The Bible is Against Spanking Children

[Song]

I was spreading the good news, that everyone will go to Heaven through faith alone in Jesus Christ, when I came across a girl who loves the Lord and she said an offhand comment about her parents potentially wooping her because she called 911 when her mother left the stove on and almost burned the house down.

Not only was the child in the right to call 911, since the cookies they were baking came out half burnt when the mother came and it could have turned into a serious fire, but as well, The Lord is against violent punishment.

Wooping here could refer to a spanking, a beating, or anything else thats physically abusive. So, I said ?The Bible is against the corporeal punishment of children?.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

And further I said ?The Rod that the Bible talks about is the same rod that Shepards use to guide their sheep.? Shepards dont beat their sheep, thats animal abuse. Thus, parents must not beat their children, that is child abuse.

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/29-15.htm
A rod
שֵׁ֣בֶט (ḇeṭ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7626: Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribe

The Rod shows that a parent must always be there for their child, watching over them, instructing them righteousness.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

When a child is beaten, they become angry. Scientifically, physical hurting a child triggers intense stress hormones to be released in their brain which is the textbook definition of the emotion of anger.

The Bible says to not provoke children to anger. Do not scream at children, or aggressively yell at them. Instead, firmly and kindly say to them what is good, constantly. Discipline refers to giving a child rules to follow, telling them right from wrong, teaching them to be kind to others.

When you spank a child, you dont respect them as another human, another one of Gods creations and you insult the Lord.

As well, there are many psychological studies that show that spanking is not only an ineffective method of discipline, but in fact encourages children to become more violent. And the Lord hates violence!

1 Timothy 3:3 Not violent but gentle
Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways
Psalms 11:5 Those who love violence, he hates with a passion.
Proverbs 13:2 But the unfaithful have an appetite for violence
Proverbs 10:6-7 But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked
Proverbs 16:29 Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are obvious, outbursts of anger.
Proverbs 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence
Ezekiel 45:9 Thus says the Lord GOD: Put away violence.

An excellent thread on Tentmaker talks about this too.
https://tentmaker.org/forum/christian-life/prov-2313-14/msg203259/#msg203259

Another Christian article thats against the physical abuse of children.
https://www.thomashaller.com/PAbiblicalperspectivesonspanking.html

As well as some other scientific studies on the negatives of spanking of children.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/04/spanking

https://news.utexas.edu/2016/04/25/risks-of-harm-from-spanking-confirmed-by-researchers/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447048/

So, to continue with my Evangelism conversation, she replied Oh, they barely hit me, but even still, barely hitting someone hard is still hitting someone.

Matthew 18:6 - But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

This is also another reason why Sheol will not have a physical fire, but rather, a mental one. They will feel mental pain and guilt for their actions in contrast to Gods love. God does not repay evil with evil.

1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil
Romans 12:17-18 Recompense to no man evil for evil

It is a great evil that spanking children is still widespread, just as it is a great evil that the belief in Eternal Conscious Torment in Hell forever is still widespread. I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to write this, with a similar conviction that I felt when compelled to write about Universal Salvation.

So, to all parents, please love your children. Do not harden your hearts. Because God loves us as a parent loves their children and will save everyone through Christ. Amen.

[Song]

Here's some discussions I had showing that the Bible is against spanking, the physical abuse of children.

By the way, remember that girl I mentioned at the beginning of my story? The one who got "wooped" by her parents. Well she messaged me again and is talking more about it since I told her the Bible is completely against corporeal punishment.

The damage caused by spanking (aka physical abuse) takes years to undo. Talking to this girl, my heart aches for her suffering. Even to this day, she still remembers when she was "wooped" by her mother, and she talks to me about trauma.

Please know that by spanking your children you are traumatizing them my friend.

Psalm 107:43 Let the wise man lay these things to heart, and ponder the record of the Lord's enduring love.

Yes, and as a warning BNR32FAN, please do not try to spank your children when they get older. You may find that a court of law is not so kind when it comes reprimanding these incidents as I.

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures for ages.

I agree. Children know the difference between right and wrong. All of Adam's descendant's know this. (Adam meaning Man in Hebrew).

1 Corinthians 15:22: "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

However, I imagine you're above that age. You're brain is fully developed. Thus, the decision of whether you spank your children is entirely on you. My friend, I will say this gently, but, you are completely to blame for any physical and sexual abuse you have put on your kids.

Please do not push that blame on to your kids.

Christ forgives any and all wrongdoings my friend :)

John 12:47 Jesus "did not come to judge the world but to save the world."
1 John 2:2 Jesus "is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."

The human brain ordinarily does not finish development until well into the 20's
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Adolescent Maturity and the Brain: The Promise and Pitfalls of Neuroscience Research in Adolescent Health Policy
Longitudinal neuroimaging studies demonstrate that the adolescent brain continues to mature

As a reminder, here's just a few of the psychological studies that prove that spanking children is physical abuse. There are many more as well

Yes, I have read the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. All of Christ's Parables are meant to explain spiritual concepts they are not meant to be taken literally. It's a metaphor of the Jewish people and the Gentiles.

Ephesians 1:10 As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

1 Corinthians 15:22-28 All will be made alive in Christ, but each in his own turn and ultimately Christ will subdue all his enemies, eliminate death and God will be all in all.

Hmm... well, the fact they they've calmed down after you hug them and calmly explain to them shows that its that conversation that has calmed them down, not the spanking.

You can just... hug and calmly explain to your child. This is what the Bible approves.

Corinthians 16:14: Do everything in love.

You and I can both agree on that at least friend.

Kindly, you should not smack children on the butt, because that is sexual abuse too alongside physical abuse. Again, I say this with kindness, but the truth is that a human's buttocks is a sexual zone. This is why exposure of the buttocks in movies is considered nudity and why the baring of buttocks is unlawful.

Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children By Tom Johnson

Though, it is good that you have stopped spanking her. In the case of a very young child attacking, like biting or pulling the hair, of course, you can defend yourself and others reasonably. But, purposely going for the buttocks is unreasonable. There's ways to calm a child down besides spanking.

Ephesians 6:12 ESV For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We are not to wrestle against flesh, we are not to hurt the flesh of a child. We must take away the spiritual forces of evil, by teaching a child love, mentally help them, not physically hurting them my friend :)

The Bible says "Have faith alone in Christ to be saved" and you ask "Uhuh and what do you do when that doesn?t work?"

What the Bible says works, and the Bible says to love your children. The Bible says to not physically abuse your children, to not spank your child, to not beat your kids.

John 15:12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you

[Song]

Just right now, she sent me a message that says ?oh ya all lack parents woop their children idk what white parent woops?

So I replied with the following:

Ah, I?ve seen parents from many cultures woop their kids. Black, White, Asian, etc. No matter what race does it, it?s always wrong.

John 15:12: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

My friend, I say this because I care for you. The truth is that the Bible is completely against corporeal punishment. Full stop. Beating kids is a sin, the Lord hates violence.

Ezekiel 45:9 Thus says the Lord GOD: Put away violence.

Proverbs 16:29 Violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path
Spanking children is physical abuse. It?s evil. If it?s on the but, it?s sexual abuse too.
When you said ?it barely hurt?, I could feel my heart break :( If it ?barely hurt? that means it still hurt.

[Song]

In the Bible, rod in Hebrew (shebet) means staff and scepter. A staff a Shepard uses to guide Sheep, not hit them. A scepter is used for pointing and walking, not attacking.

Judges 5:14 Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.

Thus, rod means instruction, teaching, accountability. This means loving them, giving them examples of right and wrong, and forgiveness, just as Christ does to us, His children.

Beating a kid is always evil, it provokes a child to anger, which the Lord is against.

Ephesians 6:4. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Whooping, spanking, it?s all physical violence, whether a lot or a little.

[Song]

Here?s my responses during a conversation I had with The Righterzpen from ChristianForums, where both of us are against the spanking of children.

Hi my friend :wave:

Thank you for helping me in this thread. I really appreciate your assistance. :D It helps to know that I'm not the only one who is against spanking children.

God is Against Spanking Children (aka Child Abuse)

I was planning on replying, however a moderator has now locked the thread. So that's why I'm messaging you instead.

Please have a very good day today. I pray the Holy Ghost blesses you and your whole family :D


Thank you for this useful information, I appreciate the deep dive into the topic, I find it very interesting.

The Righterzpen But one indicator is the use of military sanctioned corporal punishment against your own soldiers; tends to produce units that commit war crimes The Righterzpen

Considering the amount of Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine (kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, genocide, just to name a few) I wouldn't be surprised if corporeal punishment is a big aspect of the training regiments in Russia.

The Righterzpen Or at least that outcome is of a higher likelihood; because soldiers tend not to act rationally when they don't feel safe within their own military. The Righterzpen

There have been many deserters from the Russian military. So much so that they've had to set up a second front of soldiers just to shoot the ones that desert. Couple that with the fact that they aren't given bullet resistant helmets, not enough cloths and a lack of food, and I can see that as a factor that extrapolates their craziness.

The Righterzpen Now not that abusive past predicts violent behavior; (We are all accountable to God for our own actions.) but it is a risk factor. The Righterzpen

Yes. While those who have been abused in the past are more likely to abuse others in the future, it's really just a likelihood. There's no guaranteed chance. I think saying there's a guaranteed chance does a huge disservice to all of the people who did have abusive childhoods, but did not become abusive themselves. While at the same time, in some cases, it's clear that if parents were to be nicer to their child, that they might have been able to tone down their child's behavior at least somewhat.

The Righterzpen Amygdala in the brain and the "short circuiting" of access to higher logic functions because violence creates an emotional response. The Righterzpen
Yes. Psychologically, the human brain doesn't finish development until the age of mid 20s on average. So if anyone were to have a traumatic event at that age or lower, then it can have a lasting impact on the way their brain functions moving forward. Biologically, they've done scans on people and some people just have different brain chemistry than others, which inhibits certain brain activities.

The Righterzpen This was noted particularly among the Japanese army in WWII. Captive Japanese prisoners in American custody, got along better with their captors than they got along with each other. The Righterzpen
That makes sense. The Japanese during WW2 were extremely brutal. Even the Nazis, who were already evil as is, would be downright shocked by the torture methods created by the Japanese in their prisoner camps. So, I can see other Japanese soldiers being afraid of their own military comrades for that reason.

The child gains a faulty sense of control by blaming themselves for the abuse because they tell themselves if they just "behave right" it will stop.


Yes, the child, even though they are the victim in this situation, ends up putting the blame on themselves, when the blame should go towards the person perpetrating the abuse instead.

The Righterzpen  I'd call it "Stockholm syndrome The Righterzpen
It's unfortunate. There's a person I was talking to recently who was physically beaten as a child. I told them that the Bible is against corporeal punishment, yet, this person started defending it? Which is strange because they would talk about trauma. Even though they were abused by it. They call it a "rite of passage" and falsely believe that they have to experience this physical pain in order to transition from a child to a mature adult. They even praise it for bringing together their community. So, of course, I have to rebuke them for wanting to physically hurt children in this way, but at the same time, have to be nice and kind to them because they also suffered this same abuse.

I think the abused end up making these connections with the abusers because, a lot of the times, the abusers can be the only people the abused have to talk to. Humans have a natural social desire to communicate with other humans. It's why God created Adam and then created Eve to serve as his companion, saying that it was not good if Adam was alone.

Genesis 2:18 18 Then the Lord God said, ?It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.

The Righterzpen But techniques such as ignoring the kid, or locking them in their room etc. has other negative effects. Thus kids (especially as they get older) become "hardened" and thus they no longer listen to their parents. The Righterzpen
This is true. I am against physical abuse of children. But I am also against the mental abuse of children. In some extreme cases, ignoring a child for a long enough period of time can constitute a criminal case for neglect. I guess you can say that the child's heart ends up becoming hardened, and they push away any advice from any caretakers that may help them in the future.


Matthew 13:15
For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,

The Righterzpen  (As I'm sure you noted how responders to your thread got mad at me when I pointed this out. Their methods were not working for them!) The Righterzpen
This is a very good point you make. I remember noticing how you would compare the end result of your child rearing technique to that of the pro-spanking crowd and how you had a more obedient child.

With physical punishment, it's very easy to keep escalating it into more and dangerous physical abuse. Maybe at first they only abuse the child with their hand, but then the child no longer listens, so they use more harmful tools. At this point, it goes into the territory of even breaching government laws and risking some serious jail time for the abusers. It's a slippery slope, one that can be avoided by not doing it at all.

The Righterzpen And though yes, I believe people should be taught how to defend themselves. The Righterzpen
I think it's important that every human at least take some basic self defense classes. What to do in case the attacker has a firearm, or a knife, and how to knock the weapon out of their hand.

The Righterzpen gun rights. The Righterzpen
I believe that, in this day and age, every household should have at least one firearm in their possession. Doesn't have to be big even, sometimes just a pistol's enough as long as you've got the proper hand eye coordination. A big reason for this is, a lot of times, whenever someone's coming at you, if they have a gun and you don't, well you're screwed. Gun on gun evens the playing field. Of course, it should be properly stored and kept somewhere extremely safe. Don't want any robbers or burglars using your own guns against you.

It's the same thing when swords were first invented. Well, if some guy's running at you with a sword and you've got your bare first, odds are, unless you've got some training, you're getting stabbed.


The Righterzpen capital punishment of people who commit crimes worthy of death The Righterzpen

Just an example I saw on the news today, but Brittney Griner, a basketball player, was swapped for Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer who's fueled conflicts all over the world. I personally believe that this decision was absolutely horrible. Even the US Department of Justice is calling this a bad move.

But if they had done capital punishment on him, he wouldn't be free now. Sure, that's a lost bargaining chip, but it's difficult to imagine how valuable someone would need to be to warranting releasing such a dangerous criminal back into the public again.

The Righterzpen Because yes, it is a certain reality to contend with that we live in a violent world! The Righterzpen

This is very true. I've talked to people that have this idea that, just because we live in a democratic country means that everything's peaceful and happy, which wouldn't be further from the truth. I think, as long as human existence continues and sin is still around, this will always be a violent world. Makes me look forward to when all people will become believers in Christ and have all of their sins, the sins of the whole world, completely washed away. Only then will there be peace.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.

[Song]

The gospel, the good news, is this. Believe in Jesus Christ with faith alone and be saved. Thus everyone will eventually believe in Christ Jesus and be saved. This is true.

Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."



This week I was talking to a person who talked about the indigenous people who suffered under the residential schools installed by the Catholic Church. In these residential schools, the children were physically abused, which is evil. The Lord is against violence! And God commands us to protect children. We must not physically harm children! In these residential schools, the children were heavily beaten, which demonstrates the evilness that is corporeal punishment. You?ve seen from the past posts on this website that I am against any sort of physical abuse directed towards children. Spanking children is evil, hitting kids with a rod is evil, it doesn?t matter how much force you apply or what tool you use, all physical abuse that you put towards children is evil!

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.



We must bring up our children out of love, not hate. Hitting a child biologically brings about the emotion of anger, which the Lord God commands us not to do! The first most important commandment, as Christ says, is to love one another, this is the greatest commandment out of them all. We must love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Hitting a child is not love, it?s evil, it?s hate, it?s abuse! When you discipline a child, we do it mentally to them, give them examples on what?s good what?s evil, you don?t hit them!

Psalm 11:5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.



It?s a great shame that all of this evil was done under the name of ?Christianity?, because Christ is completely against all of this evil! Another attempt by Satan to disguise himself as an angel of light, and to try to make the Gospel be less appealing to people. There?s a lot of people who talk about great sins done under the name ?Christian? in the past as the reason why they don?t want to be Christian, and it?s a great shame indeed. One recent example is Vladmir Putin, who goes under the title of a ?Christian? by being pictured in services at a Russian Orthodox Church and is best friends with their church head, yet does all sorts of evil war crimes by invading Ukraine. The mass kidnapping of children, the mass torture of civilians, destruction and chaos.

Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,

Isaiah 60:18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.



When we try to convert people to Christianity, God instructs us to do it with kindness and gentleness. We must present the Gospel in a way that does good, so the good news is seen in a favourable light.

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.