We tell you, in the name of God
That when you choose to spare the rod
You spoil the child.
The holy word, from God above,
Is “use a stick to show your love”
So just go wild.
A God who drowned the Earth in flood
Won’t mind if you should draw some blood
It’s fair and just.
So beat your child! Start today!
The bible doesn’t say you may
It says you must!
So if they fight (as children will)
Just beat them with a cane until
They get along
And if a kid should end up dead,
You followed what the bible said
And can’t be wrong.
From CNN, Anderson Cooper reports on parents who follow the book “To train up a child”, which advocates regular and severe punishment–beatings with a rod–for young children (video at link).
Someone linked to this video on Pharyngula. I just wanted to repost my comments from over there. Absolutely monstrous.
That video was truly heartbreaking. Fundie horror stories don’t usually shock me anymore, but this is a new high in low. Thanks for posting. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There are many reasons why I am not religious, but shit like this is why I couldn’t be religious if I tried.
Another unbelievable, heartbreaking, infuriating, crazy example of Christian “love.”
I followed the link and watched the video. The idiot who wrote the book instructing godly parents to beat their children said the stupidest piece of logic I’ve heard in a long time:
An adult commits premeditated violence on a defenseless child to teach the child a lesson about spontaneously striking another child.
Oh yeah, wonderful logic. I suspect the only lesson taught here is its normal for adults to hit children so the child grows up to do violence against their own children.
Sometimes I wish there were a hell so people who mistreat those they should be protecting; the young, the elderly and the handicapped, get a taste of their own actions.
I have two sisters. One is a fundie, one was on that route, but changed midstream. The second was once about to hit her child with a “rod” (which he had to fetch himself). I stopped her saying that this was abusive, inhumane and demeaning to a child. She tried telling me that the bible said to do this–using a rod was appropriate because the hands should be used for love. I told her she was crazy.
During this entire encounter, I was shaking and quite upset. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
As far as I know she never did it again. By the way, I’m the oldest of us three and didn’t have my child until after my sisters had theirs (this incident occured long before mine was born). I learned a lot of what not do from them.
Lynn–I’m glad you were there for your nephew!
I recall (whether accurately or not, I cannot say) the former governor of a nearby state offering an amicus brief in a child abuse case, and making the same argument. His argument was that this abuse should be allowed because it was the parents’ first amendment right.
I’m glad I was too.
My Father used a belt on me when I was young. He split the leather down the middle.
I can’t bear to see anyone do something like that to a child. I once tried to stop someone hitting their child in my neighborhood. I don’t know if it made a difference, but I did call the police. Don’t know if they did anything.
I have no patience with such people. To prison with them, and let them out when they’re too old to do this any more.