Does the bible condone hitting your child as a form of discipline?
373937
The Bible definitely condones hitting your kid as a form of discipline.  \n\nSpare the rod and spoil the child.  It doesn't condone abuse however.  A loving parent will hit a child to teach him/her a lesson without causing real physical injury. Ever hear "this is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you."?  \n\nThat's the most important point here.  A loving parent should want to teach their child yet would never wish serious injury to their child.
192890
This is a yes and no issue.  \nFor the yes portion first.  When a group of people fall away from God and cease to follow his teachings they lose his spirit and guidance. Later when they have children they often teach their children the same false teachings they have espoused.  Therefore this curse of ungodliness is passed on BY THE PARENTS, not by a vengeful God.\n\nNow for the no portion.  \nGod does NOT punish children for the acts of their parents or their ancestors.  I believe that man will be punished for his own sins and not for Adam's transgression.  The belief that children are born sinful, due to a transgression of Adam is a false doctrine with no foundation in scriptural truth.  Any religion that teaches that children must be baptized denies the atonement of Christ (or they don't understand it) and they are teaching a doctrine that is out of harmony with the gospel.  And now for a criticism of my character and answer...here is the Internet's watchDOG...Pregotwin!
984717
against physical punishment of children (aka spanking etc)\n\nyou could mention how any other place in society,  hitting is considered assault  , research written studies of how children who are hit are more likely to hit others etc
191535
I'd say no....does it seem normal to you?....I don't have any kids of my own but I have always been told that physically disciplining them is not the answer...however if I had a child that was my own flesh and blood I would physically discipline them than someone else....just my opinion
644229
as long as it's not abusive, it's fine.  I was spanked as a child and I learned quickly the difference between right and wrong.  today's parents are too permissive.
992989
There is no way to rationalize that.\nAnd this is quite different than a parent spanking a child that has done something wrong.  Egypts firstborn were killed because of the Pharoah (in other words, all those other families were punished because of what their leader did).  There is no way to say that was good.  Impossible to say it was Just or Merciful or Loving.  It was downright cold-hearted.\nI am amazed at the people who try to justify these things by trying to say this God is "Good".  He must have a different definition of Good than everyone else and should have sent down a dictionary to give us these definitions.
953099
I don't believe it does. Good Christians are supposed to do as Jesus would and confrontation was not something He did.\nWe are to be good examples...not finger-pointers.
688928
Our moms used to tell us to say this when people where being mean to us.  Sticks and stones thrown at us will break my bones and hurt me, but supposedly if we ignore their words, they won't hurt us.  The reality is that words do hurt and will last a lifetime.  Now parents teach children to use their words for helping and praising and not for hurling insults and hate filled remarks.
746554
I try to look at my children the way I think God looks at me, I have learned that the relationship is very similar and I think this is by design.\n\nI give my kids guidelines and tell them what I expect from them, I explain to them that I will provide for their needs and love them no matter what, but they have to follow certain rules.\n\nI give them chores to do, I require them to take responsibility for there rooms and I asked them to do extra work to earn an allowance.\n\nI punish them when they get out of line and I praise them every day for the things they do right. I show them by example how life should be lived and I explain to them when I make mistakes.\n\nI on occasion forgive them without punishment to teach them mercy. I teach them respect for themselves and for others, and I also teach them to be careful and not to except everything at face value.\n\nI also learned early on with my first child that God uses our children to teach us much more than we will ever be able to teach our kids. \n\nSociety will tell us many things about our kids, but follow Gods example and you will have wonderful kids.
550107
Good Lord. \nThe Old Testament was under the Law of Moses. As a christian today you should know that Jesus' death and resurrection removed us from the curse of the 'Law'. In the Old testament Israel was a fledgling nation. They were trying to seperate themselves from the 'pagans' Plus they were a lot less civilized than we are today. \nGod does not want you to kill your child, come on. If you truly believe that then you need psychological help and all your children should be removed from you care.
1017860
No it's not bad. If they are showing their butts in public then beat their asses wherever they are doing it. You can't wait until they get home to discipline them. But there will be a lot of people who will look at you mean and even call the police because they don't agree with the way you discipline your child...In my state, it is not against the law to discipline your child.\n\nAnd all the people against spanking their children are the reason why people kids don't listen to them now and act out in public because they know they can get away with it.
692840
No the Bible does not condone this, but unfortunately, like everything else, it is often twisted around to excuse people's bad behavior.\n\nJesus asked that if a person could not love his brother who he has seen, how can he love God who he has not seen.\n\nOften a person will say, "Oh, well that refers to SPIRITUAL" brothers and sisters". I can treat my physical brother like crap .... and still be a CHRISTIAN.\n\nStrange, these same perverts want their kids to honor their "FLESHLY" parents, don't they? I call them pervert because they pervert Jesus teachings.\n\nTo these folks, it doesn't matter what the bible has ever said ... people make it up as they go along and change the interpretation of the scripture to justify their circumstances.\n\nOften the scripture in Luke, is misused by many. It says, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. " -- Luke 14:26\n\nHere is a location the Church has perverted the scripture in the interpretation. The Greek for this does not imply HATE. It simply implies to love them less than him.
533098
Yes...up until the time they are a legal adult.  Maybe parents should think about this before allowing so much permissiveness in their family. I am a strict Mother(no corporal punishment...but lots of consistency and time out and good choice/ bad choice options). I feel it is my duty, and moral responsibility to raise well mannered and caring people. I KNOW I am responsible for my children's actions.
1075829
I believe a good spanking never hurt anyone.  I deal with kids all the time that have no respect.  If I acted like some kids I see today, my parents would have given me a good butt whippin!  And I woulda deserved it!  I grew up respecting my parents and backtalking was NOT tolerated.  \nI have nephews now, one of them is soooo BAD!  He backtalks, cusses and even hits his mom.  She just yells at him.  So, he yells back.  He doesn't do that when he's with me; I would spank his butt.  And when we are shopping and he starts to throw a fit, we leave everything where it is and leave the store, he gets nothing.  I've found with this one in particular though, spankings don't work so much now that he is older.  I make him write a paragraph or two, even a page sometimes on why he shouldn't do what he did. \nFor instance, he yelled at and back talked his grandmother.  He had to write a page telling me why he should be nice to her and all the things that she does for him.  By the time he finished he was in a better mood and hugged his grandma.  He is an exceptional writer now, too!  LOL  He's had lots of practice!
313982
The bible doesn't say that men should discipline their wives, but love them as Christ loves the church. \n\nIf there is any disagreement or problems, I think the couple should behave like mature, responsible adults and resolve it through discussion. If this doesn't happen, the couple should agree to disagree over something and if there is no agreement about how to act about a situation, the wife should follow the husband to preserve the unity between them, unless this will put either of them in danger or hurt either of them or any children.
352281
Certainly if you hit anywhere except on a well-padded bottom, or a quick smack on a hand to get it to withdraw from touching something dangerous.  But generally, I think spanking -- hitting of any kind -- should be reserved for emergency situations where getting the child's attention in a startling way is necessary.  If a child is reaching for something very hot, you can say "hot!" or "don't touch!" and then what?  Do you let them go ahead and disobey, and get burned, or do you smack the hand away?  If a child runs out into the street, and you strongly suspect it was for the purpose of gaining your attention (I have seen this happen), a smack on the butt when they are safely on the sidewalk will let the kid know it is something very important ONLY if you do not swat them frequently.\n\nSave hitting for extreme circumstances, and you will never have to hit very hard or do any serious harm.
939416
No I don't believe anyone deserves to be hit for any reason. I raised a wonderful child without ever hitting her. She is well adjusted, masters degree, great job, perfect boyfriend,very family oriented, and mentally sound. You do not have to hit children to make them obey. Hitting is just the lazy way of discipline for parents who don't want to take the time to do it right. Have you ever made a mistake at work? A big mistake that caused the company to lose money or get others in trouble. Have you ever spilled anything at work, a drink or your lunch or broke anything? Have you ever lied about being sick or something more serious? So, how would you like it if your boss or co-workers solved the problem by hitting you. If your boss smacked you on the butt a few times, how would you feel? If your co-workers slapped you, kicked you, or hit you with a belt, would you like it? Its the same thing. You should treat a child like you would like to be treated. Realize that everyone makes mistakes and accidents happen. Hitting your child only makes them believe that violence is the answer to problems. Don't raise another violent person. We have enough in the world now.