Who in their right mind would think the doctrines of a fairly common, modern "Christian" religion could have anything to do with the beating-death of a twelve year old girl?!
The WT does not encourage its members to beat their children in this way. However, the religion is certainly not common or modern, and corporal punishment is allowed. It is not unusual for parents to smack their children in the Kingdom Hall. Many Witnesses will claim it is the lack of 'discipline' that causes so many problems with 'worldly' children. Unfortunately, a few parents take it too far. The culture within the Witness community can enourage this:
WTS touting Paradise and obediance demonstrated through strict compliance with rules and subjection to authority. They could follow the instructions. My parent's abusive background and the WTS's authoritative structure, I think, gave my parents the ammunition to punch, hit with brooms, etc.
I personally was often severely beaten by my Elder father. I never thought for a minute to seek the help of other elders. Why not? Reason one was I saw they stuck together. The other reason was because I knew this experience to be true:
The elders had a "little chat" with her, insinuating that she could be DF'd for "spreading gossip" if she told anyone else in the Hall about the beatings ... I'm not sure what happened after that, but the elders were pissed off that she had "brought reproach upon Jehovah's name" by exposing their dirty little secrets.
The Elders are faced with a problem, mentioned earlier:
The Witnesses do not officially endorse beating your children (spanking yes---beating, no), but when they're faced with a mother and/or father that DOES beat their child, the elders are in a quandry: do we do what's right and phone the police and expose the fact that there are Witnesses that beat their children? Or do we value our reputation as "God's Organization" here on earth and figure that ignoring a minor thing like someone beating their child, is a price worth paying in order to keep that reputation?
I personally know of at least two cases, apart from my own, where Elders were told of physical abuse going on and they did nothing. When the mother threatened to take it to the authorites she was told it would bring reproach on Jehovah's name and she should instead concentrate on being a more submissive wife. In the other case, another who wanted to report the abuse was told she could be DF'd for gossipping.
It could happen in other religions. The WT does not encourage abuse like this father and mother performed. But they are being judged by what the do about it, same as the sexual abuse problem, and the Elders and the WT are failing their members big time. And there are HUNDREDS of examples to prove it.