A church that preaches that parents should "lovingly spank" their children risks being taken to court by the SA Human Rights Commission if it does not change its stance within 30 days. But the Joshua Generation Church, in Cape Town, remained defiant yesterday after an investigative report published on Friday by the commission said that "parental chastisement amounts to abuse and violence towards children"."The Joshua Generation Church will be appealing," said spokesman Nadene Badenhorst, an advocate."We disagree with a number of the recommendations. It will be for a higher authority to decide."It's not correct that the church promotes or advocates corporal punishment. While there are parents who believe in lovingly spanking their children according to their interpretation of the holy texts, there are others who believe in other means of discipline."Cape Town father Adriaan Mostert, who asked the Human Rights Commission to investigate the church in 2013, said legal action would be taken against the church if it did not comply with the commission's recommendations, which say that pastors should be given "sensitisation training".The commission also recommended that parliament review the Children's Act to introduce a ban on corporal punishment."The SAHRC confirmed again that no one in South Africa is above the requirements of the constitution [with regard to] human dignity, respect and equality. You can't just ignore recommendations from a Chapter 9 institution," said Mostert.Independent children's rights consultant Carol Bower, another complainant to the commission, said the church's response was "laughable"."This is a secular democracy so it does not matter what any religious text says," she said...