Religious instruction: How to instruct your child in the Lord without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have values. This is a common goal for parents to have. However, most Christian parents in particular think that they have to beat a good set of values into children. The fact of the matter is that there are better ways to instruct your child in the Lord than using punitive measures on them.

God's Law on child discipline, including religious instruction, is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This first stanza of this commandment states that religious instruction should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child, including to stop "beating the devil out of them". However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This stanza of this commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christians in the parish at Ephesus for bringing into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this stanza of this commandment was received as a ban on all offenses as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men. 

There is no reason to "beat the devil out of them" in Christian parenting. Religion is a human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is better translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible. Paul here was referring to religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for more of the same. Fathers then said to children, "you can ask me anything about that book". From there, religious instruction came in the form of question and answer, with children being curious about Scripture, and with fathers giving pointers on the context. 

Religion is a human need for both adults and children alike. Children may be born atheist, but they usually find religion at some point, in most case around age 6. Children may not find the same values that you do in the Bible, but it is good for children to have a set of values to live by. 

Many Christian parents rush their child's religious development, fearing that their child will grow up to not have values. One example of this is forcing grateful postures onto children. Grateful postures are simply a sign of good religious development. I tie my hands behind my back whenever I am out and about in public, and no parent ever made me. My parents only wished that I believed in something, and did not raise me in a religion. I was instead abused by the parent lobby ideology. 

Religious child abuse consists of imposing your Christian values onto children, with the child then perceiving offense from such religious entitlement. Religious entitlement is denoted in the New Testament by the Greek root word πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and refers to a specific form of parental entitlement involving, officially speaking, wanting children to have the same religious beliefs as you, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, any time you force your religious beliefs onto your child, you are a religious abuser of children. Most of us at Christian conservatives simply want children to choose a set of values and live by them. If a conservative parent is pushy about religion, they are abusers just for forcing religion onto their children.

For the first 6 years of childhood, the child should stay at home with mothers, while the man of the house prays for his family under church steeple. Children are bound to want to try out a church on their own at some point, after finding God with a Bible left out in the house. Children should not be forced to attend church with their parents. Instead, they should be allowed to attend their own church when they get older. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for stronger laws against child abuse

Most parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. However, God's Law is above the law of the land. The Bible has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement in the Bible is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement consists of a parent who is sorely disappointed when they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. A parent is deserving of absolutely nothing in relation to children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. When this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by a child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse. See also Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive measures on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting any offenses as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. If a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell on the parents of the atheist child, for the parents of the atheist child presumably being too hard on their child. An atheist, in the Early Church, was seen as an abused child, not a "lost soul" who needs to be "won over". 

The ancients in the Bible also had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" in the New Testament is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage being equal in nature. In order for the marriage to be equal, the bride had to be the same age as the groom, or else up to 4 years older than the groom. All intergenerational marriages were banned in the Early Church, as was any sexual relations with a child. Most child sexual abuse then came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the target. Most fathers then masturbated righteously to thoughts of their daughters, in a manner that purged the unrequited desires. Child sexual abuse was rare in the biblical context, meaning it almost never happened. When it did happen, it was a huge moral outrage, with child sexual abuse being a capital offense in the Old Testament.

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. Usually, this investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were subpoenaed to appear before a council of 3 church elders for a trial. If the parents got defensive about their parenting choices, as opposed to answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. The Bible was written by anti-spanking Jews, with Jewish law prohibiting anything punitive with a child, then and now. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals, with all of these parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod of correction in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes, in a courtroom setting, as a sentence for crime. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s. 

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian family values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are largely based off of biblical teaching. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense for punishing children is based off of dated Christian teaching. We now know the Truth about spanking and other forms of punishment of children - it is prohibited in the Bible. It is about time that all legal defenses for punitive parenting be repealed, and the child abuse definitions - under both state and federal law - be expanded to include any abuse as perceived by the child.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss, which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torrents, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Child discipline: How to discipline your child without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have discipline. This is a common goal amongst American parents. Most American parents discipline their children. However, most parents equate discipline with punishment. However, there are better ways to discipline your child than by punishing them.

God's Law on child discipline is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This first stanza clarifies for the second that discipline should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul in this first stanza was convicting a few Greek Christian parents in the parish who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions onto children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this stanza of this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting all offenses as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The second stanza of this commandment spells out what discipline is acceptable, with the first stanza ruling out anything punitive with a child. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a specific type of nurturing, namely of the teaching type. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, including any discipline or self-control in children. When children showed these behaviors, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for more of the same. Christian parents in the Early Church set a good example for children to follow, but with this example being backed up by praise and encouragement, as opposed to punishment or force. Children also need religious instruction, as religion is a human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is better translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible. The Apostle Paul here was discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to keep up the good work, with fathers then saying to children "you can ask me anything about that book". From there, religious instruction came in question and answer format, with children being curious about Scripture, and with fathers giving pointers on the context. This commandment refers here to the Hebraic tradition of positive reinforcement, meaning catching children being good and praising them. This tradition of positive reinforcement predates Christ by thousands of years.

Sometimes, you need to set a limit with your child. However, children accepting set limits is a whole other story. Whenever a child cannot accept a set limit, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology for hurting their feelings with your limit. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, namely in the form of an informal apology. However, if you set a limit out of anger or haste, you should give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger.

Parent anger at children in the Early Church was not acceptable as motivation for parenting. Instead, parents then were motivated by worry or concern. Anger at a child was seen then as akin to a viper striking out at its prey - maybe the child was given a warning, but that's about it.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let then be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Defiance: Why not to punish your defiant child

Many parents have been there. A child is acting defiant, oftentimes at the most inopportune of times. This is a common and normal situation that most parents find themselves in. Most American parents punish their children for defiance. However, defiance is not intended as anything personal coming from a child. They just cannot accept a set limit. 

God's Law on punishing children for defiance is spelled out in Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your defiant child, or even stop punishing your defiant child for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. One reason why children's feelings are hurt is when they cannot accept a set limit coming from a parent. This form of hurt feelings in children often comes in the form of defiance. Defiance, in most cases, comes in the form of forceful tears. This defiance in children comes from a child not being able to accept a set limit. Thus, when children are defiant towards you, you need to avoid offense in children by being willing to meaningfully apologize for hurting their feelings with limits that they cannot accept. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of an informal apology, for hurting your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting all offenses in children, as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Punishing your child was not received well by your average 1st Century Christian. Anything punitive ytowards a child was seen then as pagan in origin, and was shunned by Christians as such. The Early Christians were not, in fact, well integrated into Rome. The Early Christians lived in impoverished ghettos, and shunned the outside Greco-Roman world, winning over new believers by way of invitation only. 

Any parent anger directed towards a child was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Most Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger, but instead were motivated by worry or concern. Whenever a parent even lost their cool on church grounds with their children, the whole church turned on them, and they were swiftly excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. Parent anger at children was seen as a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child got a warning, but that was about it.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Adult attraction to children: Individual responsibility for adults attracted to children

Many adults are rightly concerned about children being sexually abused. Most adults, however, pin responsibility somewhere else, or else to a person being stopped if they show a threat to children. This is called collective responsibility. However, the fact of the matter is that every single adult is individually responsible for the primary prevention of child sexual abuse, as any old adult could sexually abuse a child under the right/wrong conditions.

The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations outside of the context of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage being equitable in nature. A Christian marriage then was deemed equal, thus acceptable, when the bride was the same age as the groom, or else up to 4 years older. Intergenerational marriage was banned in the Early Church, and this is the context where we can understand what fornication objectively is. Children were not considered "insel-persons" in the Early Church, but instead were considered full human beings that were vulnerable in their nature.

Most child sexual abuse happens in sexually repressive environments where an adult man does not take care of his sexual needs in relation to children. Most child sexual abuse is committed as a form of father-daughter incest, with the father having sexual lusts for his daughter to the point of physical pain in the stomach. Most sexual attraction in a domestic household happen in the form of a criss-cross, with the attractions between father and daughter being mutually unrequited. However, sexual attractions in daughters exists only in her masturbatory fantasies, and only before she reaches the onset of puberty. We as a species, in terms of our nature, are glorified apes. 

Most adults do not masturbate to sexual thoughts of children enough, and that is what leads to a sexual narcissist in the adult in question. When this sexual narcissist is ejected onto the nearest child, it becomes child sexual abuse. The key is to masturbate whenever necessary to thoughts of the first child that comes to mind. Usually, for most fathers, this entails sexual fantasy about his daughter.

In Israel, the Jewish teaching of righteous pedophilia is widely practices. This does not mean men can sexually abuse a child, as the age of consent in Israel is 17. However, whenever a father sexually fantasizes about his daughter, he turns it into a joke. Some more orthodox fathers might instead be a man of few words about his fantasies about his daughters, but the issue of adult attraction to children exists on the surface, and most people know when they are talking to an abuser - the abuser is instead evasive in a skittish way. I myself am required as a Christian to masturbate to thoughts of children, as an amendment to my theology, but I cannot disclose a fantasy in story format. I instead have to abbreviate my fantasies or else give entirely in secret. 

In the Early Church, pedophilia was a surface-level issue, not something hidden in darkness. Whenever an adult admitted to sexual thoughts of children, they were given help and accommodation. Usually, all the adult needed was someone to talk out their desires with. Pedophilia then was not seen then as something shameful to admit - the admission was seen as a cry for help. Some pedophiles even attained the status of clergy, where they could convict the parents of their parenting flaws. 

A pedophile is not an anger packet directed towards a child. A pedophile is a human being with a sexual preference for children under age 14. Pedophilia involves arrested sexual development in terms of age-based sexual attraction. A pedophile starts out as a child attracted to children their own age, but as they grow older chronologically, their attractions stay the same in terms of age. Most pedophilia exists in the context of moderate-severe autism. If you see a man with autism get along naturally with children, think pedophile. Most adults with autism find children to be "too noisy" or "too chaotic". A pedophile usually is a burial ground for knowledge about children. Their whole world revolves around children, usually despite themselves having little to do with children. 3 out of 4 pedophiles have never sexually abused a child, with pedophiles making up 1-2% of the male population. Most child sexual abuse has nothing to do with pedophilia, and when it does have something to do with pedophilia, it usually does not involve any intent to harm. Most pedophilic adults who sexually abuse children are curious about what children look like naked. 

I myself have a history of sexually abusing children. I usually committed street harassment against children. I did not intend harm towards my victims, but instead was curious about their bodily attributes. I also committed sexual assault by the feminist understanding of the term, in my grandparents' attic with a cousin, meaning I freshened up the sides of her budding breasts. I was found not guilty by the police after a children's rights test was performed on me, because my writings showed that I did not intend harm to my cousin. I was initially accused of rape, and my cousin was accused of being a rape victim in relation to me. An uncle lodged a false and fraudulent prediction that I'd go on a string of rapes starting with a cousin. But, what I did, in and of itself, is inappropriate and sexually abusive. I deserve prison for what I did. My motive involved lack of understanding of boundaries, with most pedophiles instead knowing the boundaries in relation to children. I was an atheist at the time of my offenses, but now I know Christ and accept Him as my Savior, with God wanting me to avoid giving a child sexual attention. 

The depraved and decadent, defiled adults who rape or sexually offend against a child will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into torrents of Hell-fire prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent! 

"Spare the rod, spoil the child": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents think it is acceptable to physically punish a child. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents cite the Bible to justify their choice to use physical punishment, usually by arguing the phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child". This phrase points to 6 verses in the book of Proverbs that mention the rod of correction. However, the rod of correction was never used in the Old Testament for purposes of parenting, and instead was a form of judicial corporal punishment.

One popular rod verse for parents to cite is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 

The Hebrew word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew word translated "rod" is shebet and refers to, in the context of the book of Proverbs, to the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage, and those like it, ultimately refer to the 40 minus 1 lashes, applied to the bare back of an adult son, in the context of a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. Striking a fellow Jew was prohibited under Jewish law except in the context of a courtroom, and striking a minor Jew was prohibited regardless. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish fathers would refuse to administer the blows that he was deputized by the court to impose.

All 6 verses that mention the rod of correction are repealed verses. Christ did away with the harsh punishments of the Old Testament with His Work on the cross. Christ endured the 40 minus 1 lashes from the Romans before being nailed to the cross. Thus, because Christ endured physical punishment unjustly, the Early Christians shunned all corporal and capital punishment of anyone.

The Bible does not speak of any "biblical spanking". The rod verses in Proverbs do not refer to any sort of Christian parenting, but instead refers to judicial corporal punishment. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology to your child whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage ultimately was received as prohibiting all offenses towards children, as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals, with all of these parenting manuals advocated attachment parenting. Among these biblical writers writing attachment parenting manuals was King Solomon. King Solomon recommended intense closeness for the first 6 years of childhood, with children then wanting to please their parents in an affectionate way.

Anger at children alone was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Most parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger, but instead were motivated by worry or concern. Christian parents in the Early Church were prohibited from having parent anger at their children. The only place where parents were allowed to ger angry was in the context of protecting their children from interlopers. Anger at a child then was seen as akin to a viper - maybe the child got some warning, but that's about it.

The Apostle Paul was a child advocate, meaning he was not a strongman in most cases. Paul was a very emotional man, and could cry at the drop of a hat. However, he became a strongman when advocating for children. Paul wrote many parenting manuals to many Christian parishes, all advocating attachment parenting. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Hebrews 12:5-6: Why this passage is not a pro-spanking passage

Many parents support the use of corporal punishment in parenting. Many times, parents cite Scripture as their excuse for spanking their child, with the passages cited consisting of a few verses in the book of Proverbs, as well as a passage in the book of Hebrews. However, the core of the pro-spanking argument rests on Hebrews 12:5-6. But, this verse has nothing to do with any "biblical spanking", but instead refers to enduring hardship.

God's Word on trials and tribulations is spelled out in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

This passage, when understood correctly, is comforting to me. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it. This sort of language is known as "rod language". When a Christian in the Early Church got home from a long day at work, he instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the Heavens and whip His children. But, God does punish His children, like only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of His children that He loves the most. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, whereas earthly parents only punish their children when it does, in fact, harm them. The Apostle Paul here was comforting the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome. 

The Bible nowhere speaks of any "biblical spanking". God does not want His Parenting methods used by earthly parents, as earthly parents might get it wrong. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, when you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase translating roughly to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage was ultimately received in the Early Church as prohibiting all offenses in children, as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

A staple punishment in the broader Greco-Roman world consisted of an open-handed spanking to the bare bottom. This sort of punitive parenting was seen by the Early Christians as pagan in nature, and was shunned as such. A few Greek Christian parents did punish their children this way, but Paul would have none of it, convicting the Greek Christian parents in question of their offenses against their children.

Any parent anger directed towards a child in the Early Church was seen as entitlement. Most parents in the Early Church did not have an entitled parental backbone. Instead, Christian parents in the Early Church were motivated by worry or concern. Anger at a child in a parent was instead seen as akin to a viper striking out against its prey - maybe the child was given a warning, but that was about it.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!