Our children are adopted from India. Many folks who know very little about India and those who immigrate to the US assume that Indians are "really smart." "Your sons will probably be doctors, or engineers..." they say. (Why don't they ever ask about owning 7-11's or sleezy motels?)

The point is that the only Indians most rural Americans ever see are "smart" ones - the ones that possess the education, finances, desire, etc. to make it to the States. There are, quite literally, a billion more back on the subcontinent who would change the American perception of Indians quite a bit if they could only be seen.

Likewise with spanking, most people's only interaction with parents physically correction their children are the BAD examples.

I took my boys shopping for shoes recently and saw two out-of-control little boys being manhandled by their parents, the mother, in particular. Without question, they were abusing their children. Medical professionals don't see the countless examples of godly parents who lovingly and patiently (though not perfectly) discipline their children... they see parents who give little boys black eyes and little girls cigarette burns.

I'm not so sure our culture hates discipline; it hates the Lord and HIS discipline. But that's not what a lot of them see. They see abuse. The fact that unbelievers in the absence of His Word - can't see the difference between Christian discipline that heals and "discipline" which exasperates, humiliates, and destroys seems to me to be more an indictment of OUR failure, as the church, to teach, model, and occupy "hard places" ('social work' has to be one of the most thankless and PAGAN occupations in our nation...). Are our churches teaching this stuff?

Excellent post, Joseph.

Part of me, having rotated through Riley as a medical student, wants to cut Riley a teeny bit of slack, but we can't. Like Matt says, the people behind this campaign see only man's evil perversions of Biblical discipline, and so, on the one hand, I resonate with their desire to stop the abuse they deal with every day. Nowhere else in medicine have I experienced the kind of emotional anguish I felt during my neurology rotation at Riley where every day we saw multiple babies with severe brain damage as a result of someone (usually a mom's boyfriend) beating a baby. You feel like you have to do something to make it stop, and without God's Word to guide them, it's not surprising that people at Riley come up with responses like this.

But I have to remember several things as I put myself back in Riley's shoes. First, many of them don't have God's Word INTENTIONALLY. Yes it's true, as Matt points out, that the Church hasn't taught and modeled Biblical discipline as it ought. But it's also equally true that countless people in the medical profession hate God and would never acknowledge the all-surpassing wisdom of His Word. Aside from the stereotypical doctors with god-complexes (which do exist), the hospitals are filled with nurses, social workers, and therapists who are given over to cynicism, bad consciences, and rebellion against God's Law. Therefore, in judging a campaign like this one of Riley's, we cannot merely look at their motivation to stop the beating of babies. Many other inclinations of the heart are at work here.

We must also remember that child abuse is a downstream effect of more basic problems. Education about "hitting" misses the root problems. Instead, if it's often mothers' boyfriends who do the beating, why not make Riley a "No-Adultery Zone" or a "No-Fornication Zone"? Oh wait, doctors and nurses commit adultery so we couldn't do that.

Back to the current campaign, as we examine the plans and schemes of men, I find fewer warnings more instructive than Jesus' teaching about demons. Remember that He says once a demon is cast out, it returns with seven more wicked than the first. "And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45). In so many ways, by rejecting God and His Word with respect to discipline, Riley is fostering the very thing they seek to put an end to, and worse. It could not be more clear, to those with eyes to see, that many of the evil deeds could have been prevented if their perpetrators had benefited from parents who lovingly and faithfully disciplined them according to God's commands. Furthermore, by thumbing its nose at God, the "Father from whom all fatherhood gets its name" (Ephesians 3:14-15), who disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12), Riley rejects the only one with the power to change hearts and hear their cries on behalf of these little ones. Finally, if Riley is ever able to prevent any child abuse through these posters, what about the harm these children will suffer by never having their hearts directed to the holiness of God through a loving spanking? The absolute best that could come from the success of this campaign is a generation of children who never begin down the path of wisdom -- because they do not fear God -- and consequently suffer eternal punishment in Hell. That's the best-case scenario. In reality, though, believers and unbelievers alike will suffer further evils in this life as well because of this rebellion.

Really, if it's prevention in this life we're after, the one place on earth that should be a "hit zone," is Riley. I used to ask myself if I was ready to forfeit my medical license for striking down one of these wicked parents if they ever dared to show their face at the hospital. Of course they rarely did, but I always wondered if I would have the courage to stand with Job who "was a father to the needy" and "broke the jaws of the wicked" (Job 29:16, 17). What Riley really needs is to redefine itself as a "Hit Zone" with posters that warn every man who beats a baby or "causes one of these little ones to stumble" that he will have his jaw broken in the atrium of the hospital, both to save his child and to begin the discipline that his own father neglected.

Dear "Curious",

I can see why you were confused. I wasn't very clear. Fear was meant to be a reference not to the children, but to the parents, who are afraid to discipline their children because they know they could have a family member, church member, neighbor, or stranger turn them in for "child abuse."

On the other hand, equating spanking with hitting is a big mistake. It is almost universally the case that those who oppose physical discipline make that mistake. It is begging the question because hitting doesn't imply anything except a physical act of violence. If you were to ask me whether I've ever hit my son, I would say no. I would not be lying, despite the fact that I've spanked him many times. If we allow hitting and spanking to be equated, then there truly is no difference between me and the bully on the playground who hits other kids.

It is very helpful to distinguish between hitting and spanking. It isn't a physical difference. The hand can be spanked, just like the bottom. Also, the hand can be hit, just like the bottom. It is a difference in motivation, intent, heart. It is similar to introducing Evander Holyfield to somebody who has never heard of him and saying that he is always going around punching people in the face as hard as he can. Is it true? Technically yes, but you would be lying. He is a boxer, not a face-puncher. I am a spanker, not a hitter. The difference is obvious.

-Joseph

First of all, discipline means "to teach". You are talking about punishment. Corporal punishment at that. It's best to be specfic in your terminology.

Secondly, to be offended by a public health education program  that is trying to reach the general public on the important issue of abuse is small-minded and vain. They aren't talking to christian circles.

Third, to base an entire parenting philosophy off five proverbs scriptures seems a bit lacking. Have you forgotten the fact that a child was also stoned to death in a public setting for disobeying his parents? Why are NT perspectives ignored? Surely Jesus Christ's example and teachings in the NT shed some light on violence of the weak.

Fourth, spanking goes against good science. There is a reason there are public health programs, books, counselors, pyschologists, etc that are all saying the same thing. Solid research has shown time and time again the numerous problems associated with spanking. As christians, we can embrace good science without letting go of God's word. They do not have to be mutally exclusive.

Fifth, Biblical spanking is a man-made concept. No where in the Bible does it talk about when to spank a child, what ages, with or without underwear or an object, etc.

Sixth, when parents start to spank, they lose creativity in other areas of punishment. How easy is it to hit your child when he/she doesn't do what you want?

I am a gentle christian parent and focus on leading my child by example, not controlling his behavior by fear and punishment. I chose to parent how Jesus would- I have boundaries, my child receives natural consequence, but I meet my child with understanding, love, patience, and mercy. I understand the importance of not expecting too much from children too early on (your example of a christian couple getting reported on for spanking their INFANT is ridiculous...do you know anything about the infant/toddler brain?), and the importance of patiently teaching rather than simply correcting and controlling by punishment, especially physical punishment.

I find that parents want to play God, rather than follow Jesus in this regard.

Dear Erin,

You claim to follow Jesus' example. How about this part of his example?

(John 2:13-16) 13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge [whip] of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

You claim spanking doesn't work, but the Bible says "strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol."

Which is it?

Those are very helpful points to remember about the "experts", Judy. Thank you for the reminder.

Why do we appeal to experts? Because we consider them authorities in their area of study and training. It is very telling that our culture is so willing to accept the authority of "expert" men over the authority of a living God who has spoken in his word.

-Joseph