Constitutional court sanction
The sanction by the constitutional court that spanking your own kids is criminal, requires thought.
Highlighted below are some verses from the Bible and Torah that contradicts the court sanction.
Proverbs 13:24 – Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Hebrews 12:11– For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Proverbs 23:13-15 – Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul.
Proverbs 22:15 – Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Proverbs 29:17 – Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
Proverbs 29:15 – The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
We must ask, why does our courts defy Holy Biblical scripture in an obvious majority Christian nation?
Similarly, Muhammed the messenger of God said: “Teach your children to pray when they are seven years old, and smack them (lightly) if they do not pray when they are 10 years old. The prophet also said: “Hang your whip where the members of the household can see it, for that will discipline them.”
The following are some points compiled by reputable Islamic thinkers regarding discipline:
- It must be done as a last resort and after all other methods have been tried.
- It must be done in private to protect the child’s dignity.
- It must be done with the intent of disciplining the child for the sake of God.
- It must be done with complete mercy for the child.
How should citizens respond to this obvious intrusion into family life when more than 20 000 South Africans are killed yearly and our government and law courts have proven themselves unable to protect innocent taxpayers?
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress