ServantofGod

No, I'm sorry, you're mistaken in this instance. Yes, I know he does promote the training sessions that include the switch, but the article I was speaking about (I'm sorry I don't know which one it was) said, (paraphrase, not an exact quote) "Some are not able to use physical discipline at all, such as if you are a child-care worker or a government-sponsored foster care provider. You can still do this training without ever using a switch, it will just take longer." That was something I had been looking for.

Also, I feel that it is correct to train them in advance for something you know will be an issue, or if you see the beginnings of something. That is being proactive! You can do that without spanking.

What it comes back to in their instance, is that they believe using the rod is fundamentally commanded by the Bible, so for them (not defending them, I'm putting myself in their shoes) trying to find non-punitive ideas is *MOOT*. Naturally, they would say it is you who is the false teacher. (But you know this.)

I am sort of unusual in that I don't base my view of spanking on what I think the Bible says, but I'm sorry to say that if I did, I would conclude that I must spank at least some of the time. I really don't think the non-spanking exegesis holds much water. Although, to be fair, I tire of reading the big paragraphs of possible definitions for every word, so maybe I haven't given it as thorough attention as I could.

I'm not trying to be antagonistic...I decided to start this thread when I read the goodbye thread from fruitofthewomb. I have thought a lot of times I should just leave because I see a lot of flaws in non-punitive philosophy, although I am still 90% non-punitive. So, I thought I would dialog about some things and see if it leads me anywhere good.

Oh, and this is kind of a tag-on, but some of the articles I really liked were "Low Self-Esteme", "Fear of Bees" and I loved "A Husband for Laura Rose". I think Fear of Bees was a brilliant angle on de-sensitizing a child to a fear. I also think it shows that they are not unreasonable, i.e, "Yeah, throw that child in their bedroom, close the door and if she screams there's bees in her room, don't give in! Just hold the door shut until she conks out!" I think A Husband for Laura Rose shows the love of a grandfather beautifully! And it's funny, too.

This is part of what I was saying. The other part is that speaking at least for myself, I feel that I have misjudged some aspects of the Pearls and I am sorry for it.