Proposed spanking law should be opposed

Defending family, faith and freedom

Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini is currently formulating legislation that will effectively criminalise parents for disciplining their own children – ostensibly to combat child abuse.

Government’s knee-jerk reaction to the alarming rates of child abuse in SA is an admission of its failure to enforce laws already in place. Parents, therefore, present a soft target for government abuse. However, there is no evidence to suggest that outlawing spanking will reduce child abuse.

Government’s intrusion in the family unit is a recipe for disaster. Apparently, the SA government cannot make the distinction between parental discipline and actual child abuse.

Feel good legislation like this is usually driven by liberal “experts”, who often do not have children of their own. The Minister irrationally claimed, “Spanking can lead to child abuse.”

But the Bible warns parents not to withhold discipline from their children. “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” Proverbs 13:24.

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Christian citizens in SA must vehemently oppose this destructive legislation. FPI will keep you informed about its progress and equip you with the tools to defeat this abuse of authority.

While government plans to criminalise parents for fulfilling their God-given responsibilities, a government agency unbanned a movie that depicts child pornography. Another government agency, ICASA, gave a failed pay-channel the green light to broadcast hard-core pornography in SA.

Easy access to hard-core porn on the internet and TV is a genuine example of child abuse. Yet the SA Government has chosen to contribute to the problem rather than combat it.

The UN has launched a global campaign against “discrimination against homosexuals.” This signals an intensifying of the war on religious freedom including Christian free speech.

Global spokesperson for the “gay rights” movement, Desmond Tutu confirmed he will not be going to heaven when he announced “he will not worship a homophobic God.” Tutu and his ilk claim the Church’s Scriptural stance on sexual sin is what drives crimes against homosexuals.

The Church will never condone crimes against homosexual citizens under any circumstances.

But singling out crimes against homosexuals as a national priority, while thousands of heterosexual citizens are raped, murdered and assaulted every month in SA – is a travesty of justice!

Family Policy Institute is committed to opposing unjust laws, defending the natural family and advancing Biblical values in society – like the rights of parents to discipline their own children.

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FPI is facing many challenges in the months ahead and need your prayers and partnership

9 Comments

  1. that is stupid, they say spear the rod spoil the child; remember?
    southafrica.wegosell.com

  2. I am 100% behind you Errol and even though I no longer have children or grandchildren of “spanking age” I am concerned about the erosion of the family that is being promoted by this type of law. It seems that there is a worldwide drive (conspiracy?) for governments to usurp the role of parents over their children – it almost smacks of Orwell’s 1984.
    But is there anything that we can do? The liberals seem to be in control everywhere and are able to bulldoze their “feel good legislation” through, precisely because it does seem so good. One day we will all wake up to a society where the rulers of this world will have totally removed all of our parental rights leaving our children to be indoctrinated as good little clones of the state.
    How long will we in South Africa retain the right to homeschool our children; to guide them into a saving knowledge of Christ? Left to the authorities they will all end up as athiests, eucomenical New Age style clones of Bahia, or worse – and all in the name of peace, “love” and reasonableness. Where, oh where are the modern Luthers to take a stand, not only against unscriptural laws, but against the moral decay in the church?

    • Hey Mike. It is often good to remember that there are more of those who are for us than those who are against us. One way we can fight this is to support people such as Errol Naidoo in whatever way we are able to. Another is to be the light for others to see the truth. I have made a decision to actively do both. God Bless. I feel your passion and that is good.

  3. Rev Ian Karshagen

    Our allegiances are being challenged. Christians, who rates higher in your acknowledgement of authority figures, man or God?

  4. http://www.joshgen.co.za/en/Catch-Up/A-Call-To-Unite/

    Hey there guys you can help by checking out this that is happening right now against this church.

  5. Religious Freedom! Really?

    Its important to note that not so long ago the church’s religious freedom empowered the de-humanizing acts of:

    Slavery – Women abuse -Racism- War/Crusades – Homosexuality – Stealing money from the poor (as if God needs our money) and so on…

    But, It’s all in bible, right?

    Senior Pastor Andrew Selley of of Joshua Generation and Family Policy Institute Director Errol Naidoo’s basic argument is:

    “If Joshua Generation cannot teach what the Bible teaches on corporal punishment that means that the entire church will have to surrender its right to teach Biblical Christian principles, because if the Human Rights Commission or any Government agency can dictate what the church can or cannot teach it means the end of church autonomy.” – Gateway news

    My argument would be, why go to to such great lengthens to stand united for ‘one tiny ancient verse’ found in the bible that slightly eludes to the use of spanking to discipline their children when there’s a 100 verses to back-up stoning as a form of ‘corporal punishment’. What if Andrew Selley and Errol Naidoo’s decided that stoning was part of there Christian conviction because it’s written in the bible? Would that be OK?

    For example, for disobeying parents the Old Testament says,

    ‘If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother … Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city … And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die.

    Deuteronomy 21:18-21

    “It’s interesting to note that OT scholars who are experts in Wisdom literature have suggested the material like we find in Proverbs 13, (spare the rod, spoil the child) is for more mature disciples of the sage, not for beginners. That is, it is advice given to those wise enough, and mature enough to know how to use and not abuse the advice.” – Patheos

    The government’s attack against the church has nothing to do with the churches religious freedoms, but rather the fundamental right of what it means to be a human being in the best way possible. There is an alternative to spanking, a more human and mature way to raising our children. A way that requires patience, love, listening, understanding, and teaching negotiation instead of aggression.

    I write this as a dad who has two kids and believed in spanking. Since I’ve taken a different approach to spanking the result’s have been incredible for me and my children.

    I am deeply concerned by the level of immaturity and lack of knowledge from our religious leadership. My hope is that these leaders will open themselves up to a different perspective on the issue of spanking in the light of something more contextually biblical/Christian.

    Anyway, I could go on forever – Below are 1 articles and a video worth checking out. The video will surprise you on how detrimental the primal idea of spanking is.

    Patheos: http://bit.ly/OLzqSH

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ONNRfflggBg

  6. 26 South Africans downloaded my free ebook on spanking in the Bible in the last week.

    Find out why here – http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Spoil-the-Rod-Spare-the-Child-20131016