Not
      all
      children
      are
      physically
      brutalized,
      but
      at
      home,
     
     
      and
      later
      in
      school,
      the
      great
      sword
      of
      ‘must
      and
      must
      not’
      falls
     
     
      swiftly
      and
      repeatedly
      upon
      the
      head
      of
      every
      child.
      All
      are
     
     
      measured
      and
      trimmed
      against
      the
      yardstick
      of
      normality,
      and
     
     
      hemmed
      in
      on
      everyside
      by
      boundaries
      of
      acceptable
      behav-
     
     
      iour.
      ‘
     
     
      I
      speak
      here,
      not
      of
      intentional
      cruelty,
      but
      of
      the
      adult
     
    

    
     
      task
      of
      shaping
      the
      minds
      and
      wills
      of
      children,
      and
      of
      condi-
     
     
      tioning
      their
      responses
      in
      a
      manner
      which
      permits
      them
      to
     
     
      function
      successfully
      within
      their
      natal
      culture.
      Such
      groom-
     
     
      ing,
      though
      painful,
      is
      essentially
      and
      inescapably
      human.
     
    

    
     
      But
      all
      of
      this
      turns
      ugly
      when
      the
      well-being
      of
      vul-
     
     
      nerable
      children
      is
      superceded
      by
      the
      needs
      of
      frightened
      care-
     
     
      givers.
     
    

    
     
      It
      turns
      ugly
      when
      the
      program
      of
      socialization
      and
     
     
      indoctrination
      is
      designed
      to
      protect
      the
      fears,
      and
      buttress
      the
     
     
      fantasies,
      of
      the
      adults-in-charge,
      and
      to
      perpetuate
      through
     
    

    
     
      child-rearing,
      a
      world
      where
      they
      don’t
      have
      to
      face
      their
      own
     
     
      demons.
      ;
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      Herod
      territory,
      and
      you
      don’t
      have
      to
      be
      a
     
     
      deranged
      dictator,
      a
      sociopath,
      or
      a
      pedophile
      to
      go
      there.
     
     
      Indeed,
      the
      danger
      to
      children
      is
      often
      the
      greatest
      where
      the
     
     
      compulsion
      to
      raise
      the
      perfect
      child
      is
      the
      strongest,
      and
     
     
      where
      parents,
      teachers,
      politicians
      and
      clergy
      have
      the
      clear-
     
     
      est
      idea
      of
      what
      constitutes
      a
      well-raised
      boy
      or
      girl.
      It
      can
     
     
      sound
      quite
      proper,
      even
      righteous,
      but
      give
      it
      a
      good
      scratch
     
     
      and
      you
      will
      discover
      the
      Herod-fear.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      great
      and
      terrible
      irony
      in
      all
      this
      is
      that,
      in
      all
      the
     
     
      world,
      one
      of
      the
      greatest
      assaults
      on
      innocence
      has
      been
      by
     
     
      Christian
      church
      leaders;
      those
      who
      presume
      to
      speak
      in
      Jesus’
     
     
      name.
      The
      Roman
      Catholic
      Church
      has
      declared
      for
      centuries
     
     
      that
      all
      infants,
      from
      the
      moment
      of
      conception,
      exist
      in
      a
      state
     
     
      of
      sin,
      deserving
      eternal
      punishment.
      Astonishingly,
      the
      very
     
     
      institution
      which
      trumpets
      a
      ‘right-to-life’
      theology,
      passes
      the
     
     
      sentence
      of
      death
      on
      every
      fetus.
      It
      can
      abide
      no
      innocence,
     
     
      not
      even
      in
      the
      womb.
     
    

    
     
      Herod
      killed
      babies
      to
      ensure
      the
      continuation
      of
      his
     
     
      power.
      Surely
      the
      church
      declares
      children
      iniquitous,
      and
     
     
      worthy
      of
      perdition,
      for
      the
      same
      reason.
     
    

    
     
      Herod
      disguised
      his
      fear
      behind
      a
      feigned
      interest
      in
     
     
      the
      announced
      child.
      Many
      parents,
      clergy,
      and
      teachers
      carry
     
     
      out
      their
      wounding
      in
      the
      name
      of
      love,
      and
      out
      of
      their
      own
     
     
      unexamined
      need
      to
      have
      the
      child
      fit-in,
      even
      though
      the
      ‘fit-
     
     
      ting’
      entails
      a
      rigorous,
      even
      Proscrustean,
      curtailment
      of
     
     
      childish
      wonder
      and
      inclination.
      Unlike
      Herod,
      most
      of
      them
     
     
      stop
      short
      of
      physically
      slaying
      the
      little
      ones,
      but
      the
      crushing
     
     
      out
      of
      the
      threatening
      tendencies
      and
      unique
      gifts
      is
      pandem-
     
     
      ic.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      massacre
      continues.
     
    

    
     
      But
      occasionally,
      by
      one
      means
      or
      another
      a
      child
      sur-
     
     
      vives,
      and
      the
      whole
      world
      shudders
      with
      the
      fresh
      energy,
      and
     
     
      gets
      intoxicated
      on
      the
      new
      wine.
     
    

    
     
      And
      wonder
      prevails.