Learning in Freedom: Real abuse

Learning in Freedom

Welcome to Learning in Freedom, a blog all about the learning adventures (and mishaps) of the Allen family. My four children are unschooled, following their interests and passions every day and living the lives of their choosing. The purpose of this blog is to share our every day lives (and my not-so-humble opinons) with anyone interested in stopping by. We hope this will give a glimpse of how natural learning unfolds from day to day......

Friday, March 17, 2006

Real abuse

I just read a horrific article about a child that was abused and died. These parents use the Pearl's methods for discipline (which is actually abuse) who advocate hitting children with "rods".
This is a practice that some Christian's are very loyal to (other Christian's are horrified by the whole thing of course) and stand firm to the whole idea of hitting children. They use the rod as the tool because "hands are for comfort". As if the child doesn't know whose hands are holding the damn rod??? Cripes. The intelligence level there is frightening.

The article is here: Newsobserver.com
The Pearls have a book on the topic, write a newsletter and advocate for corporal punishment. Maybe Steve should be dropping them a line about child abuse being glorified. They're making money of children's misery...and now a death. Sick, sick, sick.

5 Comments:

Schuyler said...: This Old Schoolhouse is planning a tour of the UK. Because of their link with the Pearl's No Greater Joy ministry they have had a number of their speaking dates cancelled, including one near us. When their trip was advertised on a list I run my dh went Dawkins on the poster (he really enjoyed that) to some individuals dismay. But when others came forward with the No Greater Joy (which when linked with some of the Pearl's descriptions of how to hit a child comes off as sexual abuse as well as physical abuse) connection the most outspoken proponent (on my list) of the This Old Schoolhouse trip has become actively involved in getting their UK trip stopped.

Whatever your personal beliefs are, I think as soon as you tell others that hitting their children is an appropriate kind of discipline you need to move in with whomever you have told this to. You cannot guarantee that someone won't take it as a license to beat their child to death unless you are there to prevent it.

Schuyler; 9:53 AM
Ren Allen said...: You know, I think of how many posts we get at the lists, thanking us for helping families be more happy, more peaceful, more joyful.
I get such a thrill when someone enjoys a CD or writing that helps them respect their children (anyone's writing and CD's,not just my own).
I wonder how the Pearl's can live with themselves? How does one sleep at night knowing that more children are being hit because of you?

Gawd. If there is a hell, they've created it already. "Hell is for children" indeed. Yuck to the tenth power.; 11:12 PM
Vicki said...: I finally left Homeschool blogger yesterday for that exact reason. Some anonymous poster made some stupid comment that one shouldn't be on homeschool blogger if they don't support the pearl's. What a load of crap!

I just cannot comprehend what a 5 yr old could do that's so wrong that they deserve violent physical abuse for it? How could someone that claims to love them then abuse them? So sad. :(; 12:48 AM
~Katherine said...: Both sides of our families believe in spanking and using switches, belts, paddles and crap like that-- all representative of the rod. It's the way we grew up but dh and I have made a dramatic departure from all that. Partly due to being labelled as troublemakers in our respective families. The trouble we caused was only a matter of degree, in comparison to the other siblings. We weren't druggies, partying fools, or drunks. We didn't do those things at all then, under strict watchfulness as we were and because in my opinion we weren't interested in causing trouble anyway but staying out of it.

When dh and I married, we had no idea we shared the same reputation in our families.

Make a long story short, throughout history there have been so many atrocities visited upon children in the name of good discipline as well as in the name of one's god. It was "good" that dh was "disciplined" through the use of a camel whip. He lied to avoid discipline, which was the smart thing to do but he shouldn't have been goaded into lying in order to protect himself from a person who really should be a trusted protector. He learned that whipping kids is a bad idea. And he and I will never to spank or hit our children with hand or object.

This is not least because we came across the Pearl's and Ezzo's websites at some point in rambling around the net. The effect was to influence us to avoid their unbelievably disgusting drivle and recognize it for what it is: Hatred, Avarice --you know, vices no good Christian has any business advocating. I felt like plastering their websites with "HATRED IS NOT A FAMILY VALUE!"

Kathe; 8:12 PM
~Katherine said...: Both sides of our families believe in spanking and using switches, belts, paddles and crap like that-- all representative of the rod. It's the way we grew up but dh and I have made a dramatic departure from all that. Partly due to being labelled as troublemakers in our respective families. The trouble we caused was only a matter of degree, in comparison to the other siblings. We weren't druggies, partying teens, or drunks. We didn't do those things at all then, under strict watchfulness as we were and because in my opinion we weren't interested in causing trouble anyway but staying out of it.

When dh and I married, we had no idea we shared the same reputation in our families.

Make a long story short, throughout history there have been so many atrocities visited upon children in the name of good discipline as well as in the name of one's god. It was "good" that dh was "disciplined" through the use of a camel whip. He lied to avoid discipline, which was the smart thing to do but he shouldn't have been goaded into lying in order to protect himself from a person who really should be a trusted protector. He learned that whipping kids is a bad idea. And he and I will never to spank or hit our children with hand or object.

This is not least because we came across the Pearl's and Ezzo's websites at some point in rambling around the net. The effect was to influence us to avoid their unbelievably disgusting drivle and recognize it for what it is: Hatred, Avarice --you know, vices no good Christian has any business advocating. I felt like plastering their websites with "HATRED IS NOT A FAMILY VALUE!"

Kathe; 8:14 PM

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Friday, March 17, 2006

Real abuse

5 Comments: