raccoon

You might have noticed that most atheists on board disagree with the OP's claims/ argument. It's quite obvious that atheism is neither sufficient not necessary condition for individuals to be amoral.

Theli

Because, as you probably already don't know, children grows up to be adults, and children who are abused too often grows up to be abusive themselfs.
And ofcourse, "lacking mental capabilites" does not mean "derserving punishment", or do you think mentally handicaped should be whipped in public for their incapacity?

orpheus last chant

Apart from the counter-arguments presented so far. Have you heard of animal rights? You can go to jail in diffrent countries, for abusing an animal.
Cruelty is condemnable, whether it's done to an adult or a child. Even more so condemnable since the victim cannot defend her/himself.

If I have a higher IQ then you, can I own you and deal with you as I please?

Trond Vihovde

Why should you be able to do violence unto someone just because you are their caretaker and superior?

Trond

beth

Children are intelligent and capable of human thought. While they are young, their minds are being developed and shaped into the adults they will become. It is our duty in a society to protect these more vulnerable humans who might exploit or abuse them. Not only is this morally the right thing to do, it also ensures that the human race will continue to advance and society evolve.

brighid

Children are human beings, and although they gradually develop greater and greater intellectual capacity this does not mean that child should be treated inhumanely. As others have said someday they will grow up to be adults, and children who are abused have a greater propensity to do harm to society. It beehoves those desiring to live in a civil and successful society to create laws that punish those who hurt other human beings who are less capable of defending themselves and from which that harm will likely grow into a more grevious harm.

I really hope your thinking on this subject is hypothetical, but if it isn't perhaps you can think back to when you were a child and perhaps put yourself in the place of a defenseless child being physically, or otherwise abused by an adult. Can you imagine how that might make you feel? Is a child less worthy of being treated well due to the natural stages of development that no child can control?

Brighid

GunnerJ

Interestingly, meritocrat, the novelty of the idea protecting and securing human rights for children is not a point against it; nor does the fact that child abuse and mistreatment is an old custom justify it. Strange but true.

His Noodly Appendage

Meritocrat,

Your debating style is highly counterproductive, which is a shame. I highly recommend that you take the less elegant (in the perl-coder sense) but more workable approach of pointing out that there is a counterintuitive alternative side to an issue that seems to be logically valid, and might therefore be worth exploring.

Loudly claiming indefensible positions and waiting for passionate rebuttals just isn't effective. It lowers others' opinion of you, it inflames emotion rather than provoking analysis, and it eventually gets you written off as something of a troll rather than opening up an interesting discussion.

I know that you do have interesting, considered points, but your means of presentation is just too blunt for the vast majority of people to take them as such. This is years of experience talking. One person in a hundred will 'get it', and the noise and kerfuffle generated by the 99 others will drown out whatever they had to say. This sucks, but basically, tough.

jbc

99Percent

As moderator I echo what jbc just said.

meritocrat, for the sake of productiveness please take some time to make your arguments more digestable and less blunt.

Iconoclastithon

I think the issue is not children having as many rights. There are rights which only adults should have, and rights that only children should have. Then there are rights which every sentient being shares.
Their a responsibilities for adults, and responsibilities for children, and shared responsibilities. Reason makes most of these things clear.
And why should violence against children be condemned? I don't even want to dignify that question w/an answer. But I will; children do not have the mental/intellectual development that adults do, but sometimes they are more morally developed in spirit. Children are a preciuos and innocent breed, they are the tiniest and most helpless-wand this is why it is the adult resposibility to protect the childs rights to innocence and safety from harm.