Whoever spares the rod hates their children...

He that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. -- Exodus 21:15

He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death. -- Exodus 21:17

I can't help but wonder exactly what part of the Bible 7 year old Roderick "R.J." Arrington failed to read that caused his stepfather, Markiece Palmer, to beat him so severely that he slipped into unconsciousness and died the next day. It probably wasn't one of the two verses above because most people like to pick and choose the "feel good" parts of the Bible and ignore the rest.

There's not much I can say about this story without getting upset, so I'll keep it short. These are rules set out by god for you to follow. They come right after the 10 commandments, so the old those were different rules for a different time argument won't fly.