The Bible and Corporal Punishment: The Wisdom of the Lord vs. Modern Research

Several passages in the Bible support corporal punishment of children, for example:

[Proverbs 23:13] Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
[14] Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Today there is a movement in the United States to end corporal punishment.  Instead of teaching children the virtue of discipline, corporal punishement teaches instead that might makes right and that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems and resolve disputes. It contributes to the making of a society predicated on violence.  Murray Straus, a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, has collected a lot of evidence demonstrating that corporal punishment contributes to the violence of society, rather than teaching children about discipline.

The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance have compiled a page about spanking as well, with arguments for and against. The "for" page demonstrates what an examination of this issue shows: the only proponents of corporal punishment in the United States are Christian groups citing Biblical backing of the practice.

Biblical literalists would claim that the Lord, in his perfect wisdom, recommends corporal punishment as the way to save your child's soul. Actual observation shows it makes children more violent and more rebellious. What do you think: should saving your child's soul mean making him or her more violent?

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