Letter to our pastor on spanking - Page 4

[Wugmama]

I appreciated the one response I did get from the one pastor. I still got no responses from anyone else though, and here it is a few weeks later.

If there is one thing I have learned about pastors, it is that they DO NOT want to be questioned. How lovely.

I'm curious to see the response the op gets now that their pastor will hopefully get the letter.

~Tracy

[hipumpkins]

:

[hanno]

just checking for updates

[VivC]

Okay...yes, I'm bumping a five-month-old thread. I'm pathetic. But I'm very curious to hear whether you ever heard from the pastor.

And I wanted to say that I confess to occasionally giving my 20-month-old a tap on the hand when he keeps defiantly reaching for something...sometimes, after ten timeouts for the same transgression, it's hard to think of anything else to try!

I was raised in an abusive environment, and I've prided myself on "only" tapping his hand...so much worse was done to me, after all. For some time, though, I've been feeling that there must be better methods of discipline. They're very hard to find in Christian circles, however. But the look in his eyes after his hand is tapped....it's heartbreaking.

Thanks to your link to aolff, I'm off to find other ways to handle our discipline issues.

Thank you!

[dulce de leche]

VivC, : It is so hard to break out of the patterns we grow up with! I am so glad that you are creating a new and healthy pattern with your ds! I bumped the pastor's response for you, and wanted to add that we revised the letter. It also includes a link to www.gracefulparenting.blogspot.com that has been very helpful to me.

[auntiehallie]

i copied this letter also, and relayed it to my SIL via email. we were just having a discussion about this over the holidays, and though she was working from the usual tired secularly based pro-hitting arguments, she is very christian while i am very.. not. LOL and i think sometimes she may use this difference, in her mind, to discredit ideas i present just because 'we're different people' or some other such nonsense, e.g. 'well, your sister is a hippie buddhist - we can expect not to agree, right?'

but you made really excellent points. (whoever heard of a shepherd beating his flock with the staff? you can't even imagine it, it's so ridiculous.)

anyway. thanks again for posting a great letter. it really was inspired. :

[veganone]

bumping for a really awesome letter. I'm going to save it.

[karina5]

subbing

[laoxinat]

Originally Posted by dooldad

Beautiful letter. I just imagine how many children can be saved from spankings(and whatever else it leads to) if your pastor would preach that.

I'm always amazed at the people that are very involved in their church, that look at me funny when they find out we don't spank. I don't know the bible at all, but I've always thought, what would Jesus do, or teach. I sure can't imagine Jesus spanking a child.

Exactly. My friend has a bumper sticker that reads "Who Would Jesus Spank?"
And thanks, OP from this Buddhist mama. It has always driven me : to hear people claim that spanking is a parents' *Christian duty*. Now I have some wise words to share from a Christian mama who clearly knows her stuff
Thanks!!

[Way Up North]

Beautiful letter, I am glad this was bumped
I do hope some response was given to such heartfelt, wise and challenging words from the leadership.

If there is one thing I have learned about pastors, it is that they DO NOT want to be questioned. How lovely.

Please don't generalize, some of us enjoy it

[RiverSky]

Thank you for bumping!

[mysticmomma]

well?

[leewd]

link
to response thread

[nevaehsmommy]

love it.