Re: Is Spanking Biblical?
I believe that we are living under the New Covenant not the Old Covenant. New Covenant references to discipline never refer to spanking a small child. Old Covenant refererences to the rod -- well, that's the whole debate, right?
I was raised to think that rod = spanking. But after reading of God "beating them with the rod of his mouth" it became apparent to me that using the word *rod* in reference to hitting people at least *can* be metaphorical.
I'm still working throgh renewing my mind in the way of thinking of rod equaling hitting. It helps me to see the lack of consistency in the teaching. Things like "You can't hit with your hand, you must use a rod" and then giving a description of the *rod* that doesn't fit the Hebrew word, helps me realize that it's not really a teaching founded in Scripture. I mean, no loving parent would go get a big tree branch and hit their 3 month old. But to take what is taught (the word for child can mean infant....) along with the actual meaning of the word shebet, isn't that what we would have?
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Wife to my man since 2005. Mommy to 3 boys and 1 little girl.
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