Pastors clash with churches on smacking

Three Christian pastors from Rotorua want the legal right to smack their children for the purposes of correction - a viewpoint which clashes with other mainstream churches.
Pastor Phil Wiseman of Rotorua's C3 Church (formerly Christian City Church), Victory Church pastor David Abrahams and Rotorua Elim Church senior pastor Jaz Robbins will be voting "no" in the Citizens' Initiated Referendum which asks whether a smack, as part of good parental correction, should be a criminal offence.
The trio's views are at odds with Anglican and Methodist church leaders, who feel the removal of the defence of reasonable force from the crimes act, a legal loophole used to justify the use of force against children, is working and should not be changed.
Pastor Abrahams, who leads a congregation of about 60, said making parents criminals for smacking their children went against the teachings of the Bible. "My perspective is, generally, the leadership of the mainstream churches seems to have gone away from a biblical perspective," Pastor Abrahams said. "If they were to make the Bible their guideline, the Bible makes it very clear that smacking is okay."
The Pentecostal church leader cited a verse from the Book of Proverbs, which says that "he who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him, disciplines him".
According to Pastor Wiseman, smacking has been used as a parenting tool for centuries and he felt "light smacking should not be a criminal offence.
 "I don't think criminalising smacking is, in any way, going to stop the plague of child abuse."
Pastor Wiseman admitted he used smacking on the bottom or fleshy part of the thigh as a form of correction, but was frugal in its use. "We don't smack very often, but smacking deals with it instantly. It's like a wake-up call. I think everybody has the right to make that decision," he said.
Pastor Jaz Robbins said there were situations where smacking was "appropriate". "I voted no in the referendum, because I believe that in appropriate contexts, a smack can be appropriate and it shouldn't be a criminal offence," she said.
 "There are parents that know how to use the occasional smack in a wise manner and that should be their choice."
St Faiths' Anglican vicar Tom Poata was unavailable for comment, as was St Michael's Catholic Church priest Aidan Mullholland.
However, Catholic Church aid agency Caritas recommended a "Yes" vote on the basis the law was close to the compromise which the Catholic Bishops Conference sought in 2007, between a complete ban on physical restraint and allowing "violent" discipline.
- Additional reporting, Matthew Martin and APN News and Media