For years, corporal punishment of children has been debated relentlessly. The recent events surrounding Michael Pearl and his book, “To Train Up a Child,” have only fueled the controversy.

Mike Pearl is the pastor of the Church at Cane Creek and founder of No Greater Joy Ministries. He and his wife, Debi Pearl, have authored 14 books, including the self-published “To Train Up a Child.” This particular book deals with disciplining children.

Pearl touts the benefits of spanking but also other more extreme methods. He suggests using switches on children from the age of six months as well as other objects, such as a plastic plumbing line. According to Pearl, plumbing line is “too light to cause damage to the muscle or the bone.”

While these methods are controversial enough in and of themselves, the Pearls have come under even more criticism since the deaths of three children. According to The New York Times, all three children died “allegedly at the hands of parents who kept the Pearls’ book, ‘To Train Up a Child,’ in their homes.”

The children were also all adopted. The latest case was an 11-year-old girl who was adopted from Ethiopia. She died in May 2011 after suffering severe abuse. A 7-year-old girl adopted from Liberia died in 2010 after being whipped and beaten with a plumbing tube just like the one Pearl endorses.

The first case linked to the Pearls’ book was a 4-year-old American boy who was adopted. He died in 2006 and his mother was convicted of first-degree murder. Many have suggested that Pearl has a certain responsibility in these instances.

“At best, Pearl is recklessly endangering the lives of the children whose parents ascribe to his philosophy,” said Susan Smith, President of the UNCW Student Chapter of Amnesty International.

These deaths also have even more people asking: how far is too far when it comes to corporal punishment in the home? “There is a fine line between abuse and spanking,” said Dr. Diane Levy, professor of sociology at UNCW.

According to Levy, physical punishment is ineffective in the long run, and it is becoming less and less acceptable.

Corporal punishment is a part of our country’s history and has always been widely acceptable. As a matter of fact, the United States is one of the few countries that has not made spanking illegal.

Sweden became the first country, in 1979, to explicitly outlaw spanking children, even in the home. Since then, nearly 30 countries have followed suit. Throughout the world, spanking and other forms of physical punishment have become taboo. And while there are no laws regarding this issue in the United

States, there are more and more parents who are deciding not to use corporal punishment in order to discipline their children.

“My own parents and grandparents were believers in corporal punishment, which included spanking and using a switch. Still, I believe that form of discipline is out of date and would not engage in it with a child of my own,” Smith said.

However, there are also still parents who believe in conservative use of spanking while not going as far as the Pearls.