Father's day: The duties of fathers in Christian households

Today is father's day. Most people are buying something special for their father. The concept of father's day originated with the popular understanding of the Fifth Commandment. The Fifth Commandment is widely interpreted as commanding parental rights. However, the Bible as a whole speaks of duties of fathers, not rights of fathers. 

In a Christian household, mothers serve as the nurturers, and fathers serve as disciplinarians. However, discipline does not equal punishment. Ultimately, discipline came in the form of nurturing of a teaching type. See 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 clarifies for the second that fatherly 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 for fathers to stop spanking their children. However, it is not enough for fathers to stop spanking their children, or even stop punishing their child altogether for that matter, as a father. 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 a child, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever 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 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 in the parish at Ephesus who brought 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 at the parish at Ephesus as prohibiting all offenses or damages 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. 

Fathers have a duty to discipline their children. However, the first stanza of this commandment clarifies for this second stanza that fatherly discipline should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a certain specific form of nurturing, namely of the teaching sort. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in their children, such as discipline or self-control. When children showed these good traits, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for more of the same. Christian parents then set a good example for their children to follow, but backed it up with praise and encouragement, not punishment or force. The Bible also charges fathers to instruct their children in the Lord. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is more aptly translated as "instruction", with the Apostle Paul here discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for a child to discover and explore, with the Bible being left open to a reassuring verse. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to keep on studying the Bible, with fathers then interjecting "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. This stanza of this commandment refers to the Hebraic tradition of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement, as a tradition, predates the coming of Christ by thousands of years, and is practiced in Jewish homes even today. 

Contrary to popular legend, fathers did not sexually correct their children in the Early Church/  The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia)  and refers in this context to sexual relations with children, meaning usually daughters. Fathers in the Early Church rarely sexually abused their children. Instead, they masturbated righteously on occasion to sexual thoughts of their children. Usually, in the case of a father-daughter fantasy, the daughter wanted to know what the father of the house fantasized about - she usually got a good laugh about it. Pedophilia and sexual attraction to children was kept on the joke level. Child sexual abuse was at a level where children could easily make an accusation against their abuser, and then be believed. Unlike today, child sexual abuse today was not at the gaslighting level. It is a myth that Christian fathers in the Early Church literally raped their children when they were becoming unmanageable in relation to mothers. 

Fathers also set limits in Christian homes in the Early Church. However, children accepting limits was another story. Even then, children oftentimes protested the limits of their fathers, usually through crying or tantrumming. When a child could not accept a set limit, they were reassured with an informal apology that communicated good intent to children. Children usually forgave their parents, and if they didn't, it was seen as a sign of trauma. 

Fathers in the Early Church nurtured their families, and also protected them. Fathers protected their families then by standing guard using a rod and staff, namely a sepulchre. A father's sepulchre served both as menace, and a means to beat interlopers to a pulp when they posed a threat to his family. However, fathers in the Early Church were usually warm and kind, in a gruff and encouraging manner, yet still were in charge. Husbands were prohibited from beating their wives even then, with the man of the house instead overpowering anyone who might harm or infiltrate his family. 

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 expanding child abuse definitions

Many parents believe that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of child abuse. 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 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 the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing in relation to 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. 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 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 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 sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting all offenses or damages 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 on the parents, meaning never 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 prohibits any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with the marriage having to be equitable in nature. Ultimately, a Christian man was only allowed two sexual outlets - with his wife, or else righteous masturbation without pornography. Anything outside of these narrow outlets was seen as fornication, including any sexual relations with a child. Most child sexual abuse then came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual targets. Fathers usually masturbated on occasion to thoughts of their children, meaning usually their daughters. Fathers were even allowed to be honest with their daughters about their fantasies, as long as he was a man of few words about it. Child sexual abuse was rare in the biblical context, meaning next to non-existent. Whenever a child was sexually abused by an adult, it was a huge moral outrage. 

Child abuse was prosecuted by way of an internal church investigation. This investigation usually started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were summoned to appear before a council of 3 elders, who would decide the fate of the parents. If the parents at all defended their parenting choices, as opposed to answering to the court, they were swiftly 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 no Jew worth mentioning ever endorsing punitive 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 instead to the 40 minus 1 lashes. It just so happens that the attachment parenting manuals in the biblical context 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 under the English common law are largely based off of biblical teaching. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense is based off of dated theology. It is about time we repeal the pro-spanking legal defenses in out legal codes, and expand the definitions of child abuse to include anything that 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!

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

Many parents spank or punish their children. Most American parents support the use of corporal punishment in parenting. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, most American parents need an attitude adjustment in this regard. The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere condones or commands any spanking of a child.

The phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child" is nowhere directly mentioned in the Bible. However, 6 verses in the book of Proverbs refer to the rod of correction. With that said, nowhere does the Bible refer to domestic corporal punishment. One popularly cited rod verse 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 here to a mature adult son. The Hebrew word translated "rod" is shebet and refers to, in the book of Proverbs, to the rod of correction, in the form of a switch. Ultimately, the rod verses in Proverbs refer to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered in a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. It was unlawful then to strike another Jew except in a courtroom setting, with striking a minor child being prohibited in all settings. The reason for this commandment is that, otherwise, the father would refuse to whip his son. The father was deputized by the court to administer the blows in the courtroom.

Christ died on the cross in order to repeal the harsh punishments in the Old Testament. Christ ultimately prohibited corporal punishment entirely by suffering the 40 minus 1 lashes before being nailed onto the cross. Nowhere are the rod verses repeated in the New Testament, with Heb. 12:5-6 referring to trials and tribulations headed the way of believers. 

The Bible nowhere speaks of a "biblical spanking". However, the Bible does touch on the issue of spanking, 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 simply stop spanking your child, or 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 when hurting a child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, 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 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 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 ultimately was received as prohibiting all offenses or damages 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.

The writers of all 88 books of the Bible wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. All of the biblical writers were anti-spanking Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever endorsing corporal punishment of a child, or anything punitive with a child for that matter. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual. 

Spanking was never truly a Christian concept, but instead came from European influence on the Christian faith. Spanking was a facet of pagan parenting in the broader Greco-Roman world. Contrary to popular belief, the Early Christians were not well-integrated into Rome, and instead lived in urban ghettos, shunning the outside world. The Early Christians were otherworldly Christians, and saw themselves as citizens of the Kingdom of God. One of the things shunned as of this world was spanking a 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 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 so-called "right" of parents to spank their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents cite 5 verses in Proverbs and 1 passage in Hebrews as their "proof" that spanking is biblical. However, the binding passage in the New Testament for this argument is in Hebrews 12:5-6. But, this argument surrounding Heb. 12:5-6 ultimately stands on shaky ground. There is no such thing as a biblical spanking, as that teaching is mad-made. Heb. 12:5-6 ultimately refers to trials and tribulations from God toward His children that He loves the most.

God's Word on trials and tribulations is spelled out 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. This sort of metaphor is called rod language. When you came home from a long day at work as a Christian then, you instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally come down from the Heavens and whip His children. However, God does punish His children, like only He can, with trials and tribulations being sent to the children that He loves the most. But, 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. This passage was intended as comfort for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

There is no such thing as a "biblical spanking". 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 is not enough to stop spanking your child, 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 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 children 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 that roughly translates 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 forms of offenses or damages 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. 

In the broader Greco-Roman world, the staple punishment from parents was spanking to the bare bottom with an open hand. However, it is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into broader Greco-Roman society. Instead, they were ghettoized into major cities, and shunned the outside world, being otherworldly in their theology. 

Parent anger directed towards a child then was completely prohibited under Christian law in the Early Church. Most parents in the Early Church were instead motivated by worry or concern, with the only anger being allowed in parenting being protective anger. Anger at a child then was seen then as akin to a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child got warning before the attack, 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.

Abortion: Why abortion is bad for women (and benefits men)

Abortion is a hot-button topic. Most on the far-left support abortion as a woman's right. Most women don't know what an abortion entails, and swear by it as a form of "empowerment". However, if a woman only knew what an abortion is, she wouldn't get one.

Abortion is banned in the Bible in the Ten Commandments. See Exodus 20:13 KJV:

Thou shalt not kill.

The Greek root word repeating the Sixth Commandment is φονος (Latin: phonos) and refer to, in context, any death apart from natural death, with this including abortion. This word lifts up the context on the issue of taking human life, and bans abortion. Abortion was also banned in the Old Testament. Abortion in the biblical context consisted of an herbal tea that induced a miscarriage. Abortion, even today, is a medically induced miscarriage. Whenever an act of fornication got a woman pregnant in an unplanned manner, the father of the baby was charged with fornication, meaning the Greek root word πορνεία (Latin: porneia). Abortifacient herbs that induced miscarriage were also treated as intoxicants, and were prohibited by the Greek root word μεθυσος (Latin: methusos). The only reason why abortion isn't mentioned in the Old Testament is because no abortifacient herbs grew in Ancient Israel, and when they were shipped in, they were stopped at the border. 

Abortion isn't a way of a woman controlling her own body. An unborn child is a body within the mother's body. and carries the genes of both the mother and the father, with this being the case from conception. An unborn child is therefore a human life in and of his/herself. 

Abortion is a rare procedure in today's world. Most women oppose abortion for themselves, but not for other women. However, abortion is often used to cover up incidents of sexual immorality, and takes all paternal responsibility away from the father. Abortion is a free pass for men to cowardly not man up and be a father. All a man has to do to prevent abortion is to keep it in his pants.

Many people, even among pro-lifers, support abortions in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother. However, abortion takes away the consequences and evidence of rape or incest. Even in the case of life of the mother, usually the mother is under the age of consent and thus men should simply not get young girls pregnant. Fathers always benefit from an abortion, if he wants to evade paternal responsibilities. All he has to do is keep it in his pants, and save himself for marriage, and then he wouldn't have to worry about paying for child support.

In the Early Church, abortion was banned in all cases. Even when the mother died in childbirth, the father usually stepped up to the plate and raised the child all by himself. He even lactated for his newborn child, and did not stop lactating until the child refused the nipple. Men can nurture if the child is his own. They just can't do it as well as the mother can. 

One compelling argument for abortion "rights" is the case of a pregnancy abuser, where a man frequently impregnates his wife to quarter her in a servile marriage. However, that almost always is code for rape, in which case the father should be arrested for marital rape.

Only God can take a life. Being pro-life does not mean simply being pro-birth. In order to be pro-life for the whole life, you need to oppose all taking of a human life, from the womb to the tomb. The Bible prohibits all death apart from natural death. Even if it was an accident, you better own up to it. The Bible also prohibits the death penalty, suicide, or murdering in war, just to name a few instances where the taking of a human life is morally unacceptable. The Greek root word repeating the Sixth Commandment is φονος (Latin: phonos) and refers to any death apart from natural death. 

The Bible also calls for Christians to support a safety net, as whatever you don't do for the poor and the vulnerable, you don't do for Christ (see Matt. 25:31-46). The Early Christians has a church tax that was enforced on all church parishioners. No man went hungry in the Early Church, as the church tax gave him free money to buy food as he saw fit. Today, that church tax can be replaced with a sales tax that, in turn, replaces the income tax, thus abolishing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). We will all be judged on how charitable we are, and opposing a safety net is opposing the poor and the vulnerable, with God standing by the poor and the vulnerable. I myself rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and I am grateful to God for the money coming from the government, as I don't deserve it. SSI should be the only permanent income coming from the government, and should only be there when you need it  However, an actual safety net involves eliminating expenses on basic necessities such as daycare and healthcare, and when that happens, families have more money to spend on what they want to spend on, saving money in the long run. I support a social safety net that benefits all human beings, from the womb to the tomb. 

The depraved and entitled mothers who murder their unborn children in the womb, and all who aid and abet, will be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent!

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

Many parents believe that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of child abuse. This is a common attitude 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 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 the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing in relation to 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 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 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 for hurting 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 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 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 any offenses or damages 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.

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients 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 in the Early Church was seen as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won over". Atheism in victims of child abuse was seen as an outcome, not a choice.

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, in sum, any sexual relations with another person outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with the marriage needing to be equal in terms of the ages of the participants. The groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Intergenerational marriages were banned in the Early Church. Flirting with children was also banned then. Most child sexual abuse then came in the form of father-child incest, with most fathers instead engaging in masturbatory fantasy about his child that he was attracted to, including his own daughter. Child sexual abuse then was rare, meaning next to non-existent. Whenever a child was sexually abused, the whole family was outraged, and sided with the child.

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 summoned to appear before a council of 3 church elders, who would decide the fate of the parents. If the parents were defensive at all about their parenting, they were swiftly excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God, just for their entitlement alone.

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 the punitive treatment of a child. 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, 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 values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even the bulk of our legal codes under the English common law are based off of biblical teaching. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time we repeal the pro-spanking defenses under state law in all 50 states, and expand upon the child abuse definition based off of the proper biblical teaching - meaning anything 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!

Temper tantrums: Why temper tantrums are not bad behavior in children

Many parents have been there. A child kicking and screaming in full temper tantrum mode. This is a common and normal behavior in children. However, most American parents punish their children merely for temper tantrums. The fact of the matter is that temper tantrums are not bad behavior. Punishing a child for temper tantrums alone is child abuse.

God's Law on child abuse is spelled out in Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your child 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 the 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 give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. One expression of hurt feelings in children is a temper tantrum. There are two main reasons for a child throwing a temper tantrum. Reason number one is a child petitioning for a vulnerable need, and when you refuse to respond to the cries of children in this context, you offend your child. Another reason why children throw temper tantrums is due to parents setting a limit that the child cannot accept. The idea is to give children 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 a child's feelings are hurt by limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limits for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child, including when a child is throwing a temper tantrum, 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 alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Temper tantrums, when thrown in order to advocate a need, require the parents to meet said need, and if they refuse to, a formal apology is in order, such as "I apologize for not listening to you earlier". 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", including 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 a prohibition on all offenses or damages 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.

For the first 6 years of childhood, children cry frequently in order to advocate for a vulnerable need. Most of the time, children cried then due to separation anxiety, meaning a morbid fear that mom would "go away and never come back", in which case parents should reassure children of their presence. Under customary law, children were seen as having five basic categories of needs; food, water, shelter, transportation, and attachment - with the greatest of these needs being attachment!

Sometimes, children throw a temper tantrum when a parent declines a petitioned want. In this case, parents are to apologize for hurting their child's feelings. In most cases, children will forgive you for hurting their feelings. If they don't forgive you, you have officially traumatized them. 

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!