But who were you angry at and why were you sad? Bob Simons For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lorraine Mourning" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 7:31 AM Subject: Re: [RR] Don't Spare the Rod
> this makes me angry and very sad!! > Lorriane > > > >From: "Bob Simons" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: [RR] Don't Spare the Rod > >Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2001 22:03:07 -0700 > > > >Heres an article about spanking. > >They Don't Spare the Rod > >The Bible commands corporal punishment. Social workers take the kids. > > > >BY MEGHAN COX GURDON > >Friday, August 17, 2001 12:01 a.m. EDT > > > >As Americans were tucking into their Fourth of July barbecues this > >year, a crowd was watching aghast as social workers and police in > >Canada dragged seven children screaming from their Aylmer, Ontario, > >home. "There was a six-year-old girl with policemen carrying her by > >her arms and legs, and the fear in that kid's face was > >unbelievable," neighbor Ernie Timmins told reporters. "The > >screeching was so unbearable I had to leave." > > > >The pretext for this Elian-like raid? The parents, German-speaking > >members of the Church of God, a Mennonite sect, had refused to > >promise child-welfare officials that they would not use rods or > >switches to discipline their children. > > > >Social workers, who had first visited the family after receiving a > >tip that the parents were not using their hands to spank their > >children, were apparently willing to leave the family intact > >provided the parents changed their method of corporal punishment. > >The parents refused, saying the use of a rod or switch is > >sanctioned by the Bible. > > > >Neighbors scoff at the idea that the parents abused the children. > >"The kids are nice and clean, well-dressed and well-disciplined," > >one man told the National Post newspaper. "I live right beside > >them," said Mr. Timmins. "I'm sure I would have seen something that > >seemed suspicious." > > > >Ontario law permits parents to spank children with their bare > >hands. Congregants of the Church of God, however, say their hands > >should be instruments of affection. With scriptural support, they > >believe corporal punishment is a crucial part of child rearing that > >should only be carried out with objects such as sticks or belts. > >Canadian anti-spanking campaigners call this child abuse. > > > >Biblical justification for the Church of God's practices appears in > >the Book of Proverbs: "Withhold not correction from the child, for > >if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat > >him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell." It is > >difficult to imagine a sentence more at odds with modern Canadian > >sensibilities. Unlike the U.S., Canada is an aggressively secular > >country in which, tellingly, political prudence requires the > >concealment of Christian faith rather than its unembarrassed > >display. > > > >The raid prompted an exodus of families from Aylmer's Church of > >God. Within two weeks, more than 100 mothers and children fled > >Canada for fear that they might be next to face punitive scrutiny. > >Roughly half have made their way to sister churches in Indiana and > >Ohio. The rest have sought refuge in a Church of God community in > >Cuauhtemoc, Mexico. According to Henry Hildebrandt, pastor of the > >Church of God in Aylmer, his parishioners will return to Canada > >only when they receive assurance that their children won't be > >abducted by the state because of their beliefs. Dozens of families > >are reportedly considering seeking asylum in the U.S. > > > >What makes this tale of apparent religious persecution especially > >piquant is that Canada endlessly preens about its own "tolerance" > >and "multiculturalism"--qualities that would seem to be missing in > >the Aylmer case. At the same time, this paradox is unsurprising: A > >significant swath of Canadian public opinion thinks that, in > >matters of child rearing, the state knows best. > > > >Before the federal election last fall there was widespread debate > >over whether the government had a social duty to provide a national > >day-care system. The debate was less over whether children are best > >raised at home or in government-run facilities than over the > >potential cost. Callers to talk radio complained that stay-at-home > >mothers are leeches who ought to be out working so as to pay taxes > >to fund day care. Such are the odd parameters of Canada's debate > >over raising children. It is in this context that the Aylmer case > >should be seen. > > > >After three weeks in foster care, meanwhile, the seven Aylmer > >children are back at home under an interim arrangement with the > >family court. Their parents have agreed to spare the rod while the > >matter is adjudicated. > > > >Carole-Anne Vatcher, a Toronto social worker, told an interviewer > >that she's happy that the children are home but concerned that > >physical chastisement will continue. "A victory in this case would > >be for these kids to go home and their parents to stop hitting them > >altogether," she said. It is the parents, of course, who need to be > >disciplined. > > > >Mrs. Gurdon is a writer living in Toronto. > > > >Bob Simons > > > >For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, > >"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give > >you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11 > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > > ---------------------------------------------------- Sign Up for NetZero Platinum Today Only $9.95 per month! http://my.netzero.net/s/signup?r=platinum&refcd=PT97 _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
