Childhood bipolar disorder: How to discipline your actively bipolar child

Many parents think that their child is simply a "bad kid" when they act oppositional and defiant. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, oppositional and defiant behavior, when severe enough, is a sign of childhood bipolar disorder. All they need is medication to be well. But, what does a parent do until then? The answer involves catching your bipolar child being good, and then praise them for it.

Child discipline is spelled out in the Bible 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.

Punitive measures do not work with children with bipolar disorder, with this being true about all children, but especially those suffering from bipolar disorder. 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 not to spank a bipolar child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking these children, or even stopping all punishment for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your bipolar child. 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 inevitable in all children when dealing with them, but especially children with bipolar disorder. 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 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, 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 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 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 ultimately was received as prohibiting 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.

There are ways to discipline your bipolar child without punitive measures. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a specific type of nurturing, coming from fathers, namely of the teaching sort. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, and when those behaviors showed in the child, the child was lavishly praised and encouraged to keep up the good work. The main preferred behavior then and now is/was self-control, meaning the bipolar child keeps it together, and then is praised for more of the same. This method of discipline works well with any child, but when a child has bipolar disorder, it is literally the only thing that works. A bipolar child literally cannot be stopped using punishment, and fights back when punished. But, they do respond to spontaneous praise when caught being good. Children with active bipolar disorder cannot internalize religious beliefs. Children are ready for religious learning only once stabilized, at their own pace.

Sometimes, children with bipolar disorder can't keep it together fully. In that case, you simply let it go, and keep them safe. However, if you praise them for keeping it together, they will work to gain your approval by keeping it together to the best of their ability. Punishment doesn't work with any child. But, with bipolar disorder, it is even more obvious that punitive measures don't work for such children. Most children simply hide their mistakes. Bipolar children actually fight back when punished.  

Children with bipolar disorder have their good days, and then they have their bad days. They are prone to keep it together some of the time, and other times, they want to keep it together but cannot. Whenever you see your bipolar child keep it together, praise them lavishly and encourage them to keep up the good work. They won't keep it together perfectly without medication, but they will be more likely to do the hard work of trying to keep it together.

Bipolar children cannot function fully without medication. If your child is acting disorderly and defiant to the extreme, your child is not a bad kid. Your child simply needs medicine for a brain disease. Most children benefit from mood stabilizers and/or antidepressants, starting in the teenage years. However, until then, children should be praised for keeping it together, as well as any other preferred behaviors that parents want to see; Children are not immune to mental illness. Any disorder found in adults can be found in children, including bipolar disorder, but also psychoses such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

I myself hold a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, with exclusively manic features. Punishment did not work at all to control me. I was punished for oppositional-defiant traits associated with my bipolar disorder. Most of my parents were looking for autistic behaviors, and ignored the fact that I had an emotional disturbance. I was suspended many times unjustly from school, when the behavior was a manifestation of my bipolar disability. Maybe a child with bipolar disorder does call out in school, but why fight that fight with them? Let them call out, and then when they do raise their hand, praise them for it. All you have to say is "Good work raising your hand this time. That's what we want." I was the schoolchild that would call out, then get kicked out of class, then fight the system. I ended up getting suspended for being defiant to the teacher. Why pick such fights with children? They are bound to raise their hand at some point, in which case you praise and encourage that behavior for more of the same. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their bipolar child 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 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 redefining 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 definition of child abuse. 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. It is about time our legal codes reflect this reality.

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 they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from their 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 seen as offensive or damaging by the child, 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 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 to your child whenever you hurt their 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 when you hurt 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 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 roughly translated 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 offense 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. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell onto the parents, and not the child. An atheist in the Early Church was seen as an abused child then, not a "lost soul" to be "won over". 

The ancients in the Bible even had an understanding of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" 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 the marriage being equal in nature. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Sexual relations with children were prohibited in the Early Church, including in the context of an intergenerational marriage. Most child sexual abuse then was directed towards the offender's child, usually in the case of daughters. Most men in the Early Church allowed themselves to masturbate righteously to sexual fantasies of his daughter. However, the possession of pornography on one's person was seen as a form of fornication in and of itself, including when children were depicted in the pornographic material. Child sexual abuse was rare in the biblical context, meaning next to non-existent. Whenever it happened, it was a huge moral outrage.

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, the 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. If the parents at all defended themselves in court, as opposed to answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God for their entitlement.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever endorsing punitive measures in parenting. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod of correction in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes, namely judicial corporal punishment of adult children as a sentence for a 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 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 largely come from biblical teaching. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and amend the child abuse definitions to define child abuse as whatever the child victim perceives as abuse. 

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!

Honor parents: Understanding the Fifth Commandment in context

Many parents feel entitled to being honored. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think that they deserve blind obedience in children. However, these parents need an attitude adjustment. No entity is deserving of blind obedience except God Himself. Honoring parents simply means taking care of parents as they age. 

The Fifth Commandment is stated in Exodus 20:12 KJV:

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,

The Hebrew word translated "honour" is kabad and refers to being a caregiver to another person, in this case an aging parent. The idea is to give parents the same loving care that you received as children. However, this only works if parents took care of you as a child. If your parents were abusive to you, you have the right to shun them, and only forgive them once they give a meaningful apology. If your parents were abusive to you, all you have to do is find a nursing home for them. This commandment seems commonsense, but there was an epidemic of elder abuse and neglect in the Old Testament.

A common motive for punitive measures in parenting is when parents feel "dishonored" and "disrespected". Most American parents punish their children for "disrespect". Some parents only punish their children for "disrespect". However, all punitive parenting is prohibited in the Bible, including in the case that children are "disrespectful" as seen by parents. 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 children. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your children, 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 should 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 children's feelings with a limit 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 as a child as a parent, including while setting limits, 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 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 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 ultimately was received as prohibiting all offense 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 Fifth Commandment does not prohibit speaking against parents. This commandment instead commands that children care for their aging parents. However, parents are obligated to treat their children with respect, and not punish them for anything. If they do not treat their children with respect, they can be shunned by an abused child of theirs.

I myself forgive my parents for abusing me. However, though I forgive, I don't forget. I only forgive them at all because they apologized. If your parents don't apologize to you genuinely, you do not have to forgiven them for abusing you. 

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!

Defiance: Why not to punish your child for defiance

Many parents think that defiant children deserve punishment. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think that their children are out to "undermine" them. However, defiance happens when a child cannot accept a set limit. Punishing children for defiance is a form of child abuse, and was seen as such in the Early Church.

God's Law on child abuse 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, including for defiance. However, it isn't enough to stop spanking your children, or even stop punishing your children 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 inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give meaningful apology whenever you hurt your children's feelings. One thing that hurts a child's feelings is when they cannot accept a set limit. One way that children express displeasure for set limits is through defiance. Defiance usually comes in the form of forceful tears. The key to dealing with defiance is to apologize to your child whenever you hurt their feelings with a limit that they cannot accept. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of a half-apology, when children cannot accept a limit 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 children 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 was ultimately received then as prohibiting any offense 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. 

Defiance is normal behavior in children. Most children have their moments when they defy their parents. This happens when a child cannot accept a set limit. They aren't out to get you. They just can't accept the limits that you set for them. This is when an apology is in order. If you simply set a limit, and weren't angry about it, a half-apology should suffice. However, if you are at all angry with your child when setting limits, you need to give a formal apology. Children always forgive, and if they don't, you have officially traumatized your child. 

Anger at a child alone in the Early Church was seen as a form of entitlement. Most Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger. Instead, Christian parents then were motivated by worry or concern. The Early Christians saw parent anger directed towards children as akin to a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child was given warning, but not quite. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will nor 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!

"Biblical spanking": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents think that the Bible supports, or even commands, the use of force in parenting. This is a common attitude coming from American parents. Most American parents cite the book of Proverbs for their pro-spanking "proof". However, the rod of correction in the book of Proverbs refers to judicial corporal punishment, not domestic corporal punishment.

One popular verse used to defend the corporal punishment of children is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he who 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 here to the rod of correction, namely a switch. However, striking another Jew outside of a courtroom setting was prohibited under Jewish law, with striking a minor child being prohibited even in a courtroom setting. The rod here refers to a form of judicial corporal punishment known as the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of an adult child, as a sentence for a crime. Minor children were not whipped at all. Fathers were deputized to whip his errant son whenever his son was found guilty of a capital offense, with the 40 minus 1 lashes being a final warning before the offender was put to death. The reason for this commandment is that, otherwise, fathers would refuse to whip their sons when their sons went afoul of the law.

The harsh punishments of the Old Testament are repealed by Christ's Work on the cross. Christ experienced corporal punishment unjustly, in the form of the 40 minus 1 lashes, before being nailed to the cross. The Early Christians shunned all corporal punishment under Roman law, or any corporal punishment for that matter. 

There is no such thing as a "biblical spanking". The Bible does not endorse a "biblical spanking" of any kind. 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 like 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 a half-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 losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with 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 translated 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 understood then as prohibiting any offense 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.

Corporal punishment of a child was seen by the Early Christians as a pagan custom of parenting that occasionally plagued the parishes of the Early Church. Whenever a parent defended even parent anger, the offender was excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. Contrary to popular belief, the Early Christians were not well integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban ghettos, and shunned the outside world.

Any parent anger directed towards a child was seen in the Early Church as entitlement, and was condemned widely as such. Most Christian parents in the Early Church instead were motivated by worry or concern, as opposed to an entitled backbone. Anger at children then was seen as akin to a viper lashing out at its prey. Anger at children then was seen as a predatory drive, meaning not a valid motive for 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 is not a pro-spanking passage

Many parents use the Bible as a means of insisting on their "right" of punishing children. Most American parents support spanking and other forms of punishment, citing the Bible as an excuse for abuse. The cornerstone passage used as "proof" that spanking and other forms of punishment are "biblical" is Hebrews 12:5-6. However, Heb 12:5-6 is not a pro-spanking passage, but instead is a reassurance for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

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 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, as is the case here. Whenever a Christian then came home from a long day at work, they instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the Heavens and whip His children. However, God does punish His children, as only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of His children that He cherishes the most. However, God only punishes His children when it doesn't cause harm, whereas earthly parents only punish when it does, in fact, cause harm. This passage was intended as reassurance for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

The Bible does not endorse punishment of any child, including in Heb. 12:5-6. God does not want His Parenting methods to be used by earthly parents, as they could get it wrong. However, the Bible does touch 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 not enough to stop spanking children, or even stop punishing your children 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, in the form of a half-apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with a limit 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 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 lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement then. 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 was ultimately received as prohibiting any offense 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 staple punishment in the Greco-Roman world for a child was an open-handed spanking to the bare bottom. Spanking then was seen in the Early Church as a pagan custom to be shunned. However, some Greek Christian parents were bringing into the church their punitive pagan parenting customs. Paul would have none of it, and wrote two passages to convict Greek Christians of their punitive parenting habits. See also Eph. 6:4, stanza 1. 

The Early Christians never whipped even the worst of moral offenders. This was because Christ Himself experienced the 40 minus 1 lashes unjustly before being nailed onto the cross. Christ died and Rose again on the Third Day in order to abolish the harsh punishments found in the Old Testament in their entirety. 

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 tougher laws against child abuse

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. Most parents today support the modern-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. However, God's Law is above the law of the land, and the Bible itself has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse. God's Law is the basis for most all of our legal codes, with Judeo-Christian values being the foundation of this country, and thus the child abuse definitions should be expanded, not narrowed.

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 from children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards children 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 then. 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 a half-apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with a limit 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 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 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 offense 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 here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell onto the parents, not the child. An atheist was seen in the Early Church as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won 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 to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, including any sexual relations with a child. Marriage then had to be between equals in terms of age, namely if the bride was the same age as the groom, or else up to 4 years older. Most child sexual abuse then happened in the case of father-daughter incest. Most fathers then masturbated righteously to the fantasy of his daughter, at least some of the time. However, all pornography was prohibited then even on the possession of the person, including that which depicted children. Child sexual abuse was rare in the Bible, meaning it was almost non-existent apart from a handful of cases that shocked Jewish society then.

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, 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. If the parents at all got defensive in court, instead of answering to the court, 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 anti-spanking Jews, with most Jews throughout history not endorsing anything punitive with a child. Each of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals, with these parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes of a wayward adult son, as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that the parenting manuals in the biblical context were not translated into English until the 1960s. 

The Bible is America's book. We as a country are founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society use the Bible in order to know how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are largely based off of the Bible. However, the legal codes on child abuse are based on dated biblical teaching. It is about time we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense and expand the legal definition of child abuse to include basically any abuse perceived by a child victim, in order to reflect more modern biblical teachings.

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!