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On February 6, 2010, Lydia Schatz was whipped to death by her parents Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz. The Schatz family used punishment techniques from the book To Train Up A Child by Micheal Pearl, including whipping disobedient children with a 1/4 inch plumbing supply line. That is the implement that was used to spank Lydia for hours before her internal organs finally shut down.
This whole incident is horrific and appalling, but what is worse is that these methods are being marketed by the Pearl's No Greater Joy ministry as "Godly," even going so far as to claim that such beatings can save a child from their sins. That is the place of Jesus alone! God does not punish his children. Even if he did, who are we to take the place of God?! God disciplines us and the root word of discipline is disciple. He teaches, leads, guides, protects, comforts and offers mercy and grace.
For more information on the Schatz case, this blog by TulipGirl has an archive of news stories, blogs and articles. Scroll down just a few posts to find it.
The parenting page has parenting resources, and I will continue to add more. I also will be adding a Bible study on discipline to the site soon.
Psalm 23:4
"....thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lydia Schatz
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People used to think it was necessary to "spank" adult members of the community, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered sexual battery if a person over the age of 18 is "spanked", but only if over the age of 18.
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, because the buttocks are so close to the genitals and so multiply linked to sexual nerve centers, striking them can trigger powerful and involuntary sexual stimulus in some people. There are numerous physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won't list them all here. One can use the resources I've posted if they want to learn more. All materials listed may be accessed at the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at www.nospank.net.
Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child buttock-battering (euphemistically labeled "spanking","swatting","switching","smacking", "paddling",or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like "Supernanny" and "Dr. Phil" are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.