Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Christians okay with Spartacus approach to disciplining kids

It is not clear where spanking would fit in the Beatitudes of their leader, but Christians from the right say physical punishment of children is okay.
In fact, as is often the case, these Christians rely on the Old Testament for their guidance on moral issues. Even Pontius Pilate was loath to rely on that code.
The Daily Beast points out that the U.S. and Somalia are the only countries not to sign a U.N. convention on the rights of children. 
In a column published by Time, Dr. Jared Pingleton, a clinical psychologist who works for Focus on the Family’s counseling department, states that spanking, a physical punishment, is an effective way to modify behavior and is acceptable if the parent does not lose control.
At no point in the column does Pingleton discuss whether different rules would apply to a professional athlete, who perhaps is many times more powerful than the average adult, and may be under the influence of steroids. 
What about a boxer? 
Under the law, they can be held to a higher standard in assault cases than the average Joe the Plumber. 
Should running backs, boxers, or perhaps a special forces soldier, be allowed to administer punishment, often in privacy with no one to intervene on behalf of the child? 
The Army doesn’t take kindly to its soldiers using the training they provided to injure ordinary people.
Charles Barkley has defended Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who used a switch to inflict injuries that some believe are more consistent with giving Spartacus lashes than dealing with a child. 
Barkley admitted that things may have changed since he was brought up in the South, and perhaps need to be re-evaluated.Some in the media have repeatedly referred to Ray Rice punching his wife as“cold cocking” or “sucker punching.” This as if it would have been okay if he had told his wife he was going to deck her. Of course she probably well knew what would happen when she spit in his face, but that also does not make it right.
Was it partly the child's fault for not crying, as the New Yorker has suggested Peterson was arguing in an interview. If the kid cried then Peterson would have known he was going too far. 
Apparently the support of Christians isn't enough these days. With the NFL under the threat of losing major advertisers, the Vikings changed their minds Wednesday and decided Peterson cannot be part of the team until the charges he faces are resolved.

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