by Jenny Tolley

Created on: September 28, 2010

When I was growing up, my Christian father often threatened to "give me a good spanking" whenever I misbehaved.  By the time I was a young adult, my backside had endured more incidences of corporal punishment than I care to count.  I was glad to outgrow that particular convention, but it turns out some women never do.  In an era when people are as likely to openly embrace atheism as they are a specific religious doctrine, Christian domestic discipline (CDD) is a rising trend in some marriages.

According to ChristianDomesticDiscipline.com, a Web site dedicated to couples who choose to live a CDD lifestyle, "a domestic discipline marriage is one in which one partner is given authority over the other, and has the means to back up that authority, usually by spanking."  While it's possible for any couple to enter a domestic discipline relationship, a Christian domestic discipline marriage is one that is based on traditional Bible based principles.  In other words, marriage is between a man and a woman.  The male half of the relationship is "the head" of the household, while the woman is "the heart".  The man makes the final determination on all major decisions and the wife is expected to submit to him and obey him, as long as his instructions are not contradictory to God's commands.  The man, in turn, is expected to love and submit to the Christian Church, follow its teachings, and lead by example.  He is expected to love his wife and lay down his life for her if need be.

While many people, particularly feminists, find this type of relationship offensive, oppressive, and even potentially dangerous, other people welcome the structure and well-determined roles of a CDD relationship.  In a CDD relationship, the man is in charge, but he is also ultimately responsible for the family.  The idea that the man will ultimately be held responsible before God for his actions and decisions is theoretically enough to keep him in check when he dispenses discipline.  The woman, theoretically, also has the right to refuse to follow her husband's directions if she deems his commands against God's word.  CDD relationships seem to be most common in conservative Christian denominations, especially those that take the Bible literally.

While some people get sexual pleasure

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