Memphis, Tn - Is a book written by a Tennessee couple leading parents to kill? The book called, "To Train Up a Child," has been linked to the death of 3 children throughout the U.S.
The book is sparking outrage among child advocacy groups. The authors say it teaches people how to train and discipline their children. But some, including some prosecutors say the book is teaching parents to train their children to death.
Pastor Michael Pearl and his wife Debi live on 100 acre farm, in a quiet Amish community in Pleasantville, Tennessee, about 2 and a half hours East of Memphis.
But, the remote location doesn't make them immune from death threats.
Michael Pearl says, "got one the other day, it said, 'your whole family ought to die,' everyone in our church ought to die so we get letters like that, E-mails from time to time."
The Pearls, who are originally from Memphis, have come under fire since their book, 'To Train Up a Child', has been linked to the deaths of three children across the country.
The book teaches parents to use a switch along with other techniques, to make their children obey.
The Pearls say it's as easy as training a dog or a horse.
"Yes, I compare child training to animal training because the parallels are significant," says Pearl.
Page one starts with the words, 'Switch Your Kids'. Other chapters are titled, 'The Rod', 'Safety Training', 'Child Labor' and 'Religious Whips.'
The Pearls say the book is guided by the teachings of the bible. The book and others they've written are stacked in a warehouse on their farm. More than 670,000 copies have been sold.
Pearl invokes the Bible to justify his writings, "he doth spareth the rod, hated his child."
The Pearls say a rod is anything from a switch to a spatula, comparing it to a magic wand and saying, "the rod is a gift from God, use it as the hand of God to train your children."
Pearl showed us examples of a rod, "that's like a dowel rod with spoon on the end, that would be a rod. This would be a rod, little knob on the end and this piece of flexible tubing would be a rod as well, very light."
He smacked a gray plastic tube on his leg saying, "this instrument right here is not going to break any bones, cause any deep bruising, tear the flesh."
But in the book, the Pearl writes, "if you have to sit on him to spank him do not hesitate and hold him there until he has surrendered...you are to rule over him as a benevolent sovereign."
He compares his children to proud soldiers and brags about using word association to potty training their children including their 3-month-old.
Pearl writes, "Our children were so well-trained to the voice command, we had to be careful not to say the words at the wrong time. We could be bragging to our neighbor, say the magic word and possibly induce a release."
In the chapter on "Safety Training," Pearl talks about coaxing his toddlers over to see the flames of a fire. He writes, "They always wanted to touch so I held them off until the stove got hot enough to inflict pain without deep burning. When heat was just right, I would open the door...the child would inevitably run to the stove to touch it. Just as his hand touched the stove I would say "hot"...it was so effective thereafter if I wanted to see them do a back flip all I had to do was say "hot!' They would even turn loose a glass of iced tea."
Barbara King, the executive director of the Exchange Club in Memphis says, "It's just so freighting to me."
The club offers a variety of programs to help Memphis area families breaking the cycle of abuse.
King says, "This is child abuse to me. If they did this to an adult, it would be assault. The total submission of these children to an adults will especially. When infants almost and no concept of what's being done to them and why."
But, the Pearls say their children have no issues with how they were raised, "my children are totally delighted in the way they were brought up and wish it on everyone."
The Pearl's niece, 25-year-old Elizabeth Stewart says she remembers getting switched, "it stings though, oh my it stings."
Stewart says she was raised by the book and grew up with the Pearls children.
When asked if she remembered getting switched, Stewart replied, "Yes, I do and I deserved it. I don't think I'd be the woman that I am today if I hadn't been. I think there is a large misconception with everything that is said I come from a cheerful happy home and I was raised among the Pearl kids, it was never thinking you were going to get abused."
But, investigators say there are some across the country, who may have taken Pearls advice to far.
According to investigators, all three children who allegedly died at the hands of their parents, were regularly hit with plastic tubes.
The children were all adopted and home-schooled. Investigators say their parents all owned the book by the Pearls.
But, the Pearls say it's unfair to blame the extreme actions of a few, on their book.
"The parents that killed their children not acting in good
E-mail
Print