tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post6351305269585335027..comments2023-06-18T02:22:39.269-06:00Comments on Just Another Clay Pot: The World's Most Dangerous PeopleBetsy Markmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-20474318029140322432012-07-30T12:05:50.431-06:002012-07-30T12:05:50.431-06:00Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for sharing your experi...Dear Anonymous,<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your experience and your response to this post. I am glad you pointed out that my post might make it sound as if I think I've never been deceived, or could not possibly currently be deceived in other areas.<br /><br />Boy, that sure isn't the case!<br /><br />The main reason I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude about not having been deceived by the Pearls' teachings is that I know what irrevocable harm I could have caused while under that deception. There is no way to bring Lydia back.<br /><br />That said, you are right that deception is ALWAYS something that we need to look out for in our lives, because it always causes harm at one level or another.<br /><br />Thank you again for your comment.Betsy Markmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-16155894479472435712012-07-30T11:45:42.668-06:002012-07-30T11:45:42.668-06:00I agree with much of what you have written. I was...I agree with much of what you have written. I was, however, one of the deceived you write about. I am also saved by grace and was saved when I was deceived. At the time, I was a new Mother, with very little example of child raising. My child was out of control, I was fearful and feeling hopeless and was looking for any direction. I did use the Bible for wisdom, seak out Godly council and read other books as well. I believe I learned from each and adjusted my views accordingly. I understand that as Christian's we are to test everything against scripture. With that being said, I did that with the Pearl's teaching and I still took the Pearl's claims to 100% success as truth and tried to create the environment they said is possible. I struggled with myself and child for so long because even though we had made progress (which we did) we did not have the absolute results that the Pearl's hold up. Yes, they occassionally write things like,do not hold your children to a standard that you can not acheive with them. But then they mock and belittle you as a parent for being "weak" because you have not been able to achieve such high standards. Anyway, after much prayer and spiritual trials from God, I was lead by the Spirit to understand that I was placing my faith in my ability to follow a "law" rather than in the grace of Christ himself. The only reason I am writing this is to suggest that we all have areas in our lives that we are being deceived and are in need of the light of truth from the Holy Spirit. What a blessing to know that as God's children he will not let us alone to ourselves but will lead us to truth. It seems that you understand that, but you seem to take the position in this article that you are thankful God kept you from deception in this area as if you have never been deceived in another area. As we are not yet made perfect we will always be in need somewhere in our lives of conviction from the Spirit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-9613674385503838082010-10-10T13:00:05.667-06:002010-10-10T13:00:05.667-06:00Bryan,
Thank you for your kind words. Actually, ...Bryan,<br /><br />Thank you for your kind words. Actually, though, you have confused me with my friend Avalon, who wrote a guest post about Halloween for me. She is the one who was saved out of the occult. <br /><br />As for the Pearls: while I appreciate your desire to support those whom you saw as kind and gentle people, I cannot get past the quotes from the Pearls' own book, such as, "A proper spanking leaves children without breath to complain." It's not a question of taking the quote out of context, because there IS no context that would make such a statement acceptable. And this is just one example.<br /><br />If the Pearls were uniformly mean people, they would actually be less dangerous, because they would lose credibility. It is the good things about them that make people willing to swallow their harmful things. <br /><br />But I'm not zeroing in on only them. As I said in my article, there are no more dangerous people on the face of the earth than those who believe that love and God are on their side while they pursue an evil which they've mistaken for goodness. There was a time in my life when I could have gone down the Schatzes' road, with someone like the Pearls insulting every tender instinct, pushing me to harden myself against my children's cries, etc. Thank God it never happened, but it could have. And it's that awful realization that forces me to speak out. <br /><br />I am glad to hear that you were able to raise your children using the Pearls' teachings without any harm that you're aware of, but if you had taken <i>all</i> of the Pearls' advice literally, the results would have been far different. There are plenty of good parenting books out there that DON'T include the sort of abusive content that the Pearls' books have. There's no need to drink the poisoned Kool-aid when there's safe stuff out there. Lydia was not the first to die under the Pearls' teachings, and she won't be the last as long as those books are out there.<br /><br />I have no desire to hurt any Pearls, but I have to speak for the Lydias who have no voice.Betsy Markmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-87555845732159675202010-10-10T09:33:11.674-06:002010-10-10T09:33:11.674-06:00First of all I am so thankful that Jesus saved you...First of all I am so thankful that Jesus saved you out of the occult. I have a similar background. My wife and I have followed the Pearls' teachings for years and find them to be the kindest and most giving believers we know. Their child training material has helped us to raise 5 beautiful, creative and happy children. Please don't place the blame on Mike and Debbie for a couple who obviously aren't being led by the Holy Spirit. I would love for you to spend the day with Mike and Debbie at Cane Creek. You would find them to be most generous and Christ-like.Bryan Ketlerhttp://facebook.com/bryanketlernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-36755526276657932392010-03-31T11:48:14.311-06:002010-03-31T11:48:14.311-06:00I have allowed the above comment to be posted, tho...I have allowed the above comment to be posted, though I clearly disagree with it, because I believe it to have been posted by a well-intentioned person.<br /><br />I know that many of my readers will disagree with the above comment as well. My desire is to allow the free exchange of ideas about my post and related topics. But I do NOT plan to allow the comment section to become a "flame war." So I must ask that all comments be submitted in a form that you yourself would want to receive from someone who disagreed with you. The Golden Rule applies. I will gladly publish comments that I disagree with, but not personal attacks on other commenters.<br /><br />Thank you for your understanding.Betsy Markmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-16275534036140632742010-03-31T11:13:24.398-06:002010-03-31T11:13:24.398-06:00I believe in God's grace. However, I also bel...I believe in God's grace. However, I also believe in God's justice. While we are the benefactors of God's grace, God's grace does not cancel out God's extreme hatred for sin. God's grace does not eliminate God's holiness nor His justice, which demands a penalty and payment for our sins.<br />Jesus Christ bore that payment for us. God's wrath was poured out on Him for our sin.<br />Now, as children of God, our Heavenly Father is gracious to us, but this does not mean that He turns a blind eye to the sins we commit as Christians! Hebrews 12:5-12 show us clearly that God will chastise His children when they sin! Galatians 6:7-8 also reenforce this idea. <br />So, as parents, there is a time to be gracious, but there is also a time to use strong discipline to enforce order and authority. Depending on the infraction, sometimes the discipline must be stronger than at other times.<br /><br />The Bible is clear:<br />Proverbs 23:13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.<br />Proverbs 23:14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.<br /><br />Now, I could use the same method that the author of this article used to show you all kinds of errors and contradictions in the Bible. The author of this article has taken snippets of the Pearl's writings to slander them. The author has misinterpretted these articles, and used these statements against the Pearl's, without bothering to do more research or get clarification. <br />I could do the same thing with the Bible and make it say all kinds of things by pulling things out of context, or using an obscure passage to prove my point, while ignoring clear passages that contradict my point.<br />This is merely an emotional reaction to something the author does not like. It is a great tragedy that these children were beaten to death, but to lay the blame at the feet of the Pearl's is slanderous and defamatory.<br />These parents are guilty of the same thing the article's author is guilty of - taking ONE statement out of context, making it say something the Pearl's did not intend, and taking it to the extreme.<br /><br />Shameful!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-64799013689190416012010-03-10T07:29:51.994-07:002010-03-10T07:29:51.994-07:00"I am coming to believe that there are no mor...<i>"I am coming to believe that there are no more dangerous people on the face of the earth than those who believe that love and God are on their side while they pursue an evil which they've mistaken for goodness. ... How does a loving parent get convinced that beating their child for hours over a minor infraction is an act of love?"</i><br /><br />What you have written summarizes why people in the Christian community, loving parents, are -vulnerable- to these aberrant, harmful teachings.TulipGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10491713586488210547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-3230987424437792512010-03-01T17:55:18.991-07:002010-03-01T17:55:18.991-07:00Very insightful summary!Very insightful summary!Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09014211541573619112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-23145338848233348362010-02-25T21:48:59.989-07:002010-02-25T21:48:59.989-07:00Beautifully, gracefully said. Thank you for your t...Beautifully, gracefully said. Thank you for your transparency and courage.Water Lillyhttp://mommypress.com/waterlilly/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-15243705579262124442010-02-25T18:22:06.611-07:002010-02-25T18:22:06.611-07:00Thank you for having the courage to speak out! Pr...Thank you for having the courage to speak out! Praying that people's eyes would be opened to this horrible misrepresentation of God's love and grace. Had not heard about this murder! It just breaks my heart to hear of this!Karinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12953073381987950597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2982662593354859176.post-38402826865724508592010-02-25T18:15:42.148-07:002010-02-25T18:15:42.148-07:00Betsy,
Thanks so much for posting this. You'v...Betsy, <br />Thanks so much for posting this. You've put it so well. I'm too overwrought to write about this again. I'm so thankful that God is using others to speak the very words that are on my heart.Laurie M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15840896949617719814noreply@blogger.com