In my story, both of the fathers cared deeply for their children. But, because one of the sons was literally but unknowingly on his death bed, the urgency of it all demanded that his father resort to drastic measures to save him. What the father did may have looked overly harsh, but compared with an early death, it wasn't. At the very least, what the father did gave his son more time.
I don't condone physical abuse of children. It was just for the sake of the allegory. The law of Moses was very definitely unpleasant and I couldn't think of a different way to portray it in the story.
I didn't quite get it either. Are Ron and I the grimy kids, or the
fathers in this story? And if so, would Ron be the kind-hearted father? I don't recall ever striking my kids like the first father, so I know it
doesn't apply to me, however I also wasn't so neglectful as he was to
just say a few words and then walk off. My kids cleaned their rooms
because it was expected of them, and if they didn't do it, they were
punished (groundings, etc).
I see God doing the same thing. Yes, occasionally our actions create
their own illness/punishment, but on many occasions, God brings his
wrath down upon his children. If you don't believe it, just read the
scriptures. As it is, the 2nd Coming is described as the Lord coming in
red clothing to stomp the grapes of the vineyard with a fury.
Yet, there is also a softer side to God, as he patiently works with each
of us--as long as we are willing to be worked upon.
So, portraying God as either a harsh taskmaster on the one hand or as a milquetoast on the other is to paint God as being two dimensional. He isn't either of these, yet is both of them.
And as I raised my children, I used both methods. And as I work with those around me, I use both methods as necessary. I don't just sigh and lecture from the bedroom door. I step into the room, offer to help clean things up, and insist that it is cleaned. Gary Smith
-- Jonathan Scott
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