Proper religious instruction for children: Why punishment isn't the answer

Many Christian parents seek to pass down the torch, and impart their faith values onto their children. Many pro-spanking parents say to force children to submit, in order to teach the faith to one's children. It is, in fact, the opposite - submit to the child, and her needs, with said child being an extension of God. Judge and jury. Chains and shackles. Leading to lightswitch being flipped.

The Bible states in Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first command with promise. That it may be well with thee. Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to surrender to parents, in the form of secure rest and attachment. It is an open, free attachment yet restricted in a warm, comfortable way, knowing one is safe. This surrender comes from an initial surrender to the child's need, convicting oneself of one's depraved, entitled parent nature, knowing that one is ignorant of what it is like to be a child, leading selfless, lawful, and judicial submission to their child, in the form of Christian love (GRK: αγαπαο), which refers to legal submission, in the form of providing custody, leads to needs being provided. This submission is denoted by the Greek root word υποτασσο (Latin: hupotasso), meaning a judicial, lawful form of submission, meaning you see your child as an adversary, due to the fact that you will never understand what it is like to be your child. 

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to discipline, from said child emulating discipline and non-entitlement exhibited in a parent, including directly towards the child as restraint. This also refers to teaching. Fathers then homeschooled their children (boys only) from age 6 until age 13. Discipline should be exemplary in terms of relation to children.

The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουσεία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to lawful yet non-binding instructions, meaning verbally correcting the child. Correction should be rare, with most childhood teaching being imparted in exemplary or literary format. What we are talking here is the occasional "I do not like at all what you did to get you suspended from school" leading to a talk. As children get older, you should need to correct their behavior less and less. 

Parenting in the Bible was attachment based, with children staying with their mothers up to age 6, and until age 12 with girls. Children ranged next to their mothers, freely but with supervision and gentle limits, meaning admonition by the biblical standard. Infancy lasted until age 3, and breastfeeding usually lasted until that age. Punishment was illegal except within the realm of due process under Jewish law, in which case trials were rare, and no child ever being punished for crimes against parents. Striking a child was kidnapping, in which case the punishment was death by hanging and bloodletting...

Punishment in the name of God and religious teaching is a form of parental entitlement that misrepresents God, and thus is blasphemy. You shall burn if you inflict harm upon a child, by their perception alone. Children are extended by God for adults to give them what they need, whatever they need, in order for them to feel safe and be well. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!