[forty-two]

IDK, but to me, barring really bad abuse, some things are innate to just about everyone . It is just *not natural* to hit a small baby . Heck, it's not even natural to CIO. Sleep-deprived or ignorant people might do either out of desperation, but they still know/feel that it's not right. That's why all those people advocating it have to make a big deal about ignoring your intuition and how parents have to do hard things for the greater good - *because* it's not natural.

And why even a lifetime of indoctrination isn't enough to keep people from struggling with it. How many times do you see people firmly entrenched from birth in the Christian spanking subculture feel upset and uncomfortable with the "necessity" of spanking once they actually are in the middle of it? And all the encouragements from others about how they know it's hard, but it's Biblical and necessary and God will bless their efforts .

I do have lots of sympathy for them - they've been lied to and stripped of the defenses that would have protected them, all in the name of God . For me I'm more amazed that common sense *does* function for the vast majority of people most of the time, and so even with all the crap, taking bad teaching too far is still the minority .