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Anne Owens takes a daring look at the forbidden topic of abuse under the guise of religion. With the care of a scientist and the caring of a humanitarian, she relates true stories of hidden suffering and battles for freedom. Her account is heart-wrenching and inspiring, a must-read for anyone who knows a hurt child or has been one. -Marcia Cebulska, playwright, author of Dear John, Florida Read more

History, science, public policy, and personal experience all come together to form a compelling argument against physical punishment of children from a former child protection social worker who has made this advocacy his life’s work. Read more

This book offers parents and teachers constructive methods of discipline, useful for everyday situations. It documents the long-term negative effects of spanking how it brutalizes kids and creates violent adults. Irwin Hyman, an expert in the field of home and school discipline, explains in a passionate and compelling style why spanking or hitting children is abusive, destructive, and counterproductive. He then gives common sense advice on alternative forms of discipline, which help to raise happy and emotionally stable children. Read more

Clears up misconceptions about childhood, parenting, and discipline, argues that all violence against children is wrong, including spanking, and suggests a more positive approach to the prevention of child abuse Read more

Despite the frequent use of the term children of God to describe graced human existence, Christian theologians rarely consider childhood as an explicitly theological topic. Jensen argues that vulnerability is a dimension of the imageo Dei, and suggests that childhood provides a window for under-standing the shapes of graced human life and the violence that inhibits life. By offering a fresh understanding of the vulnerable child in the image of God, Jensen presents a compelling reinterpretation of sin, church practice, and Christian witness in a world in which the threats to children's lives--poverty, child labor, war, and the sex trade--seem overwhelming. Seminary students, pastors, educators, resource center directors, and those involved in the discipline of spiritual formation will find this book useful. Read more

Theological ideas and biblical injunctions have frequently been employed to legitimate the physical abuse of children. Some theological ideas are inherently abusive because they create fear in a child's mind, causing a child to feel alone, odd, and of little worth. Donald Capps exposes the abuses that theology and the Bible have inflicted on vast numbers of children. In particular, he is concerned with the "hidden" abuses of children by well-intentioned adults and the role that religion plays in the legitimation of these abuses. Read more

The 77 most asked questions about teaching children about the Catholic faith. Read more

A groundbreaking study that offers a personal and theological understanding of the problems and needs of children subjected to child abuse. Read more

He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. These words provided generations of American Christians with the justification for physically disciplining their children, in ways that range from spankings to brutal beatings. This learned and deeply disturbing work of history examines both the religious roots of corporal punishment in America and its consequences -- in the minds of children, in adults, and in our national tendencies toward authoritarian and apocalyptic thinking. Drawing on sources as old as Cotton Mather and as current as today's headlines, Spare the Child is one of those rare works of scholarship that have the power to change our lives. Read more

Argues that some schools are still using corporal punishment and humiliation in order to discipline students, and gives advice on how to protect one's child Read more

Based on his studies of over 9,000 families, Murray A. Straus, the foremost researcher on family violence in the world, discusses the extent to which parents in the United States use corporal punishment (such as spanking and slapping) and its effects on their chil­dren. The question of whether corporal punishment is an effective method of discipline is hotly debated. Straus contends that this believed-to-be-"minor" form of physical violence is precursor to much violence that plagues our world. Read more

In 2012, Mormon General Authority Marlin K. Jensen acknowledged that members are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "in droves." Access to the internet is often credited and blamed for this mass exodus, where members learn about problematic doctrines and cover-ups of LDS history. Read more

Cult victims and those who have suffered abusive relationships often suffer from fear, confusion, low self-esteem, and post-traumatic stress. Take Back Your Life explains the seductive draw that leads people into such situations, provides guidelines for assessing what happened, and hands-on tools for getting back on track. Written for victims, their families, and professionals, this book leads readers through the healing process. Read more

This extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside America’s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities, where some 40,000 people still practice polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God. Read more

The Christian patriarchy movement promises parents a legacy of godly children ~ if they adhere to specific Biblical principles. But what happens when families who abandon "the world" for "the Biblical home" leave hearts behind, too? For many wives and daughters, the Christian home is not always a safe place. Scripture is used to manipulate. God is used as a weapon. And through spiritual and emotional abuse, women who become "the least of these" within Biblical patriarchy experience deep wounds that only God can heal. But if living "God's way" caused this pain, why should they trust Him to heal it? Read more

Sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by Catholic clergy burst onto the American scene in 1984. Revelations about such abuse since then have confirmed that this tragedy is not limited to the U.S. Catholic Church, nor is it a new phenomenon that grew out of so-called secularizing trends of the late twentieth century. By reviewing a collection of documents from official and unofficial sources from 60 CE to the present, this book demonstrates that sexual abuse of minors is a deep-seated problem that spans the Church's history. Read more

In this groundbreaking memoir and exposé, Christa Brown tells the story of clergy sex abuse and cover-ups in the largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. As she shares her journey from trusting church girl to tenacious advocate for children's safety, Brown shines a light on the patterns of preacher-predators and the collusion of evangelical leaders. This Little Light speaks of the unspeakable, and in doing so, testifies to the transformative power of truth-telling. Read more

This remarkable anthology outlines the unprecedented threats to life at this defining moment in history, and offers a novel and systemic remedy for societal transformation based on honouring our youngest and “most valuable players.” Contributors from across many disciplines include renowned child development author Penelope Leach, Nobel Prize nominee Lloyd Axworthy, celebrated cultural historian Riane Eisler, bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver, and ecological economist Ron Colman. Read more

Relying on religious traditions that are as old as their faith itself, many devout Christians turn to prayer rather than medicine when their children fall victim to illness or injury. Faith healers claim that their practices are effective in restoring health - more effective, they say, than modern medicine. But, over the past century, hundreds of children have died after being denied the basic medical treatments furnished by physicians because of their parents' intense religious beliefs. The tragic deaths of these youngsters have received intense scrutiny from both the news media and public authorities seeking to protect the health and welfare of children. Read more

Most Evangelical Christians earnestly strive to worship the God of Love and Truth. But a belief that the Bible is literally perfect can put them in the odd position of defending falsehood, bigotry, and even violence. What do Evangelicals believe? And how do these beliefs subvert humanity's shared moral values, including the compassionate ministry of Jesus in the New Testament? Is the Good Book even “good,” given its historical inaccuracies, scientific impossibilities, and moral contradictions? Trusting Doubt answers all these questions … and more. It also provides a clear picture of this variant of Christianity which has risen to political prominence at a spiritual cost. Read more

With her typically lucid, strong, and poetic language, Miller investigates the personal stories and case histories of various self-destructive and/or violent individuals to expand on her theories about the long-term affects of abusive child-rearing. Her conclusions—on what sort of parenting can create a drug addict, or a murderer, or a Hitler—offer much insight, and make a good deal of sense, while also straying far from psychoanalytic dogma about human nature, which Miller vehemently rejects. Read more

In The Truth Will Set You Free Miller returns to the intensely personal tone and themes of her best-loved work. Only by embracing the truth of our past histories can any of us hope to be free of pain in the present, she argues. Miller uses vivid true stories to reveal the perils of early-childhood mistreatment and the dangers of mindless obedience to parental will. Drawing on the latest research on brain development, she shows how spanking and humiliation produce dangerous levels of denial, which leads in turn to emotional blindness and to mental barriers that cut off awareness and the ability to learn new ways of acting. Read more

Investigates the deaths of the nearly three hundred children who were victims of the mass cyanide poisoning at Jonestown, analyzing the social and political factors that enabled Jones to exercise the power of life and death over the children Read more

In this haunting and riveting firsthand account, a survivor of Jim Jones's Peoples Temple opens up the shadowy world of cults and shows how anyone can fall under their spell. A high-level member of Jim Jones's Peoples Temple for seven years, Deborah Layton escaped his infamous commune in the Guyanese jungle, leaving behind her mother, her older brother, and many friends. She returned to the United States with warnings of impending disaster, but her pleas for help fell on skeptical ears, and shortly thereafter, in November 1978, the Jonestown massacre shocked the world. Seductive Poison is both an unflinching historical document and a suspenseful story of intrigue, power, and murder. Read more

This widely recommended parenting guide offers a wealth of practical techniques to help you identify and communicate your own values about sexuality to your children, infants to age twelve. In this revised edition, acclaimed parenting educator Debra Haffner covers the latest research and addresses issues of timely concern, including Internet safety. Read more

In Let the Children Come, Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore explores the question, What does faithful parenting look like today? Read more

In direct opposition to the Freudian drive theory, the author of the best-selling The Drama Of The Gifted Child believes that children, at birth, are inherently good, and she traces all forms of criminal deeds to past mistreatments. Read more

An examination of childhood trauma and its surreptitious, debilitating effects by one of the world's leading psychoanalysts. Never before has world-renowned psychoanalyst Alice Miller examined so persuasively the long-range consequences of childhood abuse on the body. Using the experiences of her patients along with the biographical stories of literary giants such as Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, and Marcel Proust, Miller shows how a child's humiliation, impotence, and bottled rage will manifest itself as adult illness—be it cancer, stroke, or other debilitating diseases. Read more

The book consists of thirty chapters written by thirty-four authors from thirteen countries. The contributors represent different social and scientific specializations, including: psychologists, sociologists, lawyers, theologians, philosophers, education theorists, historians, exit counselors, social workers, a medical doctor, a specialist in religious studies, a police officer, and independent researchers. This professional diversity gives a rich abundance of thoughts and positions on the matter of how to approach cults scientifically. Read more

Julia and her adopted brother, David, are sixteen-years-old. Julia is white. David is black. It is the mid-1980s and their family has just moved to rural Indiana, a landscape of cottonwood trees, trailer parks, and an all-encompassing racism. Read more

In her memoir, Amber Scorah describes how she came to be disillusioned with the Jehovah’s Witnesses when she reached her 30s, prompting her to leave the group. Read more

Dr. Jaime Romo discusses his journey through clergy sexual abuse and discusses what we can all learn from survivors of clergy abuse. Dr. Romo discusses his reactions and perspectives about the current crisis facing our religious institutions today and what survivors can do to continue to heal. Read more

Martha Peight stood in the first row of the courtroom, shaking yet resolute, as she held the printout of her victim-impact statement. In the benches behind her sat members of area Mennonite churches, wearing the traditional plain clothing of a separatist culture she had left behind — the bearded men in work clothes or dark suits, the women in long dresses and head coverings. Read more

The findings of this University of Chicago study cast light on the cultural input of religion on prosocial behavior and contradict the common-sense and popular assumption that children from religious households are more altruistic and kind toward others. More generally, they call into question whether religion is vital for moral development, supporting the idea that the secularization of moral discourse will not reduce human kindness—in fact, it will do just the opposite. Read more

Affirmation supports LGBTQ/SSA Mormons and their families, friends and Church leaders in seeking to live healthy and productive lives consistent with their faith or heritage. Read more

A study conducted by the CDC to characterize the epidemiology of suicidal behaviors among youth aged 10-17 years occurring from 2011 through 2015 in Utah, identify the risks and protective factors for these behaviors, and map and compare suicide prevention initiatives by school districts. Read more

ParentShift is an extraordinary guidebook offering a refreshing new approach to raising confident, healthy, whole human beings from toddler to teen. Groundbreaking in its scope and methodology, ParentShift challenges some of our most popular disciplinary tools — including punishments, threats, bribery and rewards — all of which, science has shown, sabotage long-term goals we have for our kids. Read more

This podcast offers real-world guidance to secular parents raising children in a religious world. Hosted by Janet Heimlich, Dale McGowan, and others. Read more

A podcast about raising compassionate, curious kids without religion. Hosted by Dale McGowan, editor and co-author of Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers. Read more

CRHE is a nonpartisan organization committed to ensuring that the interests of the homeschooled child are respected alongside the interests of the homeschooling parent. CRHE was created to educate and inform citizens, lawmakers, and service providers about the protections homeschooled children and youth need. Read more