I was watching the 700 club today, a christian tv show which I wouldn't normally watch but I figured I should so that I know what it's about. Knowledge over ignorance. Anyway, I was in the other room making lunch for my son (18 months) when I hear them talking about a proposed bill in Massachusettes to ban spanking. I heard several people talking about being in favor of the ban. Maybe it's a little bit harsh that I was surprised a Christian show would back something like no spanking, but I was and I rewound and watched the whole segment.
They had indeed interviewed several people, including psychologists, nurses and parents, who supported the ban on spanking, but don't be fooled.. this did not mean they supported it. Once the reporter signed off the host (an 80 something year old white man) simply shook his head and chuckled, saying that these "do gooders" didn't know what they were doing. God condoned spanking. He said that it said something in the bible about how if you spank you get a good child and if you don't you get an unruly one. (he never gave any verses or passages) This is yet another example of biblical teachings being irrelevant today. The bible also says you should stone disobedient children, but any parent who tried it would be arrested in a heartbeat. In biblical times I'm going to bet they didn't know anything about psychology because if they did then they wouldn't hurt their children.
As I was searching for a picture to use (I find this one particularly horrendous because the child being hit is obviously a toddler, probably about my son's age) I came across a pro spanking website. To spanking they say:
"God is smarter than man and he commands to spank with a rod! Proverbs 13:24; 23:13-14"
"The so called "studies" that supposedly prove spanking is harmful to the children are junk science, agenda driven, opinion papers sponsored by anti-spanking interest groups that dishonestly skew the data. The studies and those who report them are by anti-Christian, left leaning, liberal/democratic products of our immoral modern society. Anti-spanking groups are a cause the significant decay of society. Most of the young kids of these anti-spanking groups are very poorly behaved."
First of all, I'm glad they see liberals as non spankers. This is a compliment to me! Second of all, junk science? No, it's actual science. Every child psychologist will agree that spanking is more harmful than useful. And, no offense, but.. this coming from smeone who's following a book that isn't the least bit scientific? This coming from a person who believe that the world was literally made in 7 days and that there were dinosoars on the ark? Thirdly, Every parent that I know that does not spank their children has very well behaved kids. We (my brother, sister, and I) grew up in a spanking household and every one of us revolted in various ways. I became Pagan and liberal, my brother and sister got home made tattoos, smoked, drank and did drugs, this in addition to my sister who started having sex at age 12 and ran away from home every other day.
Living in a pro-spank home I do believe that it should be seen as child abuse. How many times to parents who spank accidentally cross the line into legal abuse? You can't do that if you don't spank at all. You can dicipline, you can love, you can nurture your kids.. but you cannot hit them.
2 comments:
I'm not sure that the answer here is to blankly ban spanking. I'm a parent, and I have two kids. I have spanked my 17 year old no more than half-dozen times and all before he was about 10, but I do NOT want it to be legislated that it's illegal! The problem here is bad parenting, not the punishment. Too many people tolerate their kids and blame the schools, TV, what-have-you, instead of taking responsibility for the raising of them.
There is a vast difference between spanking and abuse. As a victim of actual child abuse I can say with authority that it wasn't about spanking gone wrong... it was about lack of self-control. It was about lack of self-responsibility. There was NO point where a spanking was in danger of becoming something more... violent.
I don't understand our culture's move away from personal responsibility *sigh*
Keep up the good work.
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