US Fundamentalists to Hold Child Abuse Seminars in the UK

UK home education groups are in uproar after it has been revealed that fundamentalist Christian home school magazine “The Old Schoolhouse” are set to embark on a tour of the UK next month.

Whilst a quick scan over their website seems to show them as a relatively innocuous (if rather backward and extremely fundamentalist) pressure group promoting home schooling it is their links with the “No Greater Joy” ministry run by Michael and Debi Pearl which has raised alarm.

Both of these evangelists have written for the Old Schoolhouse, which regularly advertises their products, plugs their books and gives away material on the Pearls’ unique brand of ‘child training’ including a copy of their book “No Greater Joy” as a free gift to new subscibers.

The tour was announced earlier this year, and some have been worried that Michael and Debi Pearl may even be joining them on some of their UK dates as they plan to in other European countries.

“The 17-19th of April will find TOS in Heidelberg, where they will team up with the Pearls of No Greater Joy at a conference for both German and American Christians.”

Many parents groups have already threatened to hold protests at any events these vile and ludicrous individuals attempt to organise to spout their pseudo-religious claptrap.

The our date list which has now been removed from their website (with the comments that for various reasons they may have to reschedule some of the UK tour dates) is published below:

March 22 London, England March 24 Lakenheath AFB Chapel(England) March 25 Lakenheath, England March 27 Milton Keynes, England March 28 Sheffield, England March 30 Edinburgh, Scotland April 3 Leicester, England April 4 Nottingham, England April 5 South Manchester, England

which suggests that unless they’ve changed their plans they are already here!

Ever since Lynn Paddock adopted mother of 6 was charged with murder after using the Pearl’s child training methods they have undertsadably become more and more secretive about their activities.

Paddock surfed the Internet and found literature by the evangelical minister and his wife who recommended using plumbing supply lines to spank misbehaving children advising:

“a swift whack with the plastic tubing would sting but not bruise. Give 10 licks at a time, more if the child resists. Be careful about using it in front of others — even at church; nosy neighbors might call social workers. Save hands for nurturing, not disciplining. Heed the warning, taken from Proverbs in the Old Testament, that sparing the rod will spoil the child.”

The Pearl’s even advise parents where to buy their chosen instruments of torture

“You can buy them for under $1.00 at Home Depot or any hardware store. They come cheaper by the dozen and can be widely distributed in every room and vehicle. Just the high profile of their accessibility will keep the kids in line.”

After Sean, the youngest of Paddock’s six adopted children, was found dead last month his older sister and brother told investigators about Paddock’s brand of Christian chastisement.

Sean’s 9-year-old brother was found to be beaten so badly he limped, according to the prosecution, doctors also found bruises covering Sean’s backside.

Sean died after being wrapped so tightly in blankets he suffocated. That, too, was a form of punishment according to the local Sherriff.

Their website gives many further examples of how these so called Christians brutalise their children into slavish discipline and a life of fear.

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. The rod meets a psychological need in the child’s soul. ”

Here is the good minister’s advice on dealing with an 11 month old baby:

“As I was writing this I was interrupted by a child screaming. Deb is baby-sitting an eleven-month-old little boy. I let him scream for about five minutes, as I wrote the last lines of the above paragraph, and then I left my office and went to investigate. Deb was doing business on the phone—talking to a missionary, long distance. The child was clawing at the back door, trying to get it open so he could go outside.

I picked up a switch and walked over to where he was conducting his scream-in. In a calm but firm voice I said, “No, stop crying.” I didn’t expect him to respond, but I wanted to establish the rules. When he failed to respond, I switched him twice on the only exposed skin—about three inches between his sock and pants leg. Again he did what I expected, what he does when his mother swats him—scream in defiance. But I have seen her swat him, and it never even gets his attention, other than a signal to scream louder. But when I switched his bare skin, he looked shocked and started to rub it. He continued to cry in protest, so I gave him two more licks on the bare leg.

This time, he was convinced that I meant business. I know that he understood the issue, because he crawled past me, away from the door. Again I commanded him to stop crying, brandishing the switch. He stopped crying immediately, continuing to rub his leg while staring at me.”

Reading through both their website and that of the Old Schoolhouse, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is all some bad taste hoax, or some bizarre BDSM lifestyle site.

As you read on, through stories of administering spanking, hair pullings and physical discipline to toddlers and babies a sickness begins to grow, as you realise not only are these people for real, but they have real influence.

read the thoughts of a Catholic mother of four who tried the Pearl’s approach and now rejects it as child abuse

http://stoptherod.net/

the void hopes for once that the old bill have got their eyes out for these child-abusing bastards, and will step in to prevent any further incitement to commit child cruelty which they may spount both in personal appearances and in their literature.

In the meantime calls have been made to lobby Amazon.com to stop carrying their books or find any information you can on where and when these seminars are due to take place and inform local media … send any info here and we’ll publish it as soon as we can.