By Scott Tibbs, April 10, 2006
----Original Message Follows----
From: Scott Tibbs <tibbs1973@yahoo.com>
To: ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com
Subject: Your April 4 column
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 11:11:16 -0700 (PDT)
Mr. Montini:
With all due respect, I believe your April 4th column is an example of why our culture is so depraved. In your column about an 18 year old man who admitted to sodomizing 18 boys between the ages of 11 and 14 with broomsticks and flashlights, you wrote:
| I have no idea if (State Senator Ken) Bennett did anything behind the scenes to try to help his boy out of a jam. But if he did, I wouldn't knock him. When you're the dad, it's your job to do what you can for your kid. |
You have a completely warped perspective on what the role of a parent, and especially that of a father, should be. Read the following from the Word of God:
- Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
- He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently. Proverbs 13:24
- The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. Proverbs 29:15
It is not the role of a father to bail his son out of trouble or to "protect" his son from the consequences of his actions. The father's job is to raise his son (or daughter) to be a productive member of society who respects others. A real father would turn his son into the police and work to make sure his son is harshly punished for such a despicable act in the hope the young man would learn a lesson.
When a man is blessed with fatherhood, his son or daughter brings great joy, but also a great responsibility. That responsibility is to raise that son or daughter to serve the Lord. The father in the home is a picture of the fatherhood of God, and a human father is to point their children to the Lord.
Of course, not everyone will agree with Biblical truths or abide by Biblical standards. Even from a secular perspective, your stated belief is highly destructive. Fathers must train their sons and daughters to be of good moral character. If young people believe they do not have responsibility for their actions because Mommy or Daddy will bail them out, society will reap the results. I have seen how enabling bad behavior can be terribly destructive.
I do not know Senator Bennett, so I do not know whether or not he is the kind of horrible father who would pull strings for a rapist. If he is that kind of father, it is no surprise that his son turned out to be a sick, depraved monster. Someone who would "grease the skids" for a rapist is a failure as a human being, especially if that rapist is his child.
You owe an apology to all of your readers and to the families of the boys who were raped by a demonically-influenced monster. You also owe an apology to Clifton Bennett for serving as an apologist for enabling actions that will destroy his soul.
