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

Many parents use the Bible as an excuse for punishing children. This is common belief that is spread by pro-spanking pastors and priests. Most clergypersons cite several Bible verses out of context. The teaching of "biblical spanking" is held together by the passage in Heb. 12:5-6. The fact of the matter is that this passage has nothing to do with earthly parenting. Instead, it has to do with enduring hardship.

God's Word on enduring hardship is stated in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

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

When interpreted correctly, this passage can be comforting to me. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it. This sort of figurative language is known as "rod language", meaning that when you had a long day at work, you instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the heavens and whip His children. However, God punishes His children, like only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of His children whom 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 harm them. This passage was written to the Hebrew Christians to reassure them in their persecution from Rome.

God never intended for His Parenting strategies to be used by earthly parents. The Bible does not discuss any sort of biblical spanking. 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, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. It is one thing to stop spanking children. However, it is not enough to stop spanking or punishing children. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt the feelings of another, especially in the case of children. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents when children cannot accept a limit not set our 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 should definitely give a meaningful apology for hurting their 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 losing your cool with your child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This is commandment cross-references the Eighth and the case. Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christians who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", including the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. 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 staple punishment for children in Ancient Greece was spanking to the bare bottom. Parents in the Early Church were punishing children and claiming such acts to be "Christian". Paul would have none of it in the churches that he oversaw as deacon. He convicted the Greek Christians of their pagan parenting custom, and then they had no choice but to conform to the norm of the church.

Parenting in the Early Church was not based off of anger. Instead, Christian parents in the Early Church set limits out of worry or concern. Worry or concern was what motivated parenting then. Anger at children then was seen as akin to a viper striking out at an unsuspecting child. Maybe the child was given a warning, but not by much. 

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!

 

Redefining child abuse: Why the Bible calls for stronger laws against child abuse

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions. However, the Bible has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement 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 children don't give them what they feel that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards a child is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever 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 to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards children. 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 - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt someone's feelings, including in the case of children. Usually all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent when children cannot accept a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limits for Y reasons". But, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including when setting a limit, you definitely need to give a formal apology to your child for hurting their 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 losing your cool with your 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 punishment of children. 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 here 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, it was seen as a sign of trauma, not merely a case of a "lost soul" worth "winning over". 

The ancients in the Bible even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual advances towards a child, including when perceived by a child. Most child sexual abuse then was committed by parents, even in the case of sodomy against young boys. In the case of female victims, fathers usually acted on a sexual attraction to his daughter. Most men then knew to masturbate to sexual attractions to children. Child sexual abuse then was rare, meaning next to non-existent.

Child abuse then was prosecuted by way of a church investigation into a child's home life. This usually started when a child confided into a clergyperson about experiencing child abuse when at home. The elders of the church then subpoenaed the parents to testify before the council. If the parents defended their abusive conduct at all, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever endorsing punitive measures in parenting. Each writer of the Bible, as well as Christ Himself, wrote parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual for the little ones, with the rod of correction referring to a sentence for a crime, namely the 40 minus 1 lashes.

America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context in order to know how to behave and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are based off of the Bible. It just so happens that the parenting manuals in the biblical context were not translated into English until the 1960s.

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!

Back talk: How to deal with back talk in children

Many parents have been there. A child talking back. Most children talk back at some point in their childhood. Most children who talk back to parents are punished for it. However, there are better ways to deal with a defiant child, with these methods found in the Bible. The Bible deems all punishment of a child, including for back talk, to be a form of child abuse.

God's Law on child abuse is stated 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, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. The key behind not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt the feelings of another, especially in the case of children. One way that children's feelings are hurt is if they cannot accept a limit. This is when children, in many cases, talk back. The idea behind responding to back talk is to give a meaningful apology for setting a limit. Usually, all that is necessary in parenting is a reassurance of good intent, 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 when setting a limit, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting their feelings such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit to never losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool alone with a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This passage implies the fact that all punishment of a child is sin. 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 term roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions onto children, such as spanking or other punishment of children. 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.

In attachment parenting, in the context of the Early Church, children usually listened to their parents, not out of fear of punishment, but out of vulnerable trust in parents. Most limits were accepted in this way. But, when a child could not accept a limit, parents were quick to apologize. When children were given a meaningful apology, they always accepted it. Sometimes, the child needed some time in with mom to help them through disappointment, but they always accepted the apology of parents at some point. If they refuse to listen to a set limit past that point, do it for them, and quit your complaining in the process. If they are truly endangering themselves, such as running into the street, pick them up and hold them, whispering "don't scare me like that" into their ear. 

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!

Pedophilic children: How to accommodate your pedophilic child

Many parents have a fear of their child being abused by child predators. However, most parents don't even entertain the thought of their child being a pedophile. Most parents think that pedophilia is something a "dirty old man" has. However, pedophilia is a valid mental health label. Most pedophiles can be identified by the late teens - meaning while they are still children themselves. What should a parent do then? The disorder is actually not a big issue at all, meaning it is among the most treatable of all mental health disorders. 

What is pedophilia? A pedophile is not an anger packet lodged in the brain of an individual. A pedophile is a human being who has a sexual preference for children under age 14. Most pedophilia exists in the context of immature autism, meaning that pedophiles have a specialty in children in terms of knowledge and social preference. If you see a teenager with autism just get along with much younger children, think pedophile. Usually, the pedophile acts as a defense attorney on behalf of younger relatives when they first show themselves to the world. 

Being a pedophile is not a sin, meaning pedophilia in and of itself is not a moral crime. In the Early Church, pedophiles could admit to sexual attraction to children, usually when in need of help. It was not seen as shameful to admit. It was seen instead as a flaw to be used for good. Anyone with a sexual attraction to children could admit to pedophilia whenever they needed to, with the other person being a shoulder to lean on..

The hysteria surrounding pedophiles and pedophilia did not start with trauma survivors. The hysteria started with Pope Constantine issuing an ex cathedra statement banning the admission of sexual attraction to children, meaning "all friends disperse" when attraction to children was admitted. Also, anyone who defended a pedophile was lumped in with pedophiles, and was shunned as well. The pedophile hysteria was simply catered to by trauma survivors. However, they were trying to end the hysteria by way of smoke signals to oppose key false statements that they made about pedophiles and pedophilia. 

Pedophiles had to live by certain rules in the Early Church in order to be accepted. The Greek root word denoting sexual sin is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers not to mere sexual attractions, but to the general rule then that sexual relations was only allowed within the context of a Christian marriage. When a wife wasn't around, most adults masturbated to sexual thoughts, including thoughts of children. A man then had two acceptable sexual outlets - his wife and his own imagination. Masturbation without pornography was seen then as a purity ritual, meaning where you went instead of sexual relations outside of marriage. Righteous masturbation is what was practiced by biblical pedophiles, meaning they masturbated to sexual thoughts of children without pornography. It is a myth that the word πορνεία alone bans pedophilic fantasy. 

1 out of 4 pedophiles are guilty of child sexual abuse. Usually, this offense is committed out of bodily curiosity. That is why a pedophilic child should be given body positivity books to read and explore. I myself am a sex offender in past-tense, and I was curious about the children that I targeted, in terms of their bodily attributes. I myself mainly committed street harassment, but the curiosity about the child form was still there. I did freshen up my cousin on the side of her budding breast in my grandparents' attic. Most pedophiles who do sexually abuse a child, even when through rape, mean well in the context of their offenses. 

Most child sexual abuse is not committed by pedophiles. Most sexual offenses against children come to the perpetrator in the form of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Usually, his sex drive is not well cared for, and usually, he is left alone with a child. Most sex offenders hold back their sexual attraction to children until they can no longer, in which case it comes out onto the child like a ton of bricks. Your average child sex offender is not a pedophile, but instead are a plain old rapist. Many times, career abusers have many adult victims - usually women - before they dip down to child victims. 

Pedophilic disorder is the full textbook name for when pedophilia is clearly a mental disorder. In most cases, pedophiles hate themselves to the core, because they don't want to hurt a child. They think that they would sexually abuse a child, just for having a sexual preference for young children. That makes most pedophiles good people, not bad people. Most pedophiles are not a danger to children, with them, if anything, being a danger to themselves. Many pedophiles have a suicide plan for if they are found out. Once the pedophile accepts themselves, meaning learns to like their fantasies, their disorder is in remission. Some of us as pedophiles lacked the understanding of proper boundaries, which is another form of pedophilic disorder. Whenever pedophilia interferes with your life, or is acted upon, it is a mental illness. If you feel the need to seek out a therapist, you are mentally ill as a pedophile. The label of pedophilic disorder itself is only for billing purposes, and other than that, it is just a label to help clinicians understand the special needs of an individual. It should not be shameful to admit to mental health disorders of any kind, including pedophilia. 

Most pedophilia takes place in individuals with a moderate-severe case of autism. I myself am a pedophile with moderate autism. I can remember all the different facts about children, but I can't even be organized enough to make it through college. I have an IQ of 109, meaning I have a low average IQ. I can be verbose, but the specialty of my knowledge is in children. I am an ambivert, meaning I have no in-person friends, but would prefer to have a child as my friend. Apart from that, I am happy to be alone. Socializing is too much work for me, apart from a distant relationship such as on the Internet. But, if I was left with a child, I think I would know what to do. I have many acquaintances out and about, meaning waitresses remember me, but I prefer to keep my social interactions at that sort of distance. 

A pedophile can be diagnosed with the label as young as age 16, and can be identified even earlier. The pedophile grows up as a child into adulthood, but their sexual development stays arrested in time, in terms of age-oriented sexual preferences. 

The depraved and entitled parents who sexually shame their pedophilic child will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into torrents of Hell-fire prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent!

Crying: Why crying in children is not bad behavior

Many parents have had to deal with it. A crying child. Most all, if not all, parents have had their child cry, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere. However, the fact of the matter is that crying was not seen as bad behavior in the Early Church.

The Bible, as understood in context, calls for a secure bond between parent and child. See Colossians 3:20 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: as this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers here to surrender of a specific type - surrender to the loving arms of mothers especially. Ultimately, this commandment refers to a secure bond between parent and child within the family home. In a securely attached parent-child relationship, children naturally listen after the child turns 6. The context, when used as a guidepost, tells us how to form a secure bond with your child.

Whenever children cried in the Early Church, mothers swooped in to respond to the cries of her children, meaning she cooed before diagnosing the child's needs. This is because Christian parents in the Early Church knew then more than today's parents that crying out of nowhere always was the child's way of petitioning a vulnerable need to parents. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning wherever mom went, so did her child. For the first 2 years of childhood, children were constantly held, either in mom's loving arms, or else on mom's back in a papoose bag when her hands were full. Children in the Early Church went naked wherever they went, until the day they became an adult. Mothers also went naked within the context of the family home.

Customary law then understood children as having five basic categories of needs; food, water, shelter, transportation, and attachment - with the greatest of these needs being attachment! Most of the time, children cried due to separation anxiety, which was counted as an attachment need then. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were seemingly attached at the hip of mothers, crying whenever mom was out of their line of sight, morbidly fearing that mothers would "go away and never come back". 

Children, for the first 6 years of childhood, require around-the-clock care from mothers. Children cried for needs, and the mother cooed before diagnosing the need. Children then were seen as babies before turning age 6. When children turned age 6, they started to rebel not by defiance, but by insisting on doing thing on their own. Usually, they did work around the house in a way to please parents. Children wanted to be close to parents some of the time, and other times, they insisted on doing things on their own.

It is recommended that mothers stay home with their children for the first 6 years of childhood in their children. This is because going to work as a mother fulfills the child's worst fear of mothers going away and never coming back. Children usually cry for attachment needs, and that includes the loving presence of mothers. 

The depraved and entitled parents who punish their children for crying will not inherit the Kingdom of God! 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!

Child discipline: How to discipline your child without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have discipline. This is a common goal for parents. However, most American parents think that punishment equates to discipline. However, the fact of the matter is that there are better ways to discipline a child than punishing them. Catch them being good!

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, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to avoid spanking or other forms of punishment in parenting. You need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt the feelings of another, including in the case of children. Usually, all that is necessary in parenting is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, including when children cannot accept an ordinary limit not set out of anger. However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including when setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology to your child, and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool as a parent 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 was 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. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child 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 verse denotes 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 form of nurturing, namely of the teaching sort. Children were left to form their own discipline, and when they were caught in the act of showing discipline, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to keep up the good work. Christian parents in the Early Church set a good example for their children to follow, but backed it up with praise and encouragement, as opposed to punishment or force. Whenever a child showed preferred behaviors, they were lavishly praised and encouraged, every time. 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 referring here to religious instruction, and one of a specific sort that was light to the touch. Starting when children attained the age of 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 "you can ask me anything about that book". Children were curious about Scripture, and fathers were quick to give pointers on the context. This second stanza denotes the Hebraic parenting tradition of positive reinforcement, with positive reinforcement predating Christ by thousands of years. Christian parents in the Early Church caught their children being good, as opposed to catching them misbehaving. 

Sometimes, a parent needs to set limits. This only happened in the Early Church when absolutely necessary, such as when children were behaving in an unsafe or immoral manner. The word "no" only was used when children asked for things that were unsafe, unworkable, and/or immoral. However, children don't always accept limits being set for them. That is when parents backed up their limits with an apology, meaning usually a reassurance of good intent, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". When you lose your cool as a parent, you should give a formal apology along the lines of "I apologize for losing my cool. I was wrong in how I treated you", with you then making a commitment never to be angry at your child ever again. Normative Christian parenting in the Early Church was not motivated by anger, but instead by way of worry or concern.

Fathers in the Early Church did not sexually correct children with "hand-me-down-the-slate" gaslighting. However, fathers in the Early Church were attracted to their daughters, and they imprinted on their daughters by masturbating to thoughts of her. Young girls in the Early Church went naked wherever they went, with their nudity standing out to fathers for supervisory purposes. When fathers masturbated to thoughts of their naked daughter, he began to feel close to his daughter. Masturbation is how men imprint on children. Child sexual abuse was rare in biblical times, meaning it almost never happened apart from a few cases. Attraction to children was not shameful to admit in the Early Church, and the assumption coming from such an admission was that the father needed help in controlling his desires. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath 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!

Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for stronger child abuse legislation

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse. 

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement 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 being sorely disappointed when they don't get what they feet that they deserve from parents. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Even any parent directed towards a child was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by the 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 damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. 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 avoiding offense in other adults - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt the feelings of another. Usually, all that is necessary in parenting is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, such as when a child cannot accept a limit not set out of anger. However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting a limit, you definitely should give a formal apology to your child, and then commit to never losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your 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 ultimately translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment. 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 here to long-term damages, namely a child losing heart due to overly strict parenting. The ancients had a concept of childhood trauma in the Bible. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, it was seen then as a sign of trauma, not a sign of a "lost soul" in need of "saving". 

The ancients in the Bible even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual advances directed towards a child. Most child sexual abuse in the Early Church was committed by parents. Most fathers in particular were attracted to their daughters. Most fathers then masturbated to sexual thoughts of their children, especially their daughters. Righteous masturbation involves masturbation without pornography, meaning for health reasons. Intergenerational marriage was banned in the Early Church, with marriage only being allowed in the case of the couple both being of the same age, or else with the bride being 4 years older than the groom. Child sexual abuse was rare in biblical times, meaning next to non-existent. 

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of a church investigation. Usually, the investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about being abused by parents. Then, the parents were called to testify before the council, and if they were defensive at all, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever condoning the punitive treatment of a child. All of the biblical writers issued parenting manuals that recommended attachment parenting. Even King Solomon recommended attachment parenting for the little ones, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes. 

America is a Christian nation founded upon Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to behave and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are based off of Judeo-Christian values. It just so happens that the parenting manuals in the biblical context were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, we were totally in the dark as to how God wanted us to bring up children. 

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!