This article originally appeared in Christianity Today. If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic caused by drivers slowing down to get a glimpse of the accident scene, you know we humans are a nosy bunch. So it’s no surprise that readers have devoured a steady stream of recent memoirs penned… Read More
Couple convicted of child abuse
This article was originally published in the Wisconsin State Journal. A couple who spanked their young children on their bare bottoms with wooden dowels in keeping with the teachings of the church they belonged to were convicted Friday night of child abuse, the last of eight people connected to the church… Read More
The Real Michael Pearl
The media has pitted me against Michael Pearl on more than one occasion. The controversial, pro-spanking, Tennessee-based Christian preacher says children should not be disciplined but “trained” by hitting them with instruments such as tree branches or quarter-inch plumbing line. I have been vocal about my concerns that Pearl’s childrearing… Read More
More than she could bear
Nina Koistinen By now you’ve probably heard about the case of Nina Koistinen. The 36-year-old mother from Phoenix has been charged with first-degree murder, after she confessed to suffocating her 6-day-old baby, Maya. Koistinen reportedly told authorities that she killed the child, because she “had too… Read More
A survivor of religious child maltreatment becomes an advocate for children who suffer today
This article originally appeared on Religious Child Maltreatment. Liz Heywood grew up in the Christian Science Church outside of Boston, the church’s headquarters. When she was a teenager, she developed a serious bone infection in her knee. Her family, members of the Christian Science Church, arranged for her to receive… Read More
The development issues of clerical training
This article was originally published by UCD News. The emotional and sexual development issues which likely predisposed some men who entered the seminary in Ireland to perpetrate child sexual abuse were exacerbated by the clerical training and culture they experienced, according to study findings published in the International Journal of Child… Read More
Reading between the lines of a bishop’s “apology”
This blog post originally appeared on Religious Child Maltreatment. Yesterday, one of the country’s most prominent Catholic bishops apologized for his role in clergy sexual abuse cases dating back to the 1980s. Except that his statement is not really an apology at all. Here’s what Bishop Thomas J. Curry of the Archdiocese… Read More
The Impact of Our Beliefs
This blog post originally appeared on Religious Child Maltreatment. As we approach the holidays, we are often reminded of just how much religion permeates our culture. Christmas trees, menorahs, Kwanzaa traditions, Santa at the mall (for children who believe), holiday music on every radio station. December also marks the beginning… Read More
Religious patriarchy does not harm only women
It’s hard to believe that women in a family would not do all they could to come to the aid of a dying infant. But that is what happened in the case of David Hickman. The infant was born two months premature and died nearly nine hours after birth in… Read More
The Abuse of Forgiveness
According to mental health experts, forgiving someone who has wronged us can improve our emotional well-being. Acts of forgiveness can have even more far-ranging societal benefits. For example, the Rwandan gacaca genocide trials have relied on a system of forgiveness, allowing defendants who confess to receive lighter sentences. Part of the reason for adopting this system… Read More