Smacking debate is back!

Just when we thought the smacking debate was all over after the anti-smacking bill was recently passed, it’s back in the spotlight again.

Cabinet minister David Cunliffe has been accused of smacking his 2-year old son at a shopping mall in Auckland:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10449047

Apparently someone saw him smack his child on the hand after having hit another child. David Cunliffe’s response was that he pulled the hand away, not smacked it. I guess from a distance this may look like a smack, and of course there’s no problem whatsoever with pulling the kid’s hand away. Why would a cabinet minister, who voted for the bill, smack his child in public? He would be a complete idiot to do that.

This incident was brought to light by a group called Family First. They are a lobby group (or an extremist group as the Prime Minister calls them) who are opposed to the anti-smacking bill:
http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/Action_Alert_/Anti_smacking_Bill

So why did this group bring this incident to light when they favour smacking of children? You’d think they wouldn’t worry about it. Are they really putting families first when as they have dragged David Cunliffe’s child and family into the debate now? Helen Clark said the group should be called “Families Last”. I agree! How can any group that claim to be supporting families support hitting our children? They support violence against our children – full stop! Hitting another adult, an animal, or a child is abuse and that’s all there is to it.

There’s a picture on the Family First website which says, “This mum gives her kids a smack sometimes. Sue Bradford’s bill would make her a criminal!” Well, she is smacking her kids – she is hitting her kids – she is abusing her kids! Remember, an alcoholic took that first drink, and abuser did that first smack.

They were talking about this issue on Newstalk ZB this morning. One caller said that he smacked his child in the movie theatre and was concerned that someone would report him. No one did but they should have. That guy is a nutter.

Now I don’t know if this Family First is backed by a Christian group, but I suppose they could be, so that brings us to the question “what would Jesus do?” Would Jesus smack children? Let’s look at Matthew 18:6

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Mmmm, that’s interesting isn’t it? Let’s leave it at that.