that´s the point, the sin of rebellion and the struggle with it, you´re really a wise man and you know me very good, leaded by the holy spirit in you.

you´re so right! When I was young, I discovered my own will and I tried all to get my own will. I remember a short time of rebellion without limits in me. But my mom and dad recoginized their responsability soon. They spanked my bare butt soundly, it was a hard and relatively short struggle, During the spankings I often felt, it would be better to me to die than to submit in my rebellion, but it hurts so much when you´re spanked properly, you´re so exhausted from crying, when spanked long enough and then there´s the moment of brokenness and relief, that you feel submitting is better than to die. The spankings humbled me, the baring was an humiliating aspect of the chastisement, but it showed me unmistakebly how commited and helpless I was and that I could never win this battle. Daddy was in charge and I had to comply. That was the point. When I was 6 and went to school, I was a good and obedient boy. The spankings, I´ve got changed my life forever. Sometimes when I´m dreaming, I try to rebell against someone, even I don´t know why, I try to cry out, but in the same moment I´m breaking down, helpless with a frog in the throat. The fight of the wills between me and my parents is an experience that I will never forget in my life, the painful spankings and the changing of my mind are present every day. I´m so greateful to my parents that they accomplished God´s will.

I would be glad to hear from you.

Yours truly

Dieter

As to the relationship between striking the bottom and stimulating sexual feelings, God knows more about the human anatomy than we do. Any talk about spanking unintentionally leading to sexual arousement says much more about our depraved, sex-crazed society than it does about God and His written word. In the end, if you want to give more credence to the stated positions of Dr. Phil or Supernanny than God, that’s your right. But years ago Tonya and I made the parental decision that we were going to believe the Bible and build our parenting around it.

Ryan is 12 now and Royce is 9, and we are greatly pleased with the results we’ve seen across the board. No, our boys aren’t perfect, but the behavior they exhibit definitely falls in the high range on where we’d like to see it at this level. Putting it simply, God’s way has worked for us. That is undeniable. And that’s why I can speak with the benefit of experience when I recommend it to anyone who wants genuine truth.

For that matter, 2 Timothy 3:16 does say: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” That word “All” includes more than John 3:16. It also includes those verses from Proverbs.

As for the question of “spirit of the law or letter of the law?”, Proverbs is not a “law” book. The “letter” of the Old Testament law is recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Proverbs, on the other hand, is a “wisdom” book that offers general wisdom for living. There’s nothing “law” about it.

As your selected quote points out, the Bible is a big, complex book that can be mishandled to teach many things. That’s why we must consider the totality of the book whenever we are trying to get at the truth of a subject. For example, passages in which Old Testament characters such as Jacob, David, and Solomon became polygamists must be interpreted through the light of ones such as Genesis 2:21-25, Matthew 19:1-9, 1 Timothy 3:2, and Titus 1:6, which plainly teach that polygamy is wrong. But there is no passage, Old Testament or New Testament, that contradicts the Proverbs passages on spanking.

Ephesians 6:1-4 and Colossians 3:20-21 command children to “obey” and “honor” their parents. Those passages also instruct fathers not to provoke their children to wrath. But none of that speaks directly to spanking. The end of the Ephesians passage commands fathers to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (N.K.J.V.) Again, though, there’s nothing there to rule out spanking.

On the other hand, Hebrews 12:6 walks hand in hand with the Proverbs passages. It says: “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” The Greek word translated there as “scourges” is “mastigoo” and it is the exact same word used to describe the whipping that Jesus took from the Romans just before His crucifixion. Obviously, I’m not saying that children should be whipped with a Roman “cat of nine tails” whip. I’m simply pointing out that Hebrews 12:6 does say that God “whips” (spanks) each of His children. Therefore, when someone says that Jesus would never hit (spank) a child, my response is that Hebrews 12:6 indicates otherwise. The Lord does it every day with “scourges” (whips) that we can’t see.

From what I can tell, this whole issue strikes a chord with you. So let me be clear that I am not a Bible-thumping, backward, caveman with knuckles that drag the ground. I am a college graduate who is currently raising two typical boys. I don’t keep them locked in the basement or chained up in a closet. I don’t hit them with two-by-fours while drunkenly spouting off verses from Proverbs. There’s nothing scandalous or “Livetime Movie Network” about us.

Still, I’m not just boasting when I say that others will agree that my boys are good kids. They are well-behaved and respectful. They do well in all areas, including social settings and sports. But they do know what it is to be acceptably spanked by a loving father. The great thing is, as they have gotten older, the need for spankings has decreased. You see, the Biblical foundation of discipline (spanking) was laid and now we are enjoying the blessings of being able to build a great life off that basic foundation.

The boys certainly aren’t emotionally or physically scarred for life. To the contrary, they now understand important concepts such as authority, submission, acceptable behavior, punishment for unacceptable behavior, and discipline. All of that will give them an ideal opportunity to live lives of decency and morality and become highly productive people.

For one thing, because the buttocks are so close to the genitals and so multiply linked to sexual nerve centers, slapping them can trigger powerful and involuntary sexual stimulation in some people. There are numerous physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won’t list them all here. One can use the resources I’ve posted if they want to learn more.

Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:

Child buttock-battering (euphemistically labeled “spanking”,”swatting”,”switching”,”smacking”, “paddling”,or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.

Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.

I think the reason why television shows like “Supernanny” and “Dr. Phil” are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.

There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:

Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,

The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,

NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.

Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at http://www.nospank.net.

Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn’t a good idea:

American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches’ Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus’ Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The much-touted ‘biblical argument’ in support of corporal punishment is founded upon proof-texting a few isolated passages from Proverbs. Using the same method of selective scripture reading, one could also cite the Bible as an authority for the practice of slavery, adultery, polygamy, incest, suppression of women, executing people who eat pork, and infanticide. The brutal and vindictive practice of corporal punishment cannot be reconciled with the major New Testament themes that teach love and forgiveness and a respect for the sacredness and dignity of children, and which overwhelmingly reject violence and retribution as a means of solving human problems. Would Jesus ever hit a child? NEVER!”
The Rev. Thomas E. Sagendorf, United Methodist Clergy (Retired), Hamilton, Indiana, 2006.