@Paidiske Now, Paidiske . . . you say men are the main abusers, statistically. So . . . who taught them to hit a woman? In the households, who usually got hit the most for being naughty? The boys? The girls? So, who learned that hitting is a means to one's end and to control? And who usually hit the boy the most? If the father was usually out, the mother could be the one who was hitting . . . teaching?? What do you think?
But in some households the mother told the boy to wait until the father got home, and the father whipped and beat the boy. But the boy knew the mother put him on hold for the father to do it. So, how might the mother have been teaching the boy to see her, a woman? I suppose he could learn to fear women so he might use hitting in order to try to somehow protect himself from his wife. Fear could have something to do with it. And the Bible does say >
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
Also, "Love does no harm to a neighbor" (in Romans 13:10).
Yet, I know there are men who say that beating them taught them respect and restraint. So, it may be, that the character of parents and children could effect how ones do or do not benefit from physical discipline.
After all, if we as Christians go through hard things which hit us, we can either blame God that He is giving us a beating, or we can take it for refining and strengthening of our character.
It's what you make it, how you take it . . .
just don't you fake it
My parents were worldly people; but they did not depend on physical hitting; they used different methods. And they did it along with taking care of us and giving us a fair amount of personal attention and activities which we liked. So, if they started to getting mad or warned us to stop something, I think I would swing right into line because I did not want to miss out on how things had been fairly nice, plus I did not want to get hit. I think in my whole life I took one hit from my mother and one from my father, because they were efficient in how they did it. But their being effective with me only taught me to be careful while I was around them, and not to get caught. My character was there for me
Hebrews 12:4-11 says God "scourges every son whom He receives". And He said He would chasten Solomon "with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men", in 2 Samuel 7:14.
But unless God changes our character, nothing can work. Solomon was pretty smart, I would say, but that did not have him seeing how his trouble was coming because of doing what is wrong with women, among other things. And he was using those women, I would say, not really loving them. And men might blame the women, about how we can get into lust about them. But our weakness is our problem, but we might not like to admit this; so blaming can be our preference. And we might hit at what can get the better of us, exposing our deep weakness. But it's my own selfish nature's fault; I am the problem!!
So, I find it interesting how some number of people are only talking about changing practices and laws, but they are not saying anything about how we need to become in our character.