You say that you were raised with spanking and that you are a better person for it. Are you sure your declaration isn't tainted by just a little bit of wishful thinking? Can any of us really know where we'd be today were we raised differently? And isn't it just a bit presumptuous on your part to present yourself as some kind of model finished product?

You say the Bible tells us that to spare the rod is to spoil the child. You're probably referring to certain passages in Solomon's Proverbs. Now, there are a few things you should know about King Solomon before you start broadcasting his advice on family matters. In Ecclesiastes, 2:10, he says, "And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy." True to his word, he amassed 700 wives and 300 concubines. It's a reasonable assumption that he was far better qualified to comment on making babies than on raising them. As for his Proverbs, they owe nothing to Christianity since he lived in the 10th Century B.C. Surely, if you're searching the Bible for a guide or a model for Christian family values, you could find better than Solomon.

There are a number of other passages in the Scriptures that I think you should also ignore. For instance, you shouldn't burn witches and prostitutes to death (Leviticus 20:27, 21:9). That's blatantly un-Christian. Furthermore, it could get you into a lot of trouble with the secular authorities. As for stoning girls to death because they aren't virgins when they marry (Deuteronomy 22:21), there are serious problems with that too. Women everywhere would raise a terrible row. They'd protest that such executions are outrageously discriminatory, and they'd be right.