Pastor Says He Punched a Kid for Not Taking God Seriously [Watch]

Eric Dammann, a pastor from New Jersey, has become Internet enemy no. 1 after a clip of him talking about punching a kid in the chest went viral.

In the video, Dammann talks about punching a kid he described as a "smart aleck" in the chest because he was "trying to push [his] buttons" during a youth group meeting.

"So I walked over to him and went, Bam! Punched him in the chest as hard as I could. I crumpled the kid. I just crumpled him," said Dammann during the sermon given in Calgary 13 years ago.

What Dammann said next is what really has people furious.

"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," Dammann concluded.

Dammann has since apologized for the altercation, saying that the clip doesn't provide the whole story.

"I do not endorse child abuse or the punching of children," said Dammann [quote via NY Daily News]. "My intention in the sermon was to make a point of how God can use our mistakes. The viral clip does not show the whole sermon, where I say what I did was wrong."

You can see the clip of Pastor Dammann talking about punching a kid in the chest below.