“The rod of discipline”: Religious discourses that defend physical punishment in the education of children and adolescents

Abstract

The Menino Bernardo Law prohibits the use of physical punishment and, since its enactment, has generated resistance from conservatives, especially religious groups, who consider it an intervention of the State in “family matters”. We analyzed pro-physical punishment discourses disseminated on the Internet, identifying their arguments and discursive contexts. Forty-three videos were examined and transcribed, and peer coding was performed using Atlas.ti, followed by critical discourse analysis. Recognizing the diversity of the “evangelical world” and its political positions, we identified conservative discourses about the opposition between the “Family of God” and the “State of the Devil”. Physical punishment is translated by the biblical concept of “rod” to be applied by parents, who are the authorities instituted by God. The Menino Bernardo Law is associated with chaos, loss of Christian values, and the State’s action to weaken the family.