Charles Barkley was exactly right in defending Adrian Peterson’s corporal punishment of his son with a switch from a tree.  Many a child for thousands of years had their fathers beat them with switches or rods to instill discipline in them, and yes sometimes those beating left bruises and marks.

We are living in a sissified society, a society that has been so feminized and so softened that we call evil what God has commanded in his word:

“ Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.“

Proverbs 23:13 (KJV)

“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.“

Proverbs 22:15 (KJV)

This is an excerpt from the CBS pregame show NFL Today as reported in here

Jim Rome: “Can you hit a child?”

Charles Barkley: “I’m from the south. I understand Boomer’s (Esiason) rage and anger. He’s a white guy and I’m a black guy. I don’t know where he’s from, I’m from the South. Whipping — we do that all the time. Every black parent in the south is going to be in jail under those circumstances. We have to be careful letting people dictate how –“

Jim Rome: “It doesn’t matter where you’re from: Right is right and wrong is wrong.”

Charles Barkley: “I don’t believe that because, listen, we spank kids in the south. I think the question about did Adrian Peterson go overboard — Listen, Jim, we all grow up in different environments. Every black parent in my neighborhood in the South would be in trouble or in jail under those circumstances.”

Jim Rome: “My thing is: I don’t want to tell anybody how to raise their kids and I really don’t want anybody telling me how to raise my kids. But let’s make a distinction between ‘child rearing’ and ‘child abuse.’ That was child abuse. There’s no fine line here.”

Charles Barkley: “I think there’s a fine line. Jim, I’ve had many welts on my legs.”

Jim Rome: “Welts like that?”

Charles Barkley: “Yes, I’ve gotten beat with switches — and I don’t even like the term. When the media talks about it, ‘beating a child’–“

I have something to say to you Mr Rome – yes “Right is right and wrong is wrong”.

But you know who determines what is right and what is wrong – it is God!

Yes Charles Barkley was appealing to his being brought up in the south, but guess where those southerners(and us northerners too) got the idea to whip their kids with switches? The Bible, God’s Holy Word.

Am I denying that child abuse exists?

No way – I have seen it with my own eyes.  But there is some real disagreement in this country as to what constitutes child abuse and what is stern discipline by a parent.

Yes there are kids who are sexually abused and physically abused by their parents.  Parents who leave their children to starve for days and weeks, and lock them in closets and dark basements. Parents who are not disciplining their child, but instead using them as punching bag anytime they feel angry or upset.  So yes there is such as thing as abuse, I am not denying that.

However- if a parent gives a good whipping, with a paddle, a switch or belt to their child’s backside in an effort to discipline them and they happen to leave bruises or cuts that IS NOT ABUSE! That is discipline.

What about me and my kids?

I never used switches or paddles on my kids, most of the time I used only my hand on their rear end. But occasionally when they acted extremely rebellious I did get my belt out. I whipped them because I loved them, because a father if he loves his children he disciplines them.

“He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.“

Proverbs 13:24(NASB)

Conclusion

I am not saying Adrian Peterson or Charles Barkley are saints.  But this discussion goes beyond the character of these two men.  If more men were diligently spanking their young boys and instilling respect for authority and others we would not have near the problems we have today, especially with the lack of respect and horrible attitudes we see amongst young people today.

This also raises another issue – the erosion of parental rights in America. We Americans who believe in the sanctity of the home, and of parents to raise their children as they see fit should all be up in arms about this. Whether you agree with spanking, or using paddles and switches or not – this is a much more important principle than that. We cannot have the state going into people’s homes and calling them criminals for trying to discipline their children.