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Folks, I’m sharing this here so you don’t have to go to the Pearls blog page to see their response to public concern about their child beating methods. This response is incomprehensible. (I deleted the picture of their laughing faces that was included.)
MICHAEL PEARL LAUGHS AT CRITICS
The following was posted on No Greater Joy Ministry’s Facebook Page.
Take the time to add No Greater Joy to your friend’s list today!
It has come to may attention that a vocal few are decrying our sensible application of the Biblical rod in training up our children. I laugh at my caustic critics, for our properly spanked and trained children grow to maturity in great peace and love.
Numbered in the millions, these kids become the models of self-control 
and discipline, highly educated and creative—entrepreneurs that pay the taxes your children will receive in entitlements. When your children finally find an honest mechanic or a trustworthy homebuilder, it will be one of ours.
When your children apply for a job it will be at a company our children founded. When they go to a doctor, it will be one of our Christian children that heals them with cutting edge innovation. When your adult kids go for therapy it will be one of our kids-become-psychologist that directs them to the couch and challenges them to release their self-loathing and embrace hope for a better tomorrow. When your children grow old and realize their mortality and 
seek to make peace with their Creator, it will be one of our children that shares with them the message of God’s love and forgiveness.
My five grown children are laughing at your foolish, uninformed criticism of God’s method of child training, for their kids—my 17 grandkids—are laughing . . . because that is what they do most of the time. They laugh when Daddy is coming home. The laugh when it is time to do more homeschooling. They laugh when it is time to practice the violin and piano. They laugh when they see their Big Papa coming (that’s me) because Big Papa is laughing and they don’t care why just as long as he laughs with them.
My granddaughters laugh with joy after giving their baby dolls a spanking for “being naughty” because they know their dolls will grow up to be the best mamas and daddies in the world—just like them.
People all around the world, in places like Russia, China, Germany, New Zealand, Guatemala, Peru, Africa, and fifty other countries are laughing with joy because after applying the 
Biblical principles found in our books they finally have happy and obedient children.
Even my chickens are laughing . . . well, actually it more like cackling, because they just laid another organic egg for my breakfast and they know that it was that same piece of ¼ inch plastic supply line that trained the dogs not to eat chicken….
Link to this page
It saddens me that parents defend hitting their child as the only viable way of discipline. They cling to it as if without it, they have no parental authority anymore. The Pearls and their obsessed fans are so beholden by their need to teach their children lessons through physical pain and fear that they laugh at those who challenge them. Are they not able to be Godly parents without violence? Is fear and pain delivered by mom and dad the only way that children can learn to love themselves, the world they live in, and God? If Jesus were standing right there while they were hitting their children, I wonder if he would be smiling and saying, "Yes, this is what God teaches. Good job."
We use corporal punishment, but only as a last resort. Giving a few swats on the behind with the hand or a small wooden spoon and beating children with a 1/4" piece of plastic tubing are two very different things. There is nothing Biblical about it.
If his kids, grandkids, and chickens are laughing all the time, it's probably because they're as flaming looney as he is.
Classic narcissist.
This IS indeed a representation of classic narcissism taken to the n-th degree, revealing the evil inherent in the personality disorder, which additionally reveals a complete lack of hope for the sufferer as a human being.
Michael Pearl's comments above, assuming they are his comments, reveal a man that appears to lack fruits of the spirit, humility, compassion and love. For him to repeatedly insist that his children and those raised according to the misguided view of scriptures are the leaders and the ones the rest of us will depend on and then to add to that sentiment the notion that these children laugh all the time, seems to me to be disengenuous, to say the least.
We must temper our response to any posting quoting Michael Pearl or anyone else because sadly the web allows anyone to post anything about anyone which may or may not be accurate or true or anything like what the person actually said. I myself have been terribly misquoted; there exists "statement" or allegations on the web that I never said, did or would do.
However, it is also very important for Christians to recognize, expose and shun people who teach falsehoods or manipulate scripture for their own agenda. If the statement above was made by Michael Pearl, then, imho, he is not a leader that I would trust nor does he appear to have a strong handle on who Christ calls us to be.
I am looking forward to continuing to follow the Pearl's "ministry" because if the initial reports about their teachings and how they appear to egregiously abuse the privilege of homeschooling/raising/training our children, then this is a group of people that need to be held accountable by other Christians so that the world understands our serious differences.
Mimi Rothschild
Co-Founder, Learning By Grace, Inc., a Non-Profit ministry devoted to Online Christian Homeschooling Programs
Anyone who is not sure that the quotes are really from Michael Pearl has only to follow the link (given at the beginning of the post) to verify. The quote is from his very own facebook account and if his facebook account had been hacked, he would have had plenty of time to remove it and issue a retraction.
He also has a defense there (in another note), saying that he does not teach abuse. He points out where he has told parents not to do harm. This is of little use when he fills the rest of the book telling them to do abusive things. Anyway, do check his page out for yourself. I did. It is always best to check out the source.
Like Mimi, I am cautious of giving so much space to this man's opinions on Parents at the Helm, but for different reasons. Many internet users don't spend a lot of time on each page – and in this situation a cursory glance or quick read may leave the wrong impression about this wonderful site. I would rather see a criticism using quotes pulled from his article to illustrate the danger behind following his philosophies or blindly taking his affirmations of its results on faith.
Dictators and cult leaders maintain control of their followers in many different ways. The followers often don't realise they have no control over their own lives. Most have been brainwashed by intimidation and fear to give that control away. Just because they are laughing doesn't mean they are free.
I'm stunned by the comments of Michael Pearl. I think that he is not just misguided, but has some characteristics of a personality disorder … I'm not an expert, but perhaps narcissism or sociopathy? Even if you were convinced that your materials did not contribute to the deaths of Sean Paddock and Lydia Schatz, wouldn't you pause for at least a MOMENT, and express some sorrow at their deaths? Pearl's comments remind me sickeningly of a criminal in a courtroom who laughs at the victim of a crime, or at their family. I had noticed an element of hate in Michael Pearl's writings before, especially in the way he sometimes writes about children and about anyone who doesn't agree with him, but now I feel like it's come out from under the surface and he is openly showing the coldness and cruelty in his heart.
Thank you for showing me the source of Michael Pearl's comments. His reaction is shocking and extremely unbecoming of a Christian.
I think forestpark makes an excellent point. Often we can know more about someone from what they do not do. In this case, I have read no statement from the Pearl's about the tragic loss of Lydia Shatz and the injuries sustained by her sister. By failing to do so weeks after the child's death, they display a callousness and lack of love that is repulsive to me.
I lost my own son to an unnecssary and preventable death. There is nothing worse-nothing that my brain will let me imagine, anyway. I grieve for the loss of precious Lydia and for the parents who were so duped by the false teachings of the Pearl's.
I hope that the Christian homeschooling community will continue to speak out against this outrageous teaching and its founders so that no more child suffer as Michael and Debi Pearl's twisted heresy.
Mimi Rothschild
All of the previous comments on this page sadden me; because they are all examples of how hatred is spread over miscommunication.
It is apparent that none of you have ever read any material written by the Pearls, nor have you studied them, or prayerfully considered their methods.
Anything taken out of context is misconstrued. This very thing is warned against in 2 Peter, where he speaks of unlearned and unstable men wresting scriptures to their own damnation.
Arguing against or rebutting any of the previous statements is unnecessary, for any person who is truly concerned and interested about the Pearl's teachings can find them on their website http://www.nogreaterjoy.org
Cutting through all of the "what would Jesus do", which is largely subjective- Christ stated plainly "by their fruits you shall know them."
Beating, abusing, murder… these are not the fruits of the Pearl ministry. Those are actions taken up by misguided and sinful parents, who by all accounts, never even used any Pearl material.
What are the fruits of the nogreaterjoy ministry? Hundreds of thousands of families that have gone from strife, despair and chaos to peace, joy and calm. Hundreds of men in prison that have been saved and have gone on to start their own ministries. Countless numbers of military families that have received support when they need it most. The Bible translated into a visual format and 20 languages to date that had NEVER seen any scripture in their language.
These people have a holy burning passion for children, for families, for sinners, and for spreading the gospel.
Shame on you for disseminating hatred and false accusations. Shame on you for casting judgement without learning the truth.
All of the previous comments on this page sadden me; because they are all examples of how hatred is spread over miscommunication.
It is apparent that none of you have ever read any material written by the Pearls, nor have you studied them, or prayerfully considered their methods.
Anything taken out of context is misconstrued. This very thing is warned against in 2 Peter, where he speaks of unlearned and unstable men wresting scriptures to their own damnation.
Arguing against or rebutting any of the previous statements is unnecessary, for any person who is truly concerned and interested about the Pearl's teachings can find them on their website http://www.nogreaterjoy.org
If this is too much to wade through- a concise statement can be read here:
http://www.squidoo.com/Pearls_2Train_Up_A_Child
Cutting through all of the "what would Jesus do", which is largely subjective- Christ stated plainly "by their fruits you shall know them."
Beating, abusing, murder… these are not the fruits of the Pearl ministry. Those are actions taken up by misguided and sinful parents, who by all accounts, never even used any Pearl material.
What are the fruits of the nogreaterjoy ministry? Hundreds of thousands of families that have gone from strife, despair and chaos to peace, joy and calm. Hundreds of men in prison that have been saved and have gone on to start their own ministries. Countless numbers of military families that have received support when they need it most. The Bible translated into a visual format and 20 languages to date that had NEVER seen any scripture in their language.
These people have a holy burning passion for children, for families, for sinners, and for spreading the gospel.
Shame on you for disseminating hatred and false accusations. Shame on you for casting judgement without learning the truth.
Very sad. Someday he will have to give account before God. God will not be laughing.
[quote]Those are actions taken up by misguided and sinful parents, who by all accounts, never even used any Pearl material.[/quote]
On the contrary. The Schatz family followed Michael Pearl's advice to the letter.
His advice resulted in: One child tortured to death;one child tortured to the point of kidney failure;and a 3rd child with permanent injuries.Not to mention the psychological damage to the rest of the children who have (thank God!) survived torture at the hands of their parents.
There is a Day of Judgment.
There is a Just Judge.
When Michael Pearl meets Him on that day, I promise you: Michael Pearl will NOT be laughing any more.
Regardless of how one feels about Michael Pearl's disciplining teachings, his response was very typical to how he responds to any criticism or correction. He always responds in arrogance and pride. I have read a lot of his material, there is some good in it and some of it is ridiculous, but I can hardly stand reading or listening to any of his material because it's so hard to get past his arrogance. James 4:6 says "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble". He even makes fun of people who have confronted him about his pride/arrogance and refuses to consider his attitude. I think God will deal with his arrogance since he refuses to hear it from anyone else. Maybe it will be through all this media coverage…