I wrote about this subject nearly ten years ago:
BEAT THAT CHILD!
Someone questioned whether the society actually encouraged dubs to whup their children. I only had enough time to dig up a few salient quotes from the WT magazine. There are many others, including one where Fred Franz stated that some hard whacks to the backside was the best "medicine" of all. I wrote an article on this years ago, with a whole litany of WT quotes, but alas, did not save it.
I've seen enough children smacked and slugged and pinched and whupped in the Kingdom Halls to know that is EXACTLY what the WTS has encouraged. These are older quotes, and as I said, I haven't the time to dig out newer ones. Remember, the collective conscienceness of dubs takes a long time to change, even after the society has dropped or softened one restriction or another. How many dubs still think giving to charities or seeing a psychologist is somehow still "wrong?" How many children are still routinely whupped during a meeting, or taken to the bathroom or outside the Hall during a meeting and beaten?
*** w54 1/15 49 Rearing Children in the New World Society ***
Recently a leading New York newspaper ran a series on teen-age crime and gang wars, and, after noting the rise of progressive methods of child training that all but discard discipline, said: "Many of those fighting teen-age crime are convinced this lack of discipline is to blame for many children refusing to accept normal standards of behavior." J. Edgar Hoover has investigated the causes of juvenile delinquency and claims ninety per cent of it is traceable to lack of parental discipline. A Brooklyn court judge contributes this caustic comment: "I think we need the woodshed for some young folks. But that is not considered fashionable now. Now we are told you must not strike a child; you may be stunting a genius."
6 But is there springing up around us a bumper crop of unstunted geniuses? Rather are we not reaping a record harvest of juvenile delinquents?
Here the society has plainly implied that unless children are whupped, they will be a "harvest" of juvenile delinquents.
*** w54 1/15 54 Disciplining Children for Life ***
That brings us to discipline, and forces a facing of that hotly controversial question: to spank or not to spank.
2 Many child psychologists put a "hands off" sign on children, as did one who said: "Do you mothers realize that every time you spank your child you show that you are hating your child?" Jehovah says: "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." A spanking may be a lifesaver to a child, for Jehovah says: "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. If you beat him with the rod you will save his life from Sheol." Again, "Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts."
In other words, BEAT THAT CHILD!
*** w54 1/15 55 Disciplining Children for Life ***
So it is with children. Some are more sensible than others; some are meeker than others. A rebuke may discipline them more than a whipping would others who are more stubborn and in whose childish heart may be bound up a more than usual amount of folly.
5 Parents, if this is the case with your child, be patient.
So, if your kid is "meek," then rebuke him. Otherwise BEAT THE HELL OUT OF HIM.
*** w54 1/15 57-62 Disciplining Children for Life ***
If you children have been the subjects of our discussion, it is because you are the objects of our affection. All right, you say, but if you grownups are so fond of us what is all this talk about discipline, and especially spanking? Well, with you children that does touch a tender spot, does it not? But to help us get to the bottom of the matter let us look at the animals that you children love. Jehovah's wisdom is reflected in his creations, so to look to animals for instruction is not to lower our thinking to their level, but to lift it to God's thoughts...
"Remember children, we love you, but:
18 There is no juvenile delinquency in the animal realm, because there are no delinquent animal mothers. They do not spare the paw and spoil the young, but spank to preserve the young. They would die fighting for their young, just as your parents would die for you; yet they spank their young, just as your parents may spank you. In the woods the first mistake is often the last, and if the young animals disobeyed their mothers they would become the main course on a woodland menu and end up in another animal's stomach. So, while it may not be pleasant for them to be spanked, it is better to be beaten than to be eaten...
"Animals beat their young, therefore, so can we."
27 You parents know what you must do. You children know what you must do. Jehovah knows what he will do. If we obey him, he will do things for us. If we disobey him, he will do things to us.
WOW! We have the triple whammy here! Parents: you MUST beat the shit out of your children, or Jehovah will KILL you. Children: you must take it, or Jehovah will KILL you.
*** w56 5/15 305-6 Youth in the New World Society ***
5 As an illustration of child rule in the home, this occurred in a Christian home. The child pleaded and raised a fuss about a certain type of food it wanted and did this in a demanding way. The mother yielded and prepared the food. When the food was set before the child he decided he did not want it after all. The mother coaxed, but when the child feigned illness the mother took the food away. Under his breath the child was heard to say: "Well, I really got out of that one!" In this instance there was no discipline and the child was developing the trait of selfishness and was becoming self-centered. Parents may not always realize it, but children test them too. An instance to show this occurred when a four-year-old boy, when his food was set before him, threw it on the floor when the mother stepped out of the room. A mild scolding resulted, whereupon the mother placed more food before him. This was treated similarly in the absence of the mother. It was explained to him that some day he would be grown and would have children of his own, and, when asked what he would do if his child threw his food on the floor, he unhesitatingly responded: "I would whip him." He knew what was right and that proper corrective measures should have been administered. From an educational viewpoint he must have been somewhat disappointed in his parents. Children in similar circumstances could not look to their parents as a proper example of rearing children.
Beat, beat, BEAT that child, folks! They WANT you to beat the crap out of them. If you DO NOT DO THIS, they will be "disappointed" in you! What idiocy!
*** w56 10/15 637 Children Respond to Discipline ***
Children Respond to Discipline
A mother writes regarding her efforts at training four children: "I thought I had tried everything, as the saying goes, to make my children behave, still they were rebellious and antagonistic in our everyday relations. I had been a witness of Jehovah for five years, but my husband was violently opposed and I was forbidden to read any of the Watch Tower publications to the children. When it was stressed that it was the parents' responsibility to see that children had daily Bible instruction I decided to set aside time for daily Bible reading. This raised a howl of protest from my boys, ages 7, 5 and 3, as it always seemed to come at their most enjoyable time. After the account of creation they lost interest and the howls grew louder as I turned off the television every night and announced it was time for Bible reading. Many times I sat with the Bible in one hand and the rod of correction in the other..."
I'm sure that child grew up to be a well-adjusted psychopathic child-abuser himself.
Farkel
