Christians say carers should spare the rod

At a conference in Leicester last week called 'Parenting 21st Century Children -Growing up without violence', members of the Churches' Network for Non-Violence stressed the importance of 'positive parenting' that offered alternatives to smacking. They said that the physical punishment of children was unacceptable and that it taught children that violence pays.

Christine Dodd, an Anglican member of the Network, said, 'Hitting children does not teach them right from wrong. Discipline is not about hurting children physically or emotionally, it is about showing them how to behave through our own example.'

Mrs Dodd said the Network, which is a member of the Children Are Unbeatable Alliance, was formed because 'many church people who are against smacking were concerned that their voices weren't being heard and were being drowned out by the pro-smacking lobby'. The Rev David Gamble, Methodist Church pastoral care and personal relationships secretary, added, 'For too long the "spare the rod and spoil the child" argument has gone unchallenged in the Christian community. Most caring Christian parents do not believe that physical punishment is the right way to bring up their children, but they do want help with developing positive, non-violent discipline.'