A SMACKING ban would be an “open attack on the authority of God and smash the very foundation of Scottish society,” a church leader has warned MSPs.
Rev Richard Ross, of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), also said that if children were not smacked they would not be able to learn “the difference between right and wrong”.
He told Holyrood’s equalities committee that “Scots law is based on moral law, which is the word of God” and a Bill to ban smacking would substitute man’s law for God’s law.
He said: “If we turn away from God’s standard and replace it with a standard that is limited to mortal man, we will have nothing but trouble. The authority will be man, rather than there being God-given authority. When we have God-given authority, we have real authority.
“Many thousands - perhaps millions - of Scots believe that the scriptures give a good, solid foundation for life, not only for children but for parents.
“As we understand it, the Bill is an open attack on the authority of God to tell us how to live, and it will smash the very foundation of Scottish society.”
Rev Ross was speaking when the committee met on Skye on Friday, but the official transcript has only now been released by the Parliament.
He and other faith leaders spoke about Green MSP John Finnie’s Bill to end the Scots law defence of “justifiable assault” for parents and carers who physically punish children short of using a blow to the head, shaking, or an implement.
In his written evidence, Rev Ross had described smacking as a gift from God to help parents show love for their children, citing Proverbs 22:15 about the “rod of correction” driving out “foolishness” from the hearts of the childrens hearts.
In his oral evidence, Rev Ross suggested chastisement was essential.
He said: “The scriptures teach that we are all sinners, so we all need correction. A gentle smack, as well as a verbal rebuke, is part of the correction and the teaching process.
“How will the child know the difference between right and wrong if you do not have that opportunity to give the child a smack? If they are running out on the road - if they are running off on you - you need to do something in that instant.
“You cannot grab them back and start explaining to them, because they are off.”
Supporting a ban, Rev Peter Nimmo of the Church of Scotland said scriptures were not clear-cut.
He said: “It would be very difficult to say that you had an infallible understanding of those ancient texts.”
He added: “We do not use violence against criminals. We do not do it to schoolchildren any longer. It seems wrong and strange that we still allow that defence when an act of violence is used against a child within a family.”
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