Child abuse in the name of God

The most recent post on the Bene Diction blog is about disciplining children so harshly in the name of God that the discipline becomes abuse, sometimes fatal.

I remember my own abusive father, a faithful member of a conservative church, reciting to me this Bible verse:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1)

I also remember that there were times, when it was safe enough, that I encouraged my father to think about the Bible teaching to him, just three verses later:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Children need to have healthy boundaries set for them by their parents. When they cross those boundaries they need to be disciplined in healthy ways. In this process children must not be abused!

I encourage you to read the post from the Bene Diction blog as well as links within that post.