Does the Bible teach or encourage that spanking is an appropriate method of child discipline?
Yes, the Bible does advocate "the rod" for children’s discipline.
Prov. 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
But the rod of correction will drive it far from him.
Prov. 23:13, 14
13 Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell.
Prov. 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
I believe in spanking a child’s butt. But there’s a right way and a wrong way. Make sure the child understands why he/she is receiving a spanking. Always wait until you calm down before spanking. NEVER discipline a child in a fit of anger. I would always bare their little behinds, lay them over one knee and place my other leg over theirs, and hold their arms down with one arm/hand and wail away. I used my hand which you really shouldn’t do but I wanted to feel the pain as well so I knew when to stop. Afterward explain to them that you had to spank them because you were being obedient to God. And they need to be obedient to God as well. I would always love my children afterward and tell them I hated having to spank them but that I could not allow them to be disobedient. My heart always broke for them and often I would cry right along with them.
An excellent book on rearing children is "How to Shepard a Child’s Heart" by Tedd Tripp It takes Christian parents from the cradle to grown and guides them in every way. I highly recommend it.
Well, we know what the Bible teaches but our government will not allow us to discipline our children properly because many have abused their children and beaten them badly. I think this explains a lot of why there has been so much change in behavior in the children since the 40′s. Parents aren’t consistent with discipline or just don’t try to discipline their children anymore. We have children running around skipping school, carrying knives/guns even, being disrespectful to adults in general, completely lawless and that is exactly what the Bible teaches for this day and age.
#1 by Hannah S on August 20th, 2009
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No, the bible tells you to stone them to death. Or arrange to have them eaten by bears.
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#2 by Dexter's 2nd Incarnation on August 20th, 2009
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Whatever other people say, it also say’s not to provoke them.
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#3 by Jill on August 20th, 2009
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spanking is not only barbaric but clearly signifies the inability of a parent to have control over their children.
Striking another human being to keep them in line, is ridiculous and only breeds fear.
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#4 by Dreamstuff Entity on August 20th, 2009
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Children who refuse to obey their parents must be executed.
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. — Deuteronomy 21:18-21
He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. — Exodus 21:15
He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. — Exodus 21:17
Children who mock their parents will have their eyes plucked out by ravens and eaten by eagles.
The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. — Proverbs 30:17
Like Abraham, parents should be willing to kill their children for God.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and … offer him there for a burnt offering…. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. — Genesis 22:2,10
Sometimes God kills children for misbehaving.
And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. — 2 Kings 2:23-24
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#5 by irkt on August 20th, 2009
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I would refer you to Deuteronomy: http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_stone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
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#6 by Ray G on August 20th, 2009
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In several places the Bible talks about the use of corporal punishment as a means of behavior modification for children, slaves and criminals. There is actually a book on the subject called "God, The Rod, and Your Child’s Bod" – I kid you not.
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#7 by ModernDayPuritan on August 20th, 2009
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God tells us that for willful disobedience and defiance, that corporal discipline is an appropriate form of discipline. He also says that parents who refuse to ever use this form of discipline "hate" their children.
He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. Proverbs 13:24
Foolishness [is] bound in the heart of a child; [but] the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Proverbs 22:15
Withhold not correction from the child: for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Proverbs 23:13-14
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#8 by Laura J M on August 20th, 2009
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The Bible says spare the rod and spoil the child.
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#9 by the great cb on August 20th, 2009
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yes the bible says the rod is for the back of a fool it also says a child left to himself will bring his mother to shame and some other things i cant remember
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king james 1611 version
#10 by Poohcat1 on August 20th, 2009
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It says not to spare the rod….but this could also be taken simply to mean that we must discipline them. The tradition at the time of early Biblical writings, was to strike the child with a rod (stick or tree branch).
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#11 by sxxsh on August 20th, 2009
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The Bible says "Boil the little ones in oil", believe it or not!
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#12 by Shawn B on August 20th, 2009
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Hit them with a rod.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
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#13 by chickadee34 on August 20th, 2009
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The Bible does NOT encourage spanking or any other kind of child abuse.
The Proverb reads, "Spare the rod, and spoil the child." Too many "Christians" interpret the "rod" as a "weapon" with which to punish or discipline a child. Yet, that’s not in accordance with the Proverb itself.
Back in those times, what was meant by the "rod" is a stick or pole that was used by shepherds to keep sheep inside the flock. It was never used to inflict pain. It was used merely to guide and keep sheep from running astray.
That too many have misinterpreted that Proverb as an endorsement for using a "whip," a "belt" or other means of inflicting violence upon a child is very unfortunate.
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#14 by Song of Joy on August 20th, 2009
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The rod of discipline ,to me,means guidance,warranted restrictions,sometimes allowing the child to suffer the natural consequences of their actions,and a lot of mercy.
Violence breeds violence and corporeal punishment only teaches a child that "might makes right".
If a child is consistently taught that their actions towards others has a direct impact on how they feel about themselves it truly helps the child become a well balanced person.
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What would Jesus do? Wether you believe in Him or not-can you imagine Jesus ever striking a child?
#15 by mom/oma on August 20th, 2009
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Hi Butterfly. We must look at our Lord as the Great Shepherd for our example on how to raise our children. A shepherd would give his life for His sheep. A shepherd fights off any threat that would kill his sheep and leads his sheep to green pastures and clear waters. The rod the shepherd uses is to gently guide the sheep in the way they should go. Thus the OT verse about sparing the rod and spoiling the child. When one of the sheep gets lost the shepherd leaves the 99 to look for the other one. He will do all he can to get that one back. The sheep learn the voice of the shepherd and follow him wherever he goes. This has been proved to be correct. Our children if we raise them right will learn to respect us.
Did you know that sheep are visually impaired and if there was water right in front of them and no one leads them to that water they could literally die of thirst? Children need to be led in the right direction.
The Bible also tell us that if we raise our children in the ways of the Lord that when he/she is old they will return to it. That is the most important fact. We must teach our children by example just as Christ is an example to us. When God chastises us it is not to hurt us but to show us our sin that we may turn from it. He is stern by not pouring His blessings on us when we sin against Him. We feel it don’t we? What do we do then? We repent and turn right back to Him and He is right there waiting with open arms. Our God is a loving God. Praise God. We also need to learn to be more like Him.
God Bless.
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#16 by RescuedByTheLamb pray4revival on August 20th, 2009
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Yes, the Bible does advocate "the rod" for children’s discipline.
Prov. 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child,
But the rod of correction will drive it far from him.
Prov. 23:13, 14
13 Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from hell.
Prov. 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
I believe in spanking a child’s butt. But there’s a right way and a wrong way. Make sure the child understands why he/she is receiving a spanking. Always wait until you calm down before spanking. NEVER discipline a child in a fit of anger. I would always bare their little behinds, lay them over one knee and place my other leg over theirs, and hold their arms down with one arm/hand and wail away. I used my hand which you really shouldn’t do but I wanted to feel the pain as well so I knew when to stop. Afterward explain to them that you had to spank them because you were being obedient to God. And they need to be obedient to God as well. I would always love my children afterward and tell them I hated having to spank them but that I could not allow them to be disobedient. My heart always broke for them and often I would cry right along with them.
An excellent book on rearing children is "How to Shepard a Child’s Heart" by Tedd Tripp It takes Christian parents from the cradle to grown and guides them in every way. I highly recommend it.
Well, we know what the Bible teaches but our government will not allow us to discipline our children properly because many have abused their children and beaten them badly. I think this explains a lot of why there has been so much change in behavior in the children since the 40′s. Parents aren’t consistent with discipline or just don’t try to discipline their children anymore. We have children running around skipping school, carrying knives/guns even, being disrespectful to adults in general, completely lawless and that is exactly what the Bible teaches for this day and age.
References :
The New Open Bible Study Edition, NKJV
#17 by Lets ABIDE in Him on August 20th, 2009
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Hello sister
This is always such a sensitive topic, and on the one hand, there are verses in the bible that seem to support spanking but, what I appreciate most of all is the example that God shows to us in His own dealings with us as His children.
Spanking may work when our children are younger, but as they get older, we need to be impressed deeply with what the Word speaks to us regarding disciplining them.
Deut 6:6-7 shows us that it is by our example, that our children see something and can pattern themselves according to what they see.
"And these words, which I command you today, shall be upon YOUR HEARTS ( the parent’s hearts) And you shall impress them upon your children ( first we need to be impressed, then we impress these words upon our kids) and SPEAK about them when you SIT in your house, when you JOURNEY on the way, when you LIE DOWN and when you RISE UP."
How blessed my heart was to read these words because they span the whole course of our every day lives.
Discipling our kids means that we too are those that are disciplined by God. Exercising authority means that we know what it means to be UNDER authority. Its easy to tell our kids to listen to us, we are not invisible as God is, but do we take the disciplining from God?
When we are those in touch with the Lord, caring for Him and what is on His heart ( our children are on His heart) then we will be filled with genuine love for our kids and will be faithful, firm, loving, wise, compassionate and balanced in our dealings with them.
They do grow up, and what may have worked with them as they were younger may not work with them when they are older. My thought is, when they are young, we should not ask them to "reason "with us. They are children who need to be led.
Before Grace came, there was the LAW, and for us, it is the same for our kids. Before they too are able to receive the Lord, and be governed by Him inwardly, they need us to be the Law to them, as a school master, that will eventually lead them to grace. This is a dispensational principle in the word and I thank the Lord that He has shown this matter to us. We teach them to respect authority at home, school and at church. To be thankful for what they have. To be mannerly and respectful to others. And most of all, we point them to God.
Psalms 127: 3-5a shares…"Behold, children are the heritage of Jehovah. The fruit of the womb a reward. LIKE ARROWS IN THE HAND OF A MIGHTY MAN, So are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man Who fills his quiver full."
‘Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man"
Our disciplining and raising of our children is to POINT to DIRECT them to the Lord.
May we seek the God as the Eternal Father. By spending time with God one on one, He will infuse us with wisdom, patience, love, forebearence, longsuffering, gentleness, self control and all the rich attributes of God. We do not want our children to be lost to this satanic world. May our prayer give the Father much to work with. We can stand with Him in this way by being open to His speaking concering HIS HERITAGE.
Grace be with you sister
May the LOrd cover our kids.
YOur sis
sandy
Just some food for thought.
If you tell your child not to touch something that is poisonous, that they will get hurt or killed because of it and this child disobeys your order and goes ahead and handles this poison, even injesting some of it. At that point in time, do you spank that child for disobeying you or do you seek medical help right away to pump this poison out of the child?
On the one hand, we need to know from the Lord, when to discern when our children need to be spanked and when we need to administer a different kind of disciplining to them.
We are all sinners and will disobey, and God did not just leave us in our sin. ( injesting poison)… He took steps in Christ to deal with the poison that we took in.
Just some food for thought.
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Recovery Version bible
#18 by HappyLass on August 20th, 2009
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I raised a Daughter . When I started out I said to the Lord, ( like Solomon) I don’t know how to come in or go out, and I really need your help . I learned some things by error . I spanked her little diapered rear one day when she was being a total cranky rascal . 3 Swats .And after she got over that , she was happy all day long. I think that’s the only time I ever spanked her. Because I learned that she hated with a capitol H having what she loved taken from her . Over the years: Toys, then phone, then friends ( she was very social) . I never put her in the corner, never said something I didn’t carry out . I believe in quick discipline , just do it and get it over with . I also came to find that a child will do what she sees the Parents do. It’s not enough to just say something. It’s example . And there are people that come in our/her life that aren’t a good example , and I had to move her to a different town because of that . That was age 15 . Then she settled down and did fine . All and all , she’s a winner . God answered my prayer . But one important thing He showed me is that we can talk bad things into existance in our kids lives. My daughers best friend from 6th grade ( now 19) is having her second ( unmarried ) baby . I remember her Mother , whom she lives with ,always saying " Your going to have a baby before you get married,just like me " . It’s not harmless talking . Life and death are in the power of the tongue . Now if I had had a different natured child that needed to be spanked . I would have . You know the kind on T.V that slap their parents ? Oh man, i’d go to jail to set that one right . pow!!
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spell check isn’t working ..sorry
#19 by John Sardias Vottaro on August 20th, 2009
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Well, I think that spanking is not in either of yours best interest.
Have him/her hold their arms out, place something across it, enforce them to hold their arms out straight for a certain amount of time. After a while, the child’s arms will hurt, it also teaches discipline in a way that spanking can not. Also, no mark will be made. It’s take endurance, discipline and their is a lot of pain to this method, but also, it can make the child stronger as well! One hour feels like 7 hours with this method. It hurts and makes the time pass really slowly!
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