Pastor Admits to Punching Child for 'Playing Games With God'

[ViolaSebastian]

Eric Damman, a pastor in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey and the father of six children has admitted to punching a child in the chest "as hard as he could" because he was a "smart aleck". Apparently, Ben, the punchee, was a "smart kid" which made him "more dangerous".

He was only following the Jesus invocation to "suffer the little children to come unto me, so I can sucker punch them as hard as I can in the chest."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/past ... d-serious/

[Four is Enough]

I find this horrifying but not surprising.

[alwayscaffeinated]

I just can't even...wow. No. Please tell me this guy is full of crap and never did this. Please.

[Burris]

And with that, a criminal ecclesiast creates another atheist.

Any guesses as to whether his church will fire him?

[DGayle]

Someone on my FB list defended this pastor by claiming religious freedom. That moved me a step closer to saying religion should be banned. I'm tired of people using religion to harm people, and I'm tired of laws protecting it. Spank a kid who repeatedly acts up, and some places calls that child abuse. Hit a kid for not being devout enough, and it's religious freedom. Betty Bowers should comment on that.

[doggie]

I read this too but he may have made it up. But how would anyone come up with the religious freedom crap?

[ariel9]

So what makes a kid a smart aleck? Why is it dangerous to have a bright child? Since when is beating the crap out of someone a witnessing technique?

[ViolaSebastian]

I read this too but he may have made it up. But how would anyone come up with the religious freedom crap?

Which really makes you wonder, because making up the fact that you punched a kid is pretty sick as well. Who on earth would want people thinking that you assaulted a child? Although I'd much rather that this be a lie... :?

[Jana814]

I find this horrifying but not surprising.

Agree!

[thoughtful]

Violent asshole. Can we lock him in a room with PP and Cabinetman, to prevent their doing any further damage?

[doggie]

Violent asshole. Can we lock him in a room with PP and Cabinetman, to prevent their doing any further damage?

a few rounds in fight church?

[Burris]

A Biblically fit pastor will...

...follow the law as far as he is able without committing sin (Romans 13:1-7)

...act with humility (James 2:8-12)

...be temperate (1 Timothy 3)

...refrain from violence (ibid.)

...be gentle (ibid.)

...have mastery over his anger (1 Titus 1:5-9)

Through that one act, this man failed in ways that should disqualify him from the pastorate for the sake of the church (1 Corinthians 5:6).

Are these people afraid to fire bad pastors for fear they'll run out?

[latraviata]

Violent asshole. Can we lock him in a room with PP and Cabinetman, to prevent their doing any further damage?

And call him 'Bubba'.

[thoughtful]

a few rounds in fight church?

I don't like violence, even against them. I picture them swaggering around a padded room, ranting away at nobody, not listening to one another, with no respect from anyone or control over anyone -- just out of the way, unable to hurt anyone, boring one another to tears.

[Koala]

I am telling you, he would have been picking up his fucking teeth off the ground. Bastard. :evil:

[FundieFarmer]

I don't necessarily think religion should be banned, but I don't see anything wrong with more stringent regulations of abuse & other illegal activities under the veil of religious freedom.

Take the raid on the polygamists due to accusations of underage marriage & parenthood...turned out the caller was false, but plenty of evidence was found that the kids had indeed been abused, and that young girls had been giving birth. It's my understanding (and maybe somebody has more accurate information, so far be it from me to say that I'm totally correct) that the strength of the marketing campaign for "freedom of religion" caused a quick turnabout in the way the case was handled. Documents regarding their finances and illegal investment activities have also surfaced, and yet it's nearly impossible to impose consequences because #religion.

Religion shouldn't get to be the catch-all defense for situations like this.

[Walking Cat Bed]

Violent asshole. Can we lock him in a room with PP and Cabinetman, to prevent their doing any further damage?

Yes. With straightjackets, so they can only annoy/bore each other.

[doggie]

I don't like violence, even against them. I picture them swaggering around a padded room, ranting away at nobody, not listening to one another, with no respect from anyone or control over anyone -- just out of the way, unable to hurt anyone, boring one another to tears.

that could lead to violence when they don't listen to each other

[2xx1xy1JD]

I don't necessarily think religion should be banned, but I don't see anything wrong with more stringent regulations of abuse & other illegal activities under the veil of religious freedom.

Take the raid on the polygamists due to accusations of underage marriage & parenthood...turned out the caller was false, but plenty of evidence was found that the kids had indeed been abused, and that young girls had been giving birth. It's my understanding (and maybe somebody has more accurate information, so far be it from me to say that I'm totally correct) that the strength of the marketing campaign for "freedom of religion" caused a quick turnabout in the way the case was handled. Documents regarding their finances and illegal investment activities have also surfaced, and yet it's nearly impossible to impose consequences because #religion.

Religion shouldn't get to be the catch-all defense for situations like this.

I agree.

There's no need for a new law against religion (and things have gone very badly in places that tried this), but there is a need to enforce existing laws against assault and child abuse.

[Sundaymorning]

Well, I'm obviously against banning religion.

However, there are two things that should change.

1. Being overly sensitive of other peoples religious feelings. You can say the most stupid things and do the most harmful stuff, as long as you label it your "religious beliefs", somehow many people tend to think that it makes it more ok than if you would just do it without taking religion as a justification. I think this has to stop.

Things like punching a child in the chest are highly dangerous and can lead to serious damage.

2. The abuse of the term "freedom of religion". Many fundies seem to think that freedom of religion means that it is their freedom to impose their own subjective religious beliefs and rules on everybody else. Forcing other people (and I personally think that includes your own children!) to obey your personal religious rules is actually against their freedom of religion.

[2xx1xy1JD]

This has nothing to do with freedom of religion.

It should make anyone associated with that church realize that there is something seriously fucked up about this, make the church inbox and switchboard light up with people asking WTF, make anyone thinking about going to that church run like hell, and maybe even prompt a little visit from social services because I'd have some serious questions for a father of 6 who openly admits to punching a kid.

[Sundaymorning]

This has nothing to do with freedom of religion.

It should make anyone associated with that church realize that there is something seriously fucked up about this, make the church inbox and switchboard light up with people asking WTF, make anyone thinking about going to that church run like hell, and maybe even prompt a little visit from social services because I'd have some serious questions for a father of 6 who openly admits to punching a kid.

Of course this has nothing to do with the freedom of religion. But this expression is used as a standart excuse from many fundies when it comes to justifying beliefs and practices which are harmful to others.

[samurai_sarah]

This is assault. No more, no less. Religion doesn't come into it.

ETA: Cross-post with @sundaymorning.

[Deist woman]

Not that the idea of the punch itself is horrifying enough, but the kid could have died from this. A hard blow to the sternum can disrupt the heart's electrical rhythm, causing cardiac arrest. A "precordial thump" used to be a first line technique for a witnessed cardiac arrest in hopes that it could convert a chaotic rhythm back to a normal one. In the case of a normal rhythm, it could have the opposite effect. Also, this kind of trauma can case leakage of blood into the sac surrounding the heart, the pericardium, which can be fatal because it can take up so much space in the sac that the heart does not have enough room to expand and contract, and can no longer pump blood.

So, this fool is lucky he is not looking at manslaughter charges, if this kid had died. But, at the very least, the kid and family should sue his ass back to the stoneage for assault and battery. If the suit is pursued as well against whatever place employed this giant prick, it could make sponsoring agencies begin to take more notice of their employees being abusive.

[16strong]

I got sucker punched as a child by my sibling, who was not full-grown. It is the single most painful experience I have ever had. I couldn't breathe for at least 30 seconds. It was very scary trying to take a breath for so long and not being able to, all the while hurting and wondering whether I'd live. I can't imagine getting sucker punched by a full-grown adult. That poor kid. :cry:

This guy needs to go to jail. Period. Religion is not an excuse for what is so clearly abuse.