Indiana mom Kin Park Thaing beat her son with a coat hangar and cited Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act as her authority to do so. Do parents have the right to discipline their children?

I don't approve of corporal punishment of children.

 Me too neither HarryD but many people swear by it. I think they are all child abusers if they raise their hand to their child. Thank you for your reply! :)

I don't believe in beating children. There are times when a smack across the bottom with the palm of you hand may be necessary (if the child does something that may cause harm to himself or others and has been previously warned), but that's it. What you teach a child by beatings is that the way to handle adverse behavior is with violence.

I have 9 grandchildren, including our great grandchild. The oldest grandchild is almost 24, the youngest is five.  Between all the grandkids,I can count on one hand how many times they have had a swat on their bottoms. 

I find no need to beat them. All I have to do is give them the "Nana's Mad" look...lol

Hello Rosie:

To me, turning Christian fundamentals into law is exactly the same as adopting Sharia law..  I have NO idea why right wingers don't get that... 

excon

It is the responsibility of parents to discipline children and give them proper guidance under wise tutelage. It is NOT the duty, obligation, or responsibility of the state or any government. Note that I said proper guidance. There are proper and legimate ways to administer corporal punishment. Slapping, punching, using objects that can injure or maim, fists and so forth are not appropriate forms of punishment. People will always lift scripture out of context to serve their needs. It's a form of rationalization for anything you want to excuse.

I used to beat my kids up every morning. Often my wife too. Those lazy bums always liked to sleep in.

Seriously, a parent has an OBLIGATION to themselves, their children and the rest of society to discipline their children. If you let them run wild like killdeer you end up with kids like Ethan Couch, destroyed by "Afflenza". Is that really how you want society to degenerate?

But discipline is not the same as abuse, two things that you seem to think are synonymous. Corporal punishment should be used VERY sparingly, if ever. And only after all other disciplinary measures have been exhausted without result.

There is a difference between a spanking and a beating.  

Yes parents have the right to discipline their kids.  They do not have the right to beat them.  The Bible does not say to beat your kids.  It does say to discipline them or they will be brats (that is my paraphrasing).

The RFRA is but one element of Thaing's defense. Cultural differences were also cited. The premise being that such discipline would not be illegal in her native country and that immigrants need time to learn the laws and customs of their new home. A third point of the defense, rooted not in religion or culture, but in Indiana law, is a 2008 Indiana Supreme Court ruling that overturned the felony conviction of another mother who had been convicted of beating her son with either a belt or an electrical cord (the court also determined that which was used was really a moot point). This ruling may be the pivotal factor in this case, rather than the RFRA.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2016/08/31/son-had-36-brui...

In 2008, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled 3-1 to overturn the felony conviction of Sophia Willis, who used a belt or an electrical cord to discipline her 11-year-old son. (The mom said belt, the son said cord; the court ruled it did not matter.)

The justices in that decision gave parents wide latitude in determining what is reasonable discipline for their children. Hitting kids with a belt or an electrical cord is not much different from using a coat hanger, said Drobac, who has taught the Willis decision in classes on juvenile law.

Overall, Drobac said, the Willis case is very similar to Thaing's case. One major difference, Drobac said, is that Willis took some time to think about the discipline before she struck her son while court records say Thaing acted in the heat of the moment.

Child abuse, Drobac said, may actually be just as legal here as in the countries known for widespread human rights abuses.

"Indiana says you can beat your kid here, too," Drobac said. "Are we so different than Burma?"

"Are we so different than Burma?"

If we aren't, we should be.

Thank you for your reply Step and Happy Friday.

Precisely. I only hit my son once when he  was 3. The terror I saw in his eyes when I did that made me feel so very ashamed of myself. I immediately apologized and. I never did it again. I think child abuse, whether physical, emotional, psychological, is a terrible thing to inflict on a child just because you are bigger than they are and can get away with it. Children learn that when you are big you can hit and get away with it. That is how bullies are born. Why would any parent want to teach a beloved child a lesson like that? Thank you for your reply Spunky and Happy Friday.

Thank you for your reply PP and Happy Friday to thee! :)

You can discipline a child without laying a hand on him/her m2c. I hit my son only once when he was 3 years old and it terrified him. You should have seen the look in his eyes. I shall never forget it. I immediately apologized. I was so ashamed. I never did it again. My son grew up knowing he was loved, knowing there were limits and knowing that he had to take responsibility for his actions because there would be consequences. Physical punishment was not among them. It was never on the table or used as a threat to intimidate or instill fear.. He never ever gave me a moment of worry nor did he ever get into trouble. He is a college professor today teaching in Honolulu and is Chair of his department. He turned out just fine without being spanked or hit or smacked. I am adamantly against hitting children for any reason. All it teaches them is that if you're big you can hit and get away with it. What kind of  lesson is that  to teach a beloved child? Thank you for your reply and Happy Friday to thee! :)

I just realised that the question actually said "Indiana." I thought it said "India." I find it easier to believe of a third-world country than the United States. I probably owe India an apology, though they wouldn't know if I hadn't confessed to it!

Deuteronomy 17:2 – 17.7
If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,

 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

Guess we better get to it then because it's in the bible.

 I bet it is fearsome SA! Thank you for your thoughtful reply and Happy Saturday. Folks who regularly spank their kids say that was how they raised and they turned out just fine. I tell them no they didn't. They abuse their children and think that's just fine. It isn't and they aren't either! :)