MK forum

Raz is right, wrong is wrong no matter when it was perpetuated. I understand culture and time is used for defence, I hear it often. Full stop.

Down here spanking/smacking children is illegal. Parents/care givers have been prosecuted and convicted.

I grew up in a fundamentalist household in the 70's/80s, so yes, I was familiar with the wooden spoon and the belt (my brother was the real expert). I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. As a parent I do not smack my children. Even if it was legal here - my boys are mostly in trouble for hitting each other and I fail to see how me hitting them would teach them not to hit. Immediate punishment like no playing with lego for 3 hours works well on the lego fan and the threat to the one who is an extrovert of not having a friend over to play after school works absolute wonders. If we manage their boundless energy with lots of outdoors physical stuff then they don't tend to get into trouble for things like fighting. As a parent I think managing them in this way is part of my responsibility. As they get older I expect the management style will update and change accordingly. I just wish other members of the family would consider other ways of child management.

When I was in primary school we still had spankings for the boys but that was outlawed when I got into high school. Yes, it was acceptable back then to beat the you know what out of your kids. I got some beatings but the worst thing I remember is being slapped across the face by my mother for forgetting my swimsuit, for some reason that hurt me the most inside. I agree that even though it was acceptable back then thank God it is not acceptable anymore. I went to school with kids who used to get the crap beat out of them on regular basis. I'm so glad that people can now be prosecuted for beating their kids that's the way it should be. I have used wooden spoon on my kids, 3 times max usually 1 was sufficient once they saw I meant what I said. After they turned 5, I moved to other means of management. With my youngest I just have to talk in a firm voice to her and she bursts into tears she is very sweet. I have very much moved away from spanking for the most part and like to try to use other methods of discipline when at all possible. To me it just shows how our culture can turn us into monsters if we are not aligning our lives and behavior to the true spirit of Christ. I will never believe that Christ thinks it is OK to beat a child so severely that they are bruised, weak and bleeding. That is just horrifying. How could anyone justify that and say that was OK?

This was sent to MKSN

April 6, 2014: ROCK's Response to recent press release:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Gary Earl is neither employed by nor associated with ROCK International. He had applied to serve in the administrative side of ROCK beginning in the fall of 2014. He has withdrawn that application. —ROCK International Board of Directors

Thank you for that update, Shary.

My parents joint NTM in 1973. I was 10. We spent a few years at the Jersey Shore, PA boot camp (some in training and some on staff). At my age naturally I was enthralled with the babies in the nursery and took every opportunity to "babysit." I remember that evil book The Strong-Willed Child. It was part of required reading for my parents. It also advocated breaking the will of the child. Up until Fanda Eagles shocked my memory most of my memories of Boot Camp and Panama were the adventures. I didn't realize I had bad memories. Everything is wrapped in cotton. Then I started reading Fanda and the forums and I started having nightmares. Nightmares about the babies and toddlers, most particularly one of my brothers. They started beating him in Nursery/Toddlers. He was the poster child of that evil book. (in reality, he was just a normal little boy.) I also remember the other babies and their bruised legs. Not the normal bruises of a baby learning to walk and crawl. No, these were bruises from beatings....on BABIES!!!!! It was NTM culture to beat any child in your care. These are the memories I'm left with now.