As I’m about to continue with Ecclesiastes–I felt Ecclesiastes 8’s most interesting verse is Ecclesiastes 8:11. There’s the command to follow and submit to authority. There’s the command to know no evil thing and be wise of heart. Now, I feel that one verse talking about this blog entry is a warning for us all. It says that if a sentence against evil isn’t sent speedily–people are bound to do evil.
Vernon McGee’s Thru the Bible Commentary says the following in regards to verse 11:
What a picture of that which is happening in our contemporary society. When judgment is not executed, men do more and more evil work, because evil is in the hearts of men. Even men who call themselves Christian continue in sin saying, “Look, I’v ebeen in sin for five years and God has done nothing about it. ” Well, that already reveals His judgment upon you. He has done nothing about it because He is way down the road waiting for you. In fact, He can wait until eternity–you can’t “. “… Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). God grnats you today so that you can turn to Him.
A comparison of countries with good discipline vs. bad discipline
We have America today with very bad discipline and a high crime rate. We have Singapore today with a very low crime rate. Going to Singapore, one can see that there are civil penalties for “petty acts” like littering. You get civil fines for offenses such as littering, jaywalking, and vandalism (though jail time can be served depending on the severity). They are tough on crime and even non-citizens can expect to face the gallows. Singapore hasn’t outlawed spanking either. Caning can be done to wayward citizens. Singapore has caning in the schools. Singapore’s being serious of crime makes it one of the safest places to live.
Singapore is very far contrast from when the USA. Today, the USA has already removed spanking or renounced it as child abuse. It was a far cry from the American founding fathers who believed in spanking. It was said George Washington was spanked whenever he was naughty. The result was an America that they could be proud of. America removed spanking from schools. Child Protective Services (CPS) has become a joke whenever investigations confuse spanking with child abuse. I was even reminded how one of its ex-presidents, William Jefferson Clinton, even tried to ask clemency from Singapore when an erring citizen was guilty of vandalism. That guy was Michael Fay. The guy did the crime so he should do the time. Fay got a good spanking–something that could’ve been avoided if he was spanked wherever he was naughty.
I was thinking about why Chinese criminals hide in the Philippines. It’s because the Philippines has a very poor record of justice. One could think of how the innocent are often arrested and the guilty are often free. The infamous case of the Vizconde Massacre arrested several people who weren’t even present. Worse, the judge who ran the case crookedly even got promoted. Another case involved two sisters in Cebu City. Seven innocent people were arrested. Right now, the real killers are probably still out there or ran into another country. Chinese criminals know if they stayed in China–they can expect the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to punish them. It makes me cringe how the Philippines calls itself a Christian nation yet it has become a haven for foreign criminals. I even realized how some arrogant white men staying in the Philippines are involved in sexual crimes. I guess these arrogant white men come from countries that would’ve executed them years ago if they didn’t move to the Philippines.
The same can be true for several South American countries. South American drug cartels exist in countries where corruption is that rampant. China, though a country with high corruption (and an atheist dictatorship), has executed several corrupt officials. Meanwhile, certain South American countries like Columbia (infamous for its cocaine) are notorious for lack of discipline. That’s why gang wars and drug wars are prevalent. Some drug dealers choose to hide in such countries because they know they have an advantage. All they need is to bribe corrupt officials and they’re all set, right?
It reminded me of how Christian education should be as well
Christian education is built on the Word of God. The Bible commands spanking but not child abuse. The Bible commands that the law of God be followed. Faith doesn’t invalidate the law. Instead, Romans 3:31 says that faith fulfills the law. Any school that calls itself Christian must be consistent. It will mean a lot of rules that will be considered foolish to the natural man. Rules like modesty must be taught. The world wants none of that. Christian education is never to conform to worldly standards.
Spare the rod? Then you’re spoiling the child. Proverbs 22:6 says to train the child the way he should go then he will not depart from it. Some heathen schools have good peace adn order. I was reminded of a Buddhist academy where the monk didn’t hesitate to spank erring students. The Buddhist academy was even known for its strict discipline. Even if they weren’t Christian–I could still applaud the unsaved monk’s strict discipline. That’s why I eventually doubted the salvation of a family that claimed to be Christian but they were against strict Christian discipline. Later, the parents transferred their children to the liberated school where acts like public displays of affection, materialism, and the like were prevalent. How can one be a Christian and love sin? If a Buddhist academy could be strict with discipline then how much more a Christian academy?
Schools that hardly punish small sins can expect sins to explode in epic proportions. I was reminded how schools with poor discipline often had problems of school shootings, premarital sex, sexual harassment, teachers dating students (and many of these are acts of statutory rape), fistfighting, cheating, disrespect for teachers, abusive teachers, etc. Meanwhile, schools that are serious about sin tend to have strict discipline and can expect lesser problems and lesser incidents of having to kick out a student to save face. Just think if a teacher stops an offense immediately–they can expect it not to balloon. What can start with teenage mischief when stopped can prevent bigger incidents. Just hearing of rape happening in American schools makes it no surprise either.
The American education system today is anything but inspiring today. School shootings, premarital sex, etc.–yet so many still think spanking or suspending students for cheating are inhumane. Some can’t tell the difference between spanking and abuse of authority these days. The cane or the paddle was taken out and students are inclined to sin. Worse, some are even calling themselves Christian schools. Yet, these schools hardly follow Christian principles. You can already assume that these people are apostates. How can anybody who loves God also love to sin? How can anybody who loves God not have a nature that hates sin in contrast to the old nature that loves it?
Conclusion
If we expect people to do better–there must always be swift punishment against the guilty. This doesn’t mean removing the biblical principle of due process. Due process was done to avoid innocent people from getting executed and perjury is punished. This means that if a person sins–authorities must apprehend it accordingly. Such rules really can help make society a better place. Even better, it points out people’s sin and why they need Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
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