I have to be honest, this isn\u2019t an easy topic to discuss. Parenting is highly individualized and each child is unique. The type of discipline one child responds to may not be the type of discipline that another child or even a sibling responds to. To assign one major discipline technique and use it in a cookie cutter approach to discipline and behavior modification is at least dangerous if not abusive. The idea behind discipline is to modify behavior and to teach\/mold\/shape a child. To that end discipline methods should be carefully chosen and implemented based on the child’s personality and needs.<\/p>\n
This topic could essentially go in many different directions. Talking about spanking could lead to parenting styles (i.e., Baby Training vs. Attachment Parenting), child personality development, conduct disorders, and so forth. The main goal of this section, however, is to discuss the idea of spanking and the dangerous manner in which the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination teaches and promotes it.<\/p>\n
Now before I get started let me set the record straight on how I feel about spanking:<\/p>\n
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Spanking, if done at all, should only be used as a last resort.<\/p>\n
My focus here is on the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination\u2019s mentality regarding spanking and the manipulation of scripture they used to justify it. I will also be talking about the abusive manner in which the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination promotes spanking and the parents who blindly follow the instruction without regard to child differences, parenting style or any other unique facet of parenting and child growth and development.<\/p>\n
I did a meta-analysis in my Masters Program on spanking and the empirical evidence both against and for<\/strong> spanking is inconclusive at best. I have made the Introduction section of my paper available online. If you would like to read it Click Here<\/a> to open it in a new window. It is in .pdf format.<\/p>\n One of the things that makes me so angry about this issue is the blatant misuse and misinterpretation of the scripture used to support spanking. The reason for this misinterpretation is due to the use of the King James Version. You can read more about KJV Onlyism by Clicking Here<\/a>. The focus of the controversy regarding this topic is with the word that had been translated as “rod”. As I researched scripture and sought guidance on the original language I don’t think there is any question as to the proper translation of this word. Almost everyone agrees that the “rod” connotes some type of physical or corporal punishment.<\/p>\n But is that were we should stop when interpreting scripture? Absolutely NOT!!! When a group makes a literal interpretation of a verse or a group of verses and neglects to consider them within the contextual theme of the passage, chapter or book, misinterpretations abound. The Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination has made such an error. Taken literally, the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination promotes the idea of physical punishment as the best means of child discipline. If you read the context surrounding the major verses used to promote spanking, you can see that there is a different theme to the passage than one of corporal punishment. Furthermore, anyone who has even the least amount of training in child behavior or child development knows that corporal punishment is not only the least effective way to discipline, but also carries with it the risk of backfiring and the risk of abuse.<\/p>\n With that in mind let me go over a few of the verses that the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination uses to support their promotion of corporal punishment. There are actually many verses in the KJV Bible (I’m referencing the KJV since it is the version that the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination use) that use the word “rod”, and there are several uses for that word. The word “rod” can be used for:<\/p>\n It’s important to distinguish, here, the verses that the Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination uses to promote Corporal Punishment. Every time I’ve heard an Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination church teach on spanking or defend it’s practice they will use a combination of several verses in Proverbs. They are:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now at first glance it would very much seem that those verses are promoting spanking. The problem is, however, those verses are almost always taken out of context. To understand the context of Proverbs, it’s important to look at the theme of Proverbs.<\/p>\n Sidebar:<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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\nI very much dislike the word “beat” used in the KJV in these passages. We all hopefully know that it’s NEVER right to beat a child. Unfortunately there are Independent Fundamental Baptist Denomination church that take a literal interpretation too far here and teach its congregation that God is instructing parents to actually beat their children into submission and obedience.<\/p>\n\n
Example:<\/p>\n
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\nCiting Proverbs 20:30<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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