Justifying child abuse

Posted on December 18, 2009 | 5 Comments

I have always thought that gods and holy scriptures are convenient. They can be used to justify anything. And they can prevent individuals from developing their own moral sense – always relying instead on the “authority” of holy scripture and/or religious leaders.

This can be particularly bad when it comes to how we treat children. That’s why many people are concerned at the role played by fundamental and conservative Christians in New Zealand’s debates on child discipline.

A friend sent me this today from the  Taranaki Daily News (Man cites Bible in child assault prosecution):

“An 80-year-old man believed he was following the Bible when he used an alkathene pipe to punish a child for stealing $1000 from him.

The man, who has interim named suppression, yesterday pleaded guilty in the New Plymouth District Court to two charges of assaulting a child and assault with a blunt instrument between November 1 and December 7.

When arrested, the man told police that he was frustrated by the child’s behaviour and had been “seeking to correct him in the manner described in the Bible”.

His lawyer, Paul Keegan, said the incident was out of character for the man.

“He is a Christian man and believes firmly in traditional methods of discipline,” he said.”

Well – we know what “traditional methods of discipline” can be “justified” by reference to holy scriptures and religious leaders, don’t we?

Permalink

Similar articles

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Share

This entry was posted in belief, Bible, child abuse, Christianity, diversity, faith, god, human rights, New Zealand, religion, supernatural, superstition, tradition and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

5 responses to “Justifying child abuse”

  1. Dean | December 18, 2009 at 5:47 pm |

    And the point is? Child abuse can be justified from evolution theory as well, or many other ideology. Some pagans sacrificed their children before Christians told them it’s wrong.

    Like

  2. Ken | December 18, 2009 at 5:55 pm |

    My point Dean is concern about the rolele of fundamentalist and conservative Christians in political activity on the Section 59 legislation. This case demonstrates that there is often an unhealthy approach to children in these groups.

    The bible can be, and is, used to justify all sorts of immoral things.

    Sent from my iPod

    Like

  3. Magical Atheist | December 19, 2009 at 3:26 am |

    The Bible gives explicit instructions and commands it followers to torture and murder children. How could the Christians use their hateful and immoral religious beliefs to tell pagans not to sacrifice their children? That’s like an alcoholic telling another alcoholic not to drink.

    Saying evolution can be used to justify child abuse doesn’t make sense. What other scientific theories can be used to justify child abuse in your opinion? Enlighten us.

    Like

  4. Pingback: Cultures within Cultures « Something should go here, maybe later.

  5. Kathy | March 26, 2013 at 2:22 am |

    It isn’t said in the Bible to kill a person with pain, Jesus has said many times “love one another” and “he who hasn’t sinned can cast the first stone” if someone is a child abuser then that in considered a sin, a child is an innocent person, they follow people’s examples. So if you don’t like the way your child behaves then you don’t like how you behave. No matter what you religion is there is someone who says to be nice, turn the other cheek, don’t seek revenge, no matter what way you think you can’t justify hurting or killing a child.

    Like

Leave a Reply: please be polite to other commenters & no ad hominems.