Beating a child breeds a sociopath.
Every adult I know who has a personality disorder
was beaten, whipped or physically abused as a child.
It is so cruel to the child that he or she splits from his or her self and lives out in an abstract, "pretend" world, a activity that continues into adulthood. The beaten child grows up to be insecure and afraid, and becomes someone who wants to dominate others so the abuse never happens again. . . .
Religious people sometimes turn to the Bible for justification for their anger, as if someone a thousand years ago knows more than what we have learned in the interim--that cruelty to children kills their spirits, if not their bodies.

This is clearly abuse. I think that people who hide behind the bible as a reason to beat their children are cowards looking for a holy reason to justify their own impulses resulting from momentary anger. I feel that so much of what the bible teaches on discipline (and yes, I am a christian) is figurative. I do not believe (nor do most christians that I know) that "spare the rod, spoil the child" literally means to get something that looks like a rod (including our own hands) and beat your child. It means to guide your child with firm rod-like discipline, but you can't stop reading there, as it seems people like Pastor Michael Pearl do... everywhere in the bible it also says to do it out of love, not anger. I am not a perfect parent, neither is my husband. My girls know what I look like when all I see is red after they paint on the walls for the tenth time even after countless trips to timeout, loss of priveleges, threats to take away favorite lovey's, etc. In fact, I am not too proud to admit that they have seen Mommy throw her own bona fide temper tantrum directed at them when I feel backed into a corner and have done all that I know to do and they still don't "get it". As an aside, I still haven't figured out what it is I need to do to get through to my kids in those moments, but I've read up on ways to not see red when those moments do happen. One article that I saw sticks out for me, it said that when you lose your cool with your child all they see is you telling them, "help - calm me down!" That is a frightening thing for a young child. Imagine it, "Mom is out of control, which means that I need to take over here and she needs my help". Woah - that's huge for a four year-old and so scary! The article suggested that all of those vital lessons you're trying to get across by screaming at your child - are actually being lost on them in that moment because they're entirely focused on your behavior. For example, my message of, "do not paint on the walls!" was not heard even though both of my children stood quiet and wide-eyed as I went through my tantrum. And, what does all of this mean?? It means that they'll be painting on the walls again. So, while yelling at my kids for running in the road, etc. will probably never change, it's a safety issue, I have done a much better job of keeping my own temper tantrums in check. I believe that our children inherently respect us when we can keep our calm even in moments of anger. They see us as reliable, stable forces in the world, who are most importantly, on their side. I think the thing parents have to remember is that children aren't born manipulative, they're not trying to drive you crazy, they just don't have impulse control and that is a learned behavioral change they need our help with getting a handle on in their late preschool years. If we don't have our own impulses under control, how can we help them?

Oh how heartbreaking and disturbing. I think its quite clear that this is abuse.

It frightens and literally sickens me that people use religion in such ways. I have a very strong opinion on this subject matter, but I couldn't word it any better than Ewol_Smith and jengreer.

Well, I have read one of the Pearl's books on discipline. I don't agree with all of his teachings, but I do agree on all that the bible teaches. That includes discipline just the way the bible teaches. (no we don't spank our children with a stick off a tree)Therefore, I believe that you can successfully discipline your children without abusing them, and without hurting them emotionally, or even socially. If you pay close attention to children who are properly disciplined, they are so extremely happy, and so are their parents. Proper balance is the key to every thing in this life. The parent is to be the one in charge, not the child. My children are very happy, and others notice that too, and they know how to behave, yes they have times when they forget who is in charge,and yes they have times when they want to pout, but they do not throw fits when they don't get what they want. A parent should not throw fits either, that just teaches a child its ok to lose control, when it is not ok. Have I ever done this, of course, I am very far from perfect, but I learned to do better about self control, thus that teaches your child the importance of that too.

It was clearly abuse. My heart goes out to those kids and I hope they can recover from this.

And to think, Paddock threw away a promising career as a Victoria's Secret model as well. Tragic on several levels.

Parents model more than they tell, so when parents use force to get what they want from their child they teach their child that force is an acceptable way to achieve goals. For those who smugly quote the Bible (Old Testament, of course), I suggest meditating on the New Testament's Golden Rule of treating others as you would want to be treated. ... When dealing with children, adults would do well to remember that the child is ignorant of things the adult learned so long ago that memory fails to recall beforehand. How would you like to be beat for ignorance?

I wish you wouldn't even ask this question using these words. discipline means teach, and abuse means hurt. You're asking if Ms. Paddock's acts upon her children were to teach them or to hurt them. There is no fine line between teaching and hurting. Sometimes pain can teach us, but it is not how we set about to teach.
She abused these children because she was out of control, unable to cope, and recognizing, as we all do now, the monster she had become, decided that god told her to do it.
When Jesus said suffer the little children, that didn't mean oh yes kids are supposed to suffer.
Just because someone comes along who decides to say oh look see, the bible says kids should suffer, doesn't mean that this is what Christianity teaches.
Discipline is teaching. abuse is hurting.