Ray Comfort Defends The Biblical Use Of Spanking

[debrand]

I read recently where mother from Texas was sentenced to probation, and lost custody of her children--for spanking her daughter! "Rosalina Gonzales of Corpus Christi pleaded guilty on Wednesday to injury to a child for swatting the two-year-old on her buttocks."

More than 53 million babies have been murdered in America through abortion, and the law says that's okay. No crime has been committed. But a judge makes a criminal out of a mother who disciples her child, and then he takes her children from her, leaving them without a mother.

Judge Jose Longoria said, "In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don't spank children." What planet does this judge live on? In days of old we didn't have kids who murdered their parents, shot their schoolmates, lied daily, stole whatever they wanted, blasphemed as a normal part of conversation, or killed themselves with drugs and alcohol.

How is a parent supposed to discipline a child? Andy Griffith used the woodshed. But that was in the days of old, when Americans didn't even need to lock their doors. Nowadays we do. Today our prisons are full of people who weren't given proper boundaries at home, and now they have immovable boundaries given to them by the government.

In Psalm 1, Scripture gives us a clear picture of what a godly person should be, as well as the reward of this godliness.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper" (vv. 1–3).

Let's meditate on these verses to truly understand their meaning and consider how they apply to parenting.

God says that you are blessed (highly favored) if you don't listen to the world's advice. If you are tempted to heed the "counsel of the ungodly," consider that the world’s "ex¬perts" believe mankind evolved from monkeys. A little thought on our part should help us see why it's wise not to listen to their ramblings, but rather listen to what the Creator has to say.

The fruit of the world's godless advice is seen in the headlines of the daily news. Their counsel may sound right, but so often it proves to be wrong. For example, the world says that if you love your children, you will never physically discipline them. It says to seek alternatives rather than inflicting physical pain.

In the Book of Proverbs, written by the wisest man who ever lived, God's Word gives the following counsel:

"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him." (Proverbs 22:15)

"The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." (Proverbs 29:15)

It's commonly said that he who spares the rod spoils the child, but God's Word actually puts it more strongly:

"He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly." (Proverbs 13:24, emphasis added)

So there's your choice: listen to what seems right, or do what God says is right.

As parents, we should always do what the Word of God says to do, and often that's not easy. Applying the rod of correction (often called "the board of education") to "the seat of learning" takes resolution, as well as courage. But love will do it. The Bible says that in doing so you will save your children from hell (see Proverbs 23:13,14), and what parents want their children to go to end up in hell?

We should value the eternal welfare of our children, rather than our own temporal anxiety when it comes to applying discipline.

The contrast between God's ways and the world's ways were clearly demonstrated in an incident that occurred when our eldest son, Jacob, was six years old. We had a neighbor who would never even think of physically disciplining her six-year-old. When he refused to go to school, she would simply bribe him with candy.

One day Jacob said a word to his mother that he wasn't supposed to say. I sent him to his room, and then followed him a moment later. I asked him if he knew that what he said was wrong. He admitted that he did. I then told him to bend over his bed, and resolutely gave him a swift swat across his rear with a small stick. He burst into tears. I went to get him a tissue, then left him for ten minutes.

When I returned, I knelt down in front of him and we hugged. I then looked him in the eyes and said, "I want you to pray and ask God to forgive you, then go out to your mother and tell her that you are sorry." He did just that.

A few minutes later I was helping Sue dry the dishes while Jacob sat at the table, thoughtfully holding a pencil and paper. Suddenly I felt a tug on my shirt. It was Jacob. He reached up and handed me a note. It read: "I love my dad."

This made no sense to me. I had just caused him physical pain, yet even as a six-year-old he could discern that my motive was love.

In contrast, the neighbor's six-year-old would point a toy gun at his mother and say, "I hate you, I hate you. I'm going to kill you!" Of course, he wasn't disciplined for that either.

Tragically, the world refuses to use the rod of correction to drive "foolishness" from the hearts of their children. The foolishness therefore remains in their hearts as they grow (atheism is a case in point), and many children bring their parents nothing but grief by ending up pregnant, in prison, with drug or alcohol problems, or with broken marriages.

[Guest Anonymous]

[Koala]

Andy "Taylor" was a fictional dad. As in he was on tv...it wasn't a reality show.

Some children are well behaved and some are not. It DOES NOT take spanking to have a well behaved child. I never once spanked my children and they are some of the nicest, most well behaved people I know.

Spanking never = love, and love never = spanking.

[Koala]

This. She hit her so hard that she left red marks all over her bottom. The grandmother found them and was concerned enough to take her to the hospital. <---- the world should have more people willing to speak up for kids like that lady did.

And let's not forget that the "child" was only 2....a baby really. This is a case where a piece of shit mother lost her kid...maybe that will send a message to all the fundies out there with a swift hand.

[Fat Actress]

Ugh!!!!! I'm so sick of this idea that not spanking = permissive parenting. There are other ways to discipline and teach a child other than spanking! There is a middle ground between Hitting a child and bribing them with candy. Ugh!

And for what it's worth, I highly doubt his son was convinced of his father's love after that spanking. It sounds to me like he was doubting his father's love and trying to win his affection back. That is exactly how I responded to physical discipline. I felt so unsure of my parents affection and my own safetly that I would do anything to get some sort of affirmation.

[debrand]

I pointed out on his blog that Ray left out a few facts about Rosalina's discipline methods.

http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2011 ... -container

[dcmhejbl62]

"Today our prisons are full of people who weren't given proper boundaries at home, and now they have immovable boundaries given to them by the government."

Arghh. How does he know that's why all those people are in prison???

[Koala]

They are taking him to task in comments!

[ladypuglover]

Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility (CTCF) is the department’s oldest facility, originally constructed in 1871. That is 4 years before Colorado became a state. Bet you 10 to 1 that almost all of those prisoners got spankings as children.

Eastern State Penitentiary, the oldest prison in the United States, designed in 1821 by John Haviland -- was the first prison in the country, Philadelphia is "the cradle of the penal system." And does anyone think that these prisoners were not spanked?

And

oxford castle - uk - 1072 until 1996 is listed as the oldest prison in the world. So for over a thousand years no one was spanked in the UK? Doubtful.

[Sola]

Because lately Ray doesn't approve half of my comments on Atheist Central, I've copied it here for you.

"Well Ray, is this the sign of things to come with you? I predict that you will become more conservative, more fundamentalist and more intolerant now that you are in with Bill Gothard.

I also predict within the next few weeks you will make a post about how a wife must submit to her husband, how women must not speak in church, how daughters must not attend university and how they must stay home as stay at home daughters until they wed (a groom of your approval).

Turning even more people away from Christianity Ray? Ur doin' it rite."

[luckylibrarian]

Judge Jose Longoria said, "In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don't spank children." What planet does this judge live on? In days of old we didn't have kids who murdered their parents, shot their schoolmates, lied daily, stole whatever they wanted, blasphemed as a normal part of conversation, or killed themselves with drugs and alcohol.

Um...really? Off the top of my head:

Murdered parents - Lizzie Borden

Shot their schoolmates - Leopold and Loeb (didn't shoot, but brutally murdered a young boy.)

Lie, stole, blasphemed - every kid everywhere!

Killed themselves with drugs and alcohol - Elvis, Ernest Hemingway

[slickcat79]

Um...really? Off the top of my head:

Murdered parents - Lizzie Borden

Shot their schoolmates - Leopold and Loeb (didn't shoot, but brutally murdered a young boy.)

Lie, stole, blasphemed - every kid everywhere!

Killed themselves with drugs and alcohol - Elvis, Ernest Hemingway

Um, yeah, this. What planet do Ray Comfort and his fundie ilk live on? I don't know what these "days of old" he's referring to are, but they're a few steps removed from reality.

[formergothardite]

His one reply made absolutely no sense. I think he really is living on another planet in his mind.

[lilwriter85]

Um...really? Off the top of my head:

Murdered parents - Lizzie Borden

Shot their schoolmates - Leopold and Loeb (didn't shoot, but brutally murdered a young boy.)

Lie, stole, blasphemed - every kid everywhere!

Killed themselves with drugs and alcohol - Elvis, Ernest Hemingway

Those are good examples and they are more. Ray Comfort and others need to do some more reading about the crimes of the old days.

[thoughtful]

Atheism is not foolishness, and correlation (which you haven't even proven, since kids have always brought their parents grief) does not equal causation.

Oh, and I suspect that your child was reverting to an appeasement behavior because you treated him like dirt. Children and animals do that often, as well as shutting down and learning helplessness. It leads their parents/owners to think they are "loving, respectful and well-behaved."

Other than that, Ray, great job! :roll:

[Guest Anonymous]

Um...really? Off the top of my head:

Murdered parents - Lizzie Borden

Shot their schoolmates - Leopold and Loeb (didn't shoot, but brutally murdered a young boy.)

Lie, stole, blasphemed - every kid everywhere!

Killed themselves with drugs and alcohol - Elvis, Ernest Hemingway

Also: Murdered and mutilated random prostitues-Jack the Ripper

Invaded nurses' dormitory and murdered students-Richard Speck

Robbed banks, murdered bystanders and bank guards-Bonnie

and Clyde, Jesse James, John Dillinger

Murdered spouse-Dr. Crippen

Preyed on and murdered lonesome singles-The Lonelyhearts Killers

Murdered parents, went on killing spree-Charles Starkweather,

Carol Ann Fugate