Spanking

While I was gone I missed the story on spanking that is making its way through the MN court system. Here is the gist of the story from a Star Tribune article a few days ago:

When Shawn Fraser's discipline failed to rein in his 12-year-old son, he turned to his religion, taking a wooden paddle to Gerard's upper thighs and posting Bible verses on the refrigerator, Fraser's lawyer told the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.

But after 36 blows, delivered in 12-blow increments, the 195-pound boy called authorities. Now the state Supreme Court will determine when discipline of a child crosses the line into physical abuse that requires a social worker's intervention.

He turned to his religion? To justify beating his son? I don't know what the Supreme Court will decide. I know that punishment by parents is a gray area in the law. But this was not punishment. This was a beating, regardless of whether the blows caused bruising. 36 blows with a wooden paddle is not spanking and it is not punishment.

Naturally, though, the Star Tribune's conservative Christian columnist Katherine Kersten sides with the parents in her column today. I was almost led to tears as she described the anguish of these parents trying to deal with their twelve year old son who was on the verge of turning into a career criminal. What choice did his father have but to pick up a wooden paddle - a "small" paddle - and beat his son repeatedly on the back of his thighs? How could the state dare to intervene to stop this God-fearing father from using the rod so that the son would not be spoiled?

Another stain on the name of Christianity and a sad story about a dysfunctional family in serious need of counseling.