Poor chap. I wonder how in the world he got in...

May that sweet woman come on over to the other side... we humanists will embrace her and empathize. To hell with those mean-spirited religious non-thinkers.

Excellent points. This is the problem. The immorality of students is the wrong focus of the university. Rather, the glaring disgusting immoral practices such as this is what is harming their students. The kids are alright, until they come for help. These folks cannot hide, now that the internet is here. Guess their god didn't warn them about it.

Thank you for your compelling and well researched article.

Dakota O'Leary, you have hit the nail directly on the head. Your examples come directly out of my past childhood indoctrination into fundamentalism. When reason is considered Satanic, there is little one can do, save for to educate everyone about them, and to try to rescue their offspring.
NICELY DONE!

Dialogue, Lori, is key!
You said, "A little smack on the leg isn't considered child abuse." and I would agree. I do think using a switch on an infant IS child abuse.
I spanked my kids. Using a switch on them, however, was never necessary. A swat does not have to hurt physically, as it is a startle and attention getter. A swat on the diaper will not hurt as you are saying "no" firmly and removing the child from the situation. But a switch on the legs is painful, cruel, and unnecessary.
When you were breastfeeding, you flicked your kids for biting? Biting is natural. Removing from the breast is just as effective, without the violence.
I find it disturbing that people think the Pearls' advice is healthy.

Sure, Lori, I will give you examples:

From the Pearl's book, chapter 1 found here: http://www.achristianhome.org/to_train_up_a_child...

"STEPS TO OBEDIENCE
One of our girls who developed mobility early had a fascination with crawling up the stairs. At four months she was too unknowing to be punished for disobedience. But for her own good, we attempted to train her not to climb the stairs by coordinating the voice command of "No" with little spats on the bare legs. The switch was a twelve-inch long, one-eighth-inch diameter sprig from a willow tree."

"OBEDIENCE TRAINING--BITING BABIES
One particularly painful experience of nursing mothers is the biting baby. My wife did not waste time finding a cure. When the baby bit, she pulled hair (an alternative has to be sought for baldheaded babies). Understand, the baby is not being punished, just conditioned...After two or three times of biting, with the accompanying head hurting, the child programs that information away for his own comfort. The biting habit is cured before it starts. This is not discipline. It is obedience training."

These are just two examples. Pulling an infants hair? Why not simply remove the food source for a minute or two? It is a wonderful non-violent alternative.
Also, a baby gate or other barrier works wonders for restriction of stairs. Switching a baby is hardly appropriate.

These are examples of abuse at a very tender age. There is no reason for hurting a child in this manner. It is disgusting.
I was able to raise my four children into loving, responsible adults without pulling their hair or taking switches to them as infants. Most people do not commit such violence upon their babies. To do so is to raise quivering, broken spirited people who will obey you, but out of fear.

Notice how many of you are saying "I don't believe in everything they say, but...".

Consider that To Train Up a Child (which I have read the older and the updated editions) is a book teaching parents to abuse their children. One has to go no further than the chapters about breast feeding, or disciplining toddlers. Read the book, really read this book.

That said, of course these parents are wickedly guilty of torturing their child to death. The Pearls did not kill her. They did, however, encourage the twisted "discipline" that is hardly appropriate.
They are complicit in that they set up a mindset of breaking a child's will and control that leads to violence.

The dangers of this event and the people who attend/support it cannot be stressed enough. This is a dangerous precedent to set. We will have our own X-tian jihad soon, larger and better funded than the few who perpetrate the terror now.