Pastor Admits To Punching A Kid In The Chest For ‘Not Taking The Lord Serious’

During a sermon, the pastor of the Bible Baptist Church in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey admitted to punching a boy in the chest “for not taking the Lord serious [sic].”

Pastor Eric Dammann started out by saying that he met a young man named Ben who was “a nice kid, but one of those — he was a real smart aleck. He was a bright kid, which didn’t help things.”

Critics of religion in general will hang on that last sentence about Ben being a “bright” kid. Many detractors of faith say that it leads people away from knowledge and instead substitutes blind obedience to the commandments of an invisible God (or gods).

Indeed, Dammann reinforced that narrative by saying that Ben’s brightness “made him more dangerous.”

One can almost hear the ridicule in response: How does being bright make somebody dangerous?

Dammann said that Ben was intentionally trying to irk him.

“We were outside one day at youth group,” he said, “and he was just trying to push my buttons. He was just kind of not taking the Lord serious.”

It is not clear what Dammann meant by “not taking the Lord serious.” However, the pastor had what he thought was the appropriate remedy to that lack of seriousness.

“So I walked over to him and went BAM! Punched him in the chest as hard as I could,” he said.

Dammann actually made an exaggerated punching motion to demonstrate the disciplinary action he took on the child. He seemed to be quite proud of what he had done.

“I crumpled the kid,” he said. “I just crumpled him.”

However, the pastor reported what he clearly considered to be a happy outcome following the violent confrontation. His punch helped lead the boy to Christ.

“Then I leaned over and said, ‘Ben, when are you going to stop playing games with God?’ I led that man to the Lord right there,” he said.

Pastor Admits To Punching A Kid In The Chest For ‘Not Taking The Lord Serious’