The Christian Post reports that the Change.org petition (asking Amazon to stop selling the controversial book, To Train Up A Child) is closing in on 100,000 signatures. They then take a closer look at the Pearls’ teachings and the controversy surrounding them.
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RedditInternational Business Times Looks At The Pearls
December 27, 2013 Leave a Comment
Today the International Business Times featured an article about the pressure being put upon Amazon to stop selling the Pearls’ book, To Train Up A Child. This is a very good article except for a small confusion about the children who have been killed. Sean “Paddock” was killed in 2006, Lydia “Schatz” in 2010 and Hana “Williams” in 2011. For more information about what the Pearls’ teachings had to do with the death of Lydia, please see my post, Why Blame The Pearls At All and for more information about what the Pearls’ teachings had to do with the deaths of Sean and Hana, please see Why Blame The Pearls At All Part 2.
Amazon Boycott
November 27, 2013 Leave a Comment
According to this tweet, Amazon has decided to not stop selling the controversial book, To Train Up A Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl.
Aleem at @amazonuk states of To Train Up A Child ‘the decision has been made to keep it up this book for sale.’ Do this make anyone happy?
— Spencer (@ADadCalledSpen) November 27, 2013
Because of that, the petition drive has escalated into a boycott until Amazon removes To Train Up A Child in all formats.
More information can be found at the Facebook group Online retailers – we urge you to stop selling To Train Up A Child and the Twitter Account @BoycottAmazon1.
Meanwhile there is also a new petition to the UK Government, asking them to make it illegal to sell the book in the UK. Of course, this petition may only be signed by British citizens and UK residents. You can find more petitions at the bottom of this post.
Hana and Pearl Are All Over The Internet
November 23, 2013 2 Comments
There has been a lot of attention being given lately to the Pearls and the part their book, To Train Up A Child, played in the death of Hana Aleumu “Williams.” So much attention in fact, that my blog could not handle the traffic generated by Google searches and was taken offline from the 19th until today as explained here. So, here is a rundown of the posts and articles I missed posting during that time.
It started with this article on Nov 15: Another couple found guilty of murder for parenting by “To Train Up a Child” by Alicia Bayer of the Mankato Attachment Parenting Examiner. [Read more…]
To Train Up A Child Being Pulled?
November 12, 2013 Leave a Comment
It looks like Amazon has decided to keep selling the controversial book, To Train Up A Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl. It is being offered as usual on both the USA site and the UK site.
However, Lulastic tells us that some other online retailers have decided to pull the book. She also discusses her reasons for trying to get the book pulled and gives us some ideas for how to help.
I would like to remind people that this is not a campaign to ban a book. The book will still be legal to sell. Any book seller who wishes to is free to sell it. The public is also free to boycott anyone who chooses to sell it and to put pressure on them to stop. The book will always be available to buy directly from the publisher, No Greater Joy. Because of this, I don’t see the point of equating asking Amazon to stop profiting from the sales of a dangerous parenting guide with book banning.
If you would like to sign the petition to Amazon.co.uk, here it is.
Update: here is the latest from @ADadCalledSpen.
British Parliament Wants Amazon to Stop Selling TTUAC
November 8, 2013 2 Comments
Nadine Dorries, a member of the British Parliament, is insisting that Amazon.co.uk stop selling Michael and Debi Pearl’s book, To Train Up A Child, according to an article by Jessica Elgot in the Huffington Post.
The story was then picked up by Parentdish who wrote quite a long article about the story as well as the book in question.
Also, there is a new petition on Change.com asking Amazon.co.uk to stop selling To Train Up A Child. This petition is only about To Train Up A Child, unlike the old petition which asked Amazon to “refuse to carry books which advocate the physical abuse of children,” including, Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp; and Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman.
On top of that, @ADadCalledSpen has An Open Letter to Jeff Bezos and All @Amazon About To Train Up A Child going around Twitter.
TTUAC Withdrawn by Publisher in Poland
June 20, 2012 1 Comment
Polish Anti-Spanking Community Książki nie do bicia left a comment on my Facebook page saying,
Hi! We would like to inform you that the publishing of a book “To train up a child” (and one more) has been withdrawn Poland (by the publisher).
There are some other books like that (Fugate, Dobson, Smalley, Barnes) in Poland, but we hope that they will be withdrawn too.
We hope that all this books will be withdrawn everywhere!
This story is from February 2012, but I had not heard about it so I very much appreciate them sharing the news with us. Here is the news story they linked for me and here is an English translation of it. Of course, the translation is done by computer program, so it is not perfect, but gives us the idea.
This is very good news! The Polish Anti Spanking community has been working hard and have convinced a publisher to remove two books from circulation! ( the other book is Discipline Them, Love Them by Betty Chase.) I wish that could happen here, but To Train Up A Child in English is self-published by the Pearls. We are trying to get as many book sellers as possible to stop selling it. We have convinced quite a few and are still working on Amazon.com.
A Psychology Professor Critiques the Pearls’ Teachings
March 12, 2012 Leave a Comment
Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas has uploaded a video from FOX News in which “SMU Psychology Professor George Holden, who specializes in child-parent relationships and positive child rearing, talks critically about Michael and Debi Pearl’s book “To Train Up A Child,” which advocates spanking.” More information about Professor Holden here.
CNN Story on Christian Talk Radio
February 29, 2012 1 Comment
Jeri, the Owner of Gentle Christian Mothers, just sent me an interesting link. This is a Talk Radio Show about the CNN coverage of the Schatz Story from Aug 18, 2011. The half hour show is called, Issues Etc. and the host is Told Wilken. After playing the audio of the CNN show, he accepts calls and emails from his listeners to discuss the question, “Is Spanking Required in the Bible?”. His conclusion seems to be that it is not mandated but neither it is prohibited. The key to him is discipline.
And in the latest news about the Pearls, they just released a new book. I see that Amazon is not at all concerned about the Petition.
Investigative Reports on Michael Pearl
February 22, 2012 5 Comments
Lauren Hensley, Investigative Reporter for CBS TV Station WVNS West Virginia, brings us Spare the Rod Part 1: Spanking in the Name of the Lord in which she interviews Mr. Pearl. In Spare the Rod Part 2: Local Pastors Challenge Biblical Backing she interviews local religious leaders about his teachings. Stay tuned for Part 3: The Effects of Corporal Punishment On A Child (tomorrow?).
Jill Monier, of FOX TV in Memphis Tennessee, brings us Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child? which is an in depth look at their book, To Train Up A Child. It includes some pretty disturbing quotes. As well as interviewing the Pearls, they interviewed Barbara King, the executive director of the Exchange Club in Memphis which offers a variety of programs to help Memphis area families breaking the cycle of abuse, and Elizabeth Stewart an adult niece who was also switched by the Pearls.
Tom Haynes, of My Fox Atlanta, brings us almost the same story in Investigators Link Book to Deaths of 3 Children.
Also, yesterday, Michael Pearl was on Dr. Drew’s show. Here is an Inside Look at that episode. Note that at the very end, Dr. Drew claims that he is still tender in the spot where Mr. Pearl spanked him.
Elizabeth Esther Explains the Popularity of TTUAC
December 7, 2011 Leave a Comment
Elizabeth Esther explains How “To Train Up A Child” Got So Popular in a video.
Meanwhile, Dulce de Leche considers Defiance and the Thought Police in a very important post. Are you punishing your children for obeying but with a defiant attitude? Are you expecting them to obey right away with a convincing smile? If so, you are ordering them to pretend to feel something they don’t. You are ordering them to lie and be hypocrites. God does not have a problem with emotional outbursts, but He hates lying and hypocrisy. Dulce also warns,
The child is left with two options: lie convincingly or never question anything internally, not even to understand it better . . . Over years of practice, both options are exceedingly dangerous. You wind up with a compulsive people pleaser who will lie convincingly without qualm or someone who believes everything and never thinks for himself.
Michael Pearl and Anderson Cooper
November 23, 2011 2 Comments
Michael will appear with Anderson Cooper on Friday Dec 2, 2011. I assume that this will be the long awaited episode of which Elizabeth Esther spoke.
Meanwhile, Alexandra Ossola has made a petition asking the American Family Association to denounce the book To Train Up a Child as it advocates legitimized abuse.
The Pearls Remain In The News
November 9, 2011 6 Comments
Lisa Belkin of The Huffington Post asks, Can Adoption Lead to Child Abuse?
Elizabeth Esther explains why we should hold the Pearls accountable for their teachings in Are the Pearls to blame for child spanking deaths?
Clay Duda of the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange takes a look at the history of corporeal punishment in Spanking at Home and in the Classroom, What’s Right and Wrong?
The story has gone international as this post in the Belfast Telegraph demonstrates.
In fact, the story is so big that even Psychology Today is writing about it.
Oh, and by the way, the NY Times Article and its spawns showed us the happy congregation and their happy children. Read Dulce De Leche’s explanation of why they look so happy.
New York Times on The Pearls
November 7, 2011 1 Comment
Erik Eckholm of The New York Times has written a well researched and carefully balanced article about the Pearls called Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate. Unfortunately, in his effort to be balanced, he really didn’t warn against the Pearls’ teachings at all. The comments are many and one of them links to my site, for which I am grateful.
A Closer Look at The Biblical Rod
October 15, 2011 1 Comment
Dara Stoltzfus describes how and why she gave up spanking.
Here are some very interesting posts from her blog, I Was Just Thinking:
Drawing the line between “spanking” and “abuse”
The Strength of Your Child’s Will!
“The Rod” as an instrument of protection
Easy Self-Test about “the use of the Biblical rod”
Na’ar in Proverbs…what kind of child are parents to strike?
On the other hand, just read all her posts about spanking. 
More Thoughts About Hana Williams
October 12, 2011 1 Comment
C.L. Dyck of Scita Scienda shares her thoughts in Hana Grace Williams and the Myth of My Happiness.
Kathy Cassel of Cassel Crew explains her concerns with To Train Up A Child in (How Not) To Train Up a Child. Note that she does believe in spanking but more as a last resort than as a first and/or only tool.
Professor Curtis Hutt of the University of Nebraska shares his view concerning the ongoing debate about violence against children on Samuel Martin’s Blog.
The Pearls’ Book NOT Banned in New Zealand (Working on Amazon)
September 22, 2011 3 Comments
New Zealand’s Censorship Compliance Unit has decided not to ban nor restrict Michael and Debi Pearl’s book, To Train Up A Child, according to this article in the Marlborough Press. While I don’t believe in book banning, it seems to me that if a country has that policy, this book should fall into that category and I am a bit confused as to how they reached their decision.
I do believe in encouraging book sellers to stop selling offensive books and so does Milli Hill at Peaceful Parenting who explains why Amazon should stop selling books which promote Child Abuse, especially To Train Up A Child. This piece includes a long quote from Debi Pearl in which she explains how one should use the switch on a child under one year old.
Note: The petition to which she links is the same one to which I link in my side bar. If you have not signed it, please sign it and share the link. Thank you.
Get Involved
March 10, 2010 Leave a Comment
