The following story details one of the many down-
sides of biblical literalism, as promoted by the chris-
tian bible and abuse of same, and still prevalent
in the so-called christian culture of America ...

Most adults approve of spanking children,
despite experts' recommendations
October 5, 2000
Web posted at: 5:18 a.m. EDT (0918 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/10/05/raising.kids/index.html
Excerpt: "Despite numerous recommendations from
experts against spanking young children, a majority
of U.S. adults questioned in a recent survey said
that they approve of the practice.

The child-development survey, released on Wednes-
day, found that 61 percent of the adults who responded
condone spanking as a regular form of punishment.
Fifty-seven percent said even a six-month-old can
be spoiled, a belief that survey coordinators said
is incorrect.

'Spare the rod, spoil the child, that's where we
base our spanking,' one parent told CNN.

Another parent said, 'That's the way I was brought
up. That's the way it works for me. A lot of these
kids today, they don't get that.'

'We run the risk society will pay' - The survey was
sponsored by Zero To Three, a nonprofit child-devel-
opment organization, along with Civitas, another non-
profit group, and Brio Corp., a toymaker.

'The big story here is that babies have emotional
needs and if we ignore that we run the risk society
will pay,' said Matthew Melmed of Zero To Three.
'When parents use force, the only message their
young children are getting is that big people are
mean and it's OK to use force,' Melmed said.

Previous research suggests that spanking can lead
to violent, anti-social behavior such as cheating
and acting up in school. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recently called for an all-out ban on
spanking at school. ..."