee babies. He son had difficulties in school. Gosh I wonder why?! She was actually introduced to this by her church. Gotta love the Bible Belt sometimes.
Spartic commented on Feb 23 10 at 11:13 pmWho could ever hit a baby? The idea of it truly sickens me.
Eric commented on Feb 24 10 at 9:34 amAnonimom, you are dead on. I’ve been homeschooled for part of my education. Known a lot of homeschoolers and their parents. Been to conferences. Am active both in my local church and regionally. Never heard of this crazy crap. The author was even suprised to find that there were conservative Christan homeschoolers who were opposed to child abuse! I had hold off commenting on this yesterday as I was just too angry. This whole article is like saying that all the left wing environmentalists support the tactics of ELF.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Feb 24 10 at 10:43 amThat’s right, because *you* haven’t come across it, Anonimom and Eric, it means it’s not happening among groups YOU associate yourself with. If you read the blog post of the Christian mom that was close with the accused couple, *she* didn’t know it was going on either.
GP commented on Feb 24 10 at 11:53 amThese people advocate potty training 3-month-olds, too…where do they get this shit from? I was reading the Salon article and following the many links to parts on the site and was just so ANGRY at all this. These people are seriously damaging their children.
Allison commented on Feb 24 10 at 12:51 pmWell I have never heard of this either, and I am “conservative” and Christian, and have many, many friends who home-school. I have never heard of it from friends or acquaintances in 5 different states, or on any message boards or web sites for homeschooling. This is appalling. Both what happened to this poor child and the blanket statement you make implying conservative Christian homeschoolers abuse their children. But I would expect no less from babble. You never fail to depress me with your lack of journalistic integrity and the extreme bias you seem to flaunt.
Eric commented on Feb 24 10 at 1:12 pmNo, Scorpio, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It means that it is not as portrayed in this article. Who would better know the hearts and minds of conservative Christian homeschoolers (a group of which I am a member)me, or people who read the blog posts of some psychopaths that call themselves conservative Christian homeschoolers. You want to prove to me that this is ‘popular’ or common, give me some statistics. Show me the major homeschooling conferences who are encouraging this. Something. All this article does is cast aspersions. You cannot simply find one crazy person in a group and decide that’s what the group is. Are there pepole out there that beat their kids? Yep. Are there people out there that do it in the name of God? Most likely. Is it fair to imply (or nearly outright state) that this is the position of conservative Christians? Hell no.
anonymom commented on Feb 24 10 at 3:04 pmIt’s always interesting how commenters on Babble get so worked up about “journalistic integrity.” This isn’t CNN, people, it’s babble.com. It’s a collection of BLOGGERS, not journalists. Obviously the bloggers here have opinions. Obviously this is a progressive, liberal parenting site. I’m sure there are conservative parenting sites out there and I know there are sites where journalists (not bloggers) write the news. If that’s what you’re looking for, go there!
ann05 commented on Feb 24 10 at 3:14 pmJust because I am a member of some group (lets say people who get CSA baskets or something) it doesn’t mean I have any idea what everybody else who is getting CSA baskets does. If you’re a Christian homeschooler and you don’t want these abusers to say, speak for you, who are you to speak for all the rest of the Christian homeschoolers? I find it’s generally best to just speak for myself.
GP commented on Feb 24 10 at 7:47 pmI honestly don’t see how the blog post is even really pegging all conservative Christian homeschoolers to be this way. I thought it, and the Salon piece was pretty balanced and made a big deal about giving voice to all the conservative Christians who were against this and just as appalled as everyone else.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Feb 24 10 at 10:30 pmEric, ann05 said it best. Your claim to know hearts and minds of the group you identify with rings hollow when reading the above account of people who *thought* they knew the accused as well. Perhaps they were not as discerning? Or more likely, perhaps they were simply human.
Eric commented on Feb 24 10 at 11:38 pm“A discipline method popular among conservative Christian homeschoolers ” and “What’s interesting is that this time, the uproar is not coming only from the more secular communities, but from the Pearls’ own sector of conservative Christian homeschoolers” are what I have to complain about. The broad brush treatment. I don’t claim that there aren’t child abusers in just about every circle somewhere. I take issue with it being portrayed is accepted in MY circle. ann05, If people were writing that people who get CSA baskets eat babies, you’d probably not like it. If all your friends get CSA baskets, and you’re pretty sure they aren’t eating babies you’d probably not like it. anonymom, I never asked for ‘journalistic integrity’ and I know where I’m at. But as long as the section at the bottom says ‘comments’ expect me to give mine.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Feb 25 10 at 8:29 amEric, the target market for the Pearl’s method sure aren’t secular humanists or your run of the mill ashes and palm Christians. Like it or not, that’s their demographic. As far as the “what’s interesting” comment, I can understand your discomfort. However, the typical reaction for many religious groups is to circle the wagons. The reaction from the conservative Christian community is to be commended. But the comment wasn’t “what’s highly unusual is,” or “you’re not gonna believe this, but…” It didn’t cast the dark aspersions you ascribe to the words. But again, as part of a group that regularly has stereotypes applied, I get your discomfort.
Eric commented on Feb 25 10 at 9:21 amI don’t disagree that the Pearl’s method is targeted at homeschooling Christians. It certainly seems that way. But to describe it as “popular among conservative Christan homeschoolers” lacks any backup. The “What’s interesting is that this time” line implies that CCH would usually tolerate child abuse if it could keep us from airing our dirty laundry. I appreciate your compassion Scorpio; but it was either a poor choice of words, or an intentional dig by the author (who has been silent). Why not say, “the Pearl’s have been under fire from CCHs” or any other method of saying it?
jenny tries too hard commented on Feb 25 10 at 12:20 pmWhat’s odd is that while Pearl claims to be Christian, in his books he pushes several notions, not just about child abuse, but theological ideas, that are not accepted by any major Christian denomination. He pushes the idea that human beings can, through suffering and prayer, become perfectly sinless—sanctified—in this life. In fact, he claims to be living in a state of utter freedom from sin—not just the eternal consequences of it, but from the very temptation and acts themselves. He also writes that through punishment from their parents, the soul of a disobediant child is cleansed. That is downright heretical in most churches, as the central tennet of Christian faith is sanctification, the cleansing of the soul through Jesus Christ’s suffering on the cross, that we are saved not by works, or by perfection, but by grace and mercy. He also disparages the idea of going to an established church, another odd idea for a Christian, and to my knowledge he is not affiliated with any established church or denomination. Very strange.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Feb 25 10 at 6:47 pmWhat backup would be acceptable to provide a measurement of the term “popular” among the conservative Christian target market? (I’m dropping “homeschoolers” because it’s not a descriptor unique to conservative Christians.) “Popular” is a difficult term to justify or debunk unless the results are obvious. If this Pearl organization sprung up a year or two ago and all that existed of it was a website, that would be one thing. But they have books, seminars, videos and a magazine in circulation since 1995. Somebody’s buying and again, it ain’t the secular humanists.
And the dig whether intentional or not, it has been earned by many religious groups acting exactly the way you describe. Maybe not yours, and as such, yeah the sentence is not fair. It sucks to be on the receiving end of a stereotype. All religious groups are not the same.
The Truth commented on Feb 25 10 at 7:09 pmActually,
I have come across numerous biblical citations that liken Michael Pearl’s teachings to that of the anti-christ because they steal up children’s souls with violent dominance before they have a choice or are aware. Remember, the anti-christ fools people into worshipping him as God. Michael Pearl tries to give people the illusion that they can control completely like God and they can be God-like and “sit as God.” I truly believe Michael Pearl is the anti-christ.
Eric commented on Feb 26 10 at 10:54 amWell, the Klan has been around since the civil war, produced a lot of literature, and raised a fair bit of money. They appeal exclusively (and I mean EXCLUSIVELY) to whites. So are they popular among whites? I’d say hell no. What would people on this site say if an article was written that said “Klan rallies, which are popular among white people…”?
I see no need to drop the homeschooling tag (despite the fact that there are many homescoolers that aren’t conservative Christians) simply because that was the target the author chose. She didn’t say “popular among conservative Christians,” so I’d ask what her research into this subject really is? I know hundreds of people who are CCHs, been to conferences with them, and spent time in their homes. I think the author read a website and spewed some hate.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Feb 26 10 at 2:59 pmLike I said, “popular” is a difficult term to justify or debunk unless the results are obvious… so your example doesn’t work because the result is obvious.
Eric commented on Feb 27 10 at 10:03 amThe result on this one SHOULD be obvious. Unfortunately, because CCH is a small enough group and because there are enough people out there that hate on them, the result isn’t obvious to some.
Wang commented on Mar 05 10 at 3:29 pmThe more I read about this story the more my heart breaks. This is so awful. I just want to cry every time I read something new.
I am glad more and more people are speaking out about this.
I just wanted to point everyone to an excellent response to Pearl’s awful “laughter” that Vyckie Garrison at No Longer Quivering has written.
http://nolongerquivering.com/2010/03/03/no-laughing-matter-michael-pearls-callous-response-to-critics/#more-4517
guest commented on Mar 18 10 at 5:33 pmHas anyone REALLY read the book/books by Mike Pearl?? If you had, you would know that this article is GROSSLY MISLEADING. Just as it grossly suggests “Conservatives”, “Christians”, and “Homeschoolers” are BAD ABUSIVE PEOPLE WHICH ARE ALL LIES. The Pearls are wise and kind people that teach you how to be GOOD parents…NOT ABUSIVE ANGRY HYPOCRITES such as those parents from Cal. are. Let’s lay blame where blame is due, shall we?!
Ginny commented on Apr 11 10 at 1:30 amComments Wang comments that the Pearls are kind people. Get real. Stricking infants with willow branches is not kind in my book. It’s sick.
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