Pastor Found Guilty of Child Abuse
The Wisconsin State Journal reports that Philip Caminiti, the pastor of the Aleitheia Bible Church, was found guilty yesterday, Wednesday March 21, 2012. This is very important as it will set a precedence that pastors can be held accountable for their abusive advice.
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No matter who gives advice, it is up to the individual to weigh that advice and apply some common sense. If a person takes the advice to an extreme, does that make the advisor guilty of a crime? Freedom of speech is our constitutional right, and no judge or jury should have the right to take that away.
My son was 7 years old when his 5 year old sister accidently kick him in the stomach while playing on a swing. Not knowing I was watching from the kitchen window, my son became enraged and punch his sister repeatedly. I disciplined my son in a way he would not soon forget. Then I sat with him while he was still crying and I explained how his reaction was not acceptable and how he could hurt someone if he could not keep his anger in check. He never again raised his hand to his sister. My son is 17 now, and though he has become angry from time to time, he has never lost control.
A well placed spanking by a loving parent can be the best thing for child. It could save them from a life of misery.
The Bible is very clear that a pastor must be held accountable for his teachings. I don’t know much about the case, but as I understood it, his flock did not take the teachings to an extreme, they were following his direct teachings: to strike babies with wooden dowels to teach them to obey. As I understand it, leaders who convince groups to do illegal things are held accountable by law. I do see your point, and agree that in normal circumstances advisers should not be held accountable for bad advice. So far, the Pearls have not been held accountable for their dangerous advice, if that’s any consolation to you.
About the situation with your children, I have no doubt that the lesson could have been learned without corporal punishment, but when one is limited in knowledge, one does what one knows how to do. This situation has nothing at all to do with this news story which was not about a pastor teaching his flock to spank 7 yr olds, it was about a pastor teaching his flock to spank 7 month olds. A big difference.