http://religiouschildmaltreatment.com/2011/11/the-real-michael-pearl/"But Pearl’s grip on parents is slipping. National exposure of Pearl’s teachings and of the abuses that have followed are leading many Americans to abhor the preacher from Tennessee. Following the publication of a New York Times article on Pearl, an online petition urging Amazon to stop selling Pearl’s book attracted hundreds of signatures.
Of course, parents who buy into the idea that Pearl is a religious authority and who are obsessed with child obedience will continue to follow his methods. Some may see Pearl’s teachings as a license to hurt, and even to kill. We should not be surprised if we hear that another child has been “trained” to death. Yet, at the same time, many more Americans realize that Pearl’s teachings are harmful and pose a risk to untold numbers of children throughout the United States and elsewhere."
Here's a link to that Petition, asking Amazon to remove child abuse manuals from its inventory list.
http://www.change.org/petitions/jeff-bezos-amazon-ceo-refuse-to-carry-books-which-advocate-the-physical-abuse-of-childrenPearl has issued a call to his followers this week to respond to all of the negative reviews he's been receiving at Amazon's website; he wants them to proclaim the joys of a properly trained child and also to downgrade the comments which condemn his methods. The author of the Petition has noted his statement here:
http://mamamule.blogspot.com/2011/11/amazon-petition-whats-it-to-you.html"Dear No Greater Joy Supporter
As you may be aware, NGJ is in the midst of a controversy as the result of a recent article in the New York Times and the subsequent articles and blogs that are using that article as a base, much of which is taken out of context and adding their own inflammatory rhetoric.
The opponents of the traditional, biblical, child training philosophy presented by NGJ are rallying an orchestrated attack to discredit the Pearls and our Ministry. This includes petitioning sales outlets such as Amazon to discontinue selling To Train Up a Child and all other NGJ material. Another tactic is to fill the book review pages on Amazon with negative 1 star reviews and hateful comments. We trust God’s protection but also recognize our responsibility to properly respond and make these circumstances known to our supporters.
You can assist us by making your voices heard. Share your beliefs and leave a comment to all of the online articles that you read. You can also go to the To Train Up a Child page on Amazon and leave your own review and rate the other comments by checking “Yes” for the positive reviews and “No” for negative reviews. You may also make your own comments in response to the other reviews. Click “Create your own review” (located after the last review on the page) to rate To Train Up a Child and add your own review."
The signing of the Petition has more than doubled this week, just since the NYTimes article came out, and a rising international call to end all corporal punishment of children has finally begun. If you haven't already done so, please help and go sign it.