A Conversation for The Freedom From Faith Foundation

Suffer little children

Post 1

Ormondroyd

Thought this might be of interest. Christians at the forefront of progressive thinking on education, as smiley - bleeping usual... smiley - steam

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_1632000/1632874.stm


Suffer little children

Post 2

Lear (the Unready)

Yes, another inspiring example of Christian tolerance, not. And all this after the government has recently been talking up the idea of faith-based schools playing a greater role in the UK. I think we should phase out state support for them altogether, personally.

Most of us understand today that you don't need to beat a child into the ground to teach them 'moral boundaries', the difference between right and wrong. Having said which, there might be a case (in a liberal democracy) for saying that parents have the right to bring up their children as they see fit. And that if the school really does have written parental consent to pursue such draconian legislation, maybe the government should resist the temptation to interfere - except perhaps to ensure that the punishment (and that *is* what it is) is only being applied to those children whose parents have kindly agreed to it on their behalf. I know I certainly wouldn't send any children of mine to a school like that. But some people never learn...


Suffer little children

Post 3

TRiG (Ireland) A dog, so bade in office

smiley - book

Punishment is punishment. Is physical punishment really that different to the denial of priveleges or other forms of non-physical punishment? "Go to your room!" "Grounded!" "No desert for a week!" "No television for a week!" "You're not going to your friend's party tomorrow night." "A slap on the wrist."

As long as punishment is never dealt in the heat of the moment, and is always a reflection of the child's misdemeneour and never of the parent's anger, it's likely to be reasonable.

Now, applying this to schools is a bit trickier, admitedly. Detention, lines, expulsion .... Many kids may actually prefer a quick slap. And other's wouldn't. Children are individuals, y'know.

Here's another problem, though. On the one hand, you want any physical punishment to take place in a public place, so that the teacher cannot be tempted to go further than necessary (and isn't open to allegations of abuse); on the other, a public beating, even if it's not a hard beating at all, takes on the elements of a ritual humiliation, which, for some children, may be worse than the beating itself, especially if, as directed, the beating is extremely light.

TRiG.


Suffer little children

Post 4

TRiG (Ireland) A dog, so bade in office

"... beat a child into the ground ..."

What on earth does that have to do with what we're talking about here?

TRiG.smiley - planet


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