Christian discipline book responsible for homicide of 13-year-old girl.

This is heartbreaking. Read the full story here: Couple pleads not guilty in homicide of adopted daughter.

Some excerpts:

"Hana Williams was found dead in May - naked, face-down in the mud in her own backyard - after she had spent much of a cold, rainy day outside as a punishment, according to court documents."

"she was beaten, starved, forced to sleep in a barn at times and deprived of love and basic necessities."

"Hana had a number of injuries on the night she died, including a large lump on the head, bloody marks and injuries consistent with disciplinary impacts with a switch"

"systematic withholding of food, forced times outdoors in the cold or locked in a dark closet, interspersed with regular spankings or beatings with a plumbing tool."

"Hana was forced to use an outdoor portable toilet behind the barn instead of the home's indoor bathroom, and she sometimes was made to take cold showers while naked outdoors under a garden hose"

"but she was allowed to wear shoes if there was snow on the ground."

"Hana sometimes was beaten with a switch for standing more than 12 inches away from where she was told to stand or for speaking without permission"

"The Williams' older biological children were sometimes encouraged to join in administering the punishment by their parents."


Here is the book that caused these awful people to torture and eventually murder this poor girl. Spare the rod and spoil the child, eh? Jesus save us... from your followers.

 

I wouldn't say that the book is responsible, the parents are certainly responsible.

They simply held the book too near and placed that inanimate object above the welfare of their own child.

 

How lovely, the sweet little innocent girl had to leave Ethiopia and come to the land of plenty to be starved and murdered by abuse.

This is a bull(*)(*)(*)(*) discussion by the OP however. I agree with Wolverine, the book was merely an excuse to be sadists. I hope they rot in prison and suffer anal rape til their dying days.

 

I disagree. Given the suggestibility of most people of faith -- who are inclined to believe things with no evidence -- I think the book is is significantly responsible. These people did not just decide to withhold food and shelter from this poor girl on their own -- they did it because they read it in a book and were convinced that the book was based on biblical principles.

Of course, but so is the book, and ultimately, the Bible.

I'm sure she's much happier in the afterlife.

 

Irony on a tragic scale.

Oh? Do you disagree that these parents were simply following the instructions laid out in this book? The news story makes it quite clear that they were doing just that, and that said actions led to the girl's ultimate demise.

I'm sure defense counsel will be happy to take your position under advisement. I can already predict the defense strategy.

Well there's something we agree on. But I wouldn't hold my breath...

 

Well, I am not defending them or the Bible. Many people own a Bible, and a minority actually take it literally. It is those who take it literally and choose not to ignore the inconvenient bits that are dangerous to themselves and others.

But to put the blame on a book is not entirely fair, a book may contain any number of ideas, however a person is required to act on them. That person is ultimately responsible. Some responsibility may be removed if a book, lets say, states than persons will suffer eternal torment for x, y, or z, however the greatest burden lies on the shoulders of the perpetrators.

 

That is quite a stretch to attempt to slander Christianity in general for child abuse in specific, especially for an anectdotal story.

If there were a Christian sect who dogmatically interpreted "spare the rod" as justification for the abuse this girl suffered I am fairly certain there would be a cross-denominational condemnation of this interpretation and the practitioners would get zero to no traction from a religious freedom defense in court for Child Abuse, Manslaughter, Murder or whatever charges were eventually brought against them by the DA.

So, what is your point?

 

But the point is these people were doing what the book told them to do. They did not think they were doing anything wrong -- just following some divine plan. How many more children are being abused regularly because of this book?

 

This book instructs parents to withhold food, clothing, and shelter to "train up" children. It instructs them to subject their children to cold baths and regular physical punishment. It is basically a child abuse instruction manual. And it is presumably based on biblical principles.

 

So then you agree?

 

I am well aware of what the book advocates, been there and got the t-shirt.

My issue however is lessening the significance of the human act to such an extent that you actually blame the book more than the people. I am certain that those people had been offered differing viewpoints on more than one occasion, however they chose their book, their dogma, over an innocent girls.

An idea may inspire someone to do something, but they still need to act on it themselves.

 

No book killed her, some people did.

 

How horrifying... You should read some of the reviews this book has on Amazon as well. It is literally an "Either you're for it or you're against it" type of book. It has 378 5 star reviews and 771 1 star reviews.

One of the first comments on there is a 1 star review from this person,

 

agreed. Honestly it isnt the books fault. Its the parents fault for being abusive idiots. People will always have an excuse to not blame themselves. It doesn't matter what the book said in it. It could have clearly stated that beating and abusing your child is a method of good parenting for all I care. Its the fault of idiotic/sadistic parents who took those words to heart

 

Yet when a muslim girl is murdered by her father its the "book" of islam?

 

Agree with what?

 

The question is how many millions of copies of this book are out there? How many parents are rising their children using its methods? How many children are abused because simple-minded religious folk think they are doing the right thing by treating their children this way? Honestly you need to prove intent if you wish to make criminal charges stick. Maybe these simpletons are so addle-minded by religious dogma that they did not know what they were doing was wrong. Sadly, there appears to be no limit on human stupidity.

 

By following the instructions in the book.

 

There are millions of copies of this book. How many more "abusive idiots" are abusing their children by following its instructions?

 

Um.... no. The same argument would hold true, however to a lesser extent. If it occurs in the Middle East then there are other factors to consider, total social repression would be one factor. Being that many people in the Middle East are never exposed to differing views that are not immediately shot down by the oppressive majority. People in the developed world have less of an excuse because we are exposed to a broader variety of different points of view.

 

Yes, if you look at my earlier post you'll see in my opinion the difference is anectdotal vs recurring theme practiced my a large percentage of the organization.

Also - the organizational outcry and condemnation.

Keep throwing your straw men in the air, maybe they'll fly for those who can't think.

 

All things being equal the net result is the same = people murdered in the name of faith. And we give them tax breaks.

 

Again, I am not defending this particular group of people.

How many millions? I would assume billions may be a more appropriate figure.

However that is beside the point, I am less interested in "abuse" (mostly because neither one of us have defined it) and more interested in the article you cited. Very few parents do this to their children, those who do, those whose children die due to a silly religious belief, should be severely punished. Faith healers should have the kids taken away, and someone should have noticed something going on in the article you cited.

 

I was wondering why nobody at school noticed the abuse. And then I thought "home schooling."

Actually, my instinct was right on this one: I first heard of this heartbreaking story on the radio in my car. When the newscaster said "the parents were using a parenting book that advocates withholding food, switching the child, and exposing them to cold temperatures" without actually naming the book, I immediately said to myself "I'm sure we're going to find out these people are some kind of religious wackos."

Sure enough. Sure enough.

 

But of course misinterpreting the Quran is no excuse for Muslims who blow stuff up. Nice to know the double standard is alive and well.

I hope the parents go down for her murder. Take their other kids from them and send the bastards to prison for life.