Understanding the conservative religious mindset.

This link is a sub-link from one appearing on the topic page “Would Jesus spank a child?”.  I know many who are from outside the U.S. find it strange that parents here, even to this day, spank their children on the bare behind.  The page above is from a church in La Vista, Nebraska, which is known to be a conservative enclave.  It actually states that it is best if you spank an older child on the bare behind.   So one can imagine if that is still preached today, it was even more so back in the “good old days.”

5.         Start now
a.         A well trained child will not need much discipline later in life. The pattern will already have been set.
b.         Prov. 19:18 – Chasten (literally blows) while there is hope of turning your child from destruction. Stopping means you have given up hope.
c.         But it is never too late to start, but you will have to make up for lost time.
(1)       It is like compound interest. A little training at the beginning will reap large rewards later.
(2)       Start later and you will have to put more effort in to gain the same amount.
(3)       John Rosemond, “The longer these parents wait to take charge of a problem, the farther upstream they will have to swim and, therefore, the less likely it is they will ever fully realize their goals.”
d.         Children never outgrow their bad behavior. Prov. 22:15
C.        How to punish
1.         Prov. 29:15 – Two aspects: physical punishment and verbal reproof.
a.         First, explain to the child what they did wrong and why they are being punished.
b.         Then apply the rod.
2.         Prov. 23:13-14 – The use of a switch will not cause permanent injury
3.         Prov. 20:30 – It may leave bruises or welts, but they will heal (physically and spiritually)
4.         The punishment should be enough that the child does not want a repeat

a.         For a young child, a single swat on the back of the hand may be enough. The startlement alone is often sufficient punishment.
b.

Older children will need it on their bare bottom. Usually 6 to 8 slow, measured lickings.

c.         If the child repeats the infraction, repeat the punishment.

(1)       Sometimes it will be a test of wills

(2)       Just remember that if the child wins, he will think he can outlast others, possibly even God. Don’t encourage stubbornness in a child.

5.         The punishment is between you and the child.
a.         Take him off to the side where friends or siblings can’t gloat over his punishment.
b.         Never let another child punish for you.
6.         The punishment must be timely
a.         A two-year-old will not associate a punishment “when Daddy gets home” with a misdeed that morning.
b.         Don’t forego punishment because it is not a convenient time, such as at a store or restaurant. You will teach them to wait until there is an audience to defy you.
V.        Parents are commanded to raise their children properly – Eph. 6:4

On this same website, they post a letter from a person who said they felt spanking is abuse and cited their example they suffered.  The response was “Just because someone abused his pet, it doesn’t become proof that pet ownership is wrong. Just because a government somewhere abuses prisoners in its jails, it doesn’t prove that prisons are wrong.”

Sounds so typical of what I heard in my youth.  Notice they even said “slow, measured” swats, except I wished mine had been 6 or 8.

On another page the question asked is how many swats.  It states that just a few are needed for a small child, but an older one may need more, but never go over 40.

Welcome to 2019.