Religious entitlement - Why pushing religion on children is sin

Many parents believe that they have the right to impart their beliefs onto children. Most parents mix this up with forcing beliefs onto children. Forcing any belief system onto anyone, as an attitude or course of conduct, is religious entitlement, and is religious abuse once perceived by the child.

The Tenth Commandment states in Exodus 20:17 KJV:

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.

The Hebrew word translated "covet" is לחמוד (Latin: lachmod) and refers here to wanting a child to believe the way your do, pray the way you do, worship the way you do, to the point of seeking to impose said want onto a child. This is cross-referenced in the New Testament by the Greek root word πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and refers to the entitled attitude of "I am the parent, and I have the right to have my child believe as I do" leading to imposing said attitude onto a child, through demanding, controlling, or punitive, or sexually hateful or objectifying behavior towards children, leading to an offense. Seeking to impose any religious beliefs on a child is religious entitlement, alongside any beliefs of the parents, by extension.

The Fifth Commandment, in full, commands mutual submission between parent and child. It says in Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, for this is the first commandment with promise; That is may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long upon the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to child surrender, ot the providing custody where parents provide and care for children as caregivers, and the child rests, owing nothing in return to parents, and the parents deserve nothing in return, yet nonetheless with the child showing gratitude and thanksgiving by giving back to parents by way of emulating their example and heeding their instruction. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to the chastening of the Lord, meaning self-discipline and self-control in relation to children, in the form of listening to the tears and upset of a child, being sturdy and steadfast in self-restraint, showing children proper morals by active example, meaning treating the child how you want them to treat the world. This can also refer to religious instruction, meaning talking about God and Jesus around children, then to them once they start asking questions, which usually starts later than age 6 in modern times. A child should be eager to learn about God and Jesus before being taught, and allowed to explore the Bible on their own, given the proper framework (ex. Old Testament is for reference, New Testament is for all time, etc.) and then challenge them to find their own conclusions, in a supervised, safe place. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the admonition of the Lord, meaning God's loving lecture and reproof, referring to the momentary stoop to a child's level, lecturing and instructing the child in the Lord, then allowing the child to either emulate explicit instruction in the Lord, or cutting them a break due to youthful inexperience. 

This is all weighed by the Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers to a provocation to anger, and by extension to the offenses, meaning the torts and offenses under the Eighth Commandment, including assault and battery laws equally applied to children as to adults. Basically, the slightest of offense perceived by the child in relation to an entitled parent adult, from said depraved individuals. The offense can including the slightest of unwanted physical touch imposed perceived by the child, in the form of kidnapping usually, "held in his hand" in relation to parents, referring to the hostage-taking nature of physical and mental punishment of children, and the enslavement involved (Exod. 21:16). Kidnapping includes religious child abuse, or holding a child's will hostage until they forcibly convert, half the time not even really believing what they are taught. Punishment discourages religious and moral internalizations, and sends a child astray of God, with them pairing God with punishment. Religious instruction should be paired with a loving, encouraging parent-child bond, with religious absorption of fact encouraged and rewarded with such.

In the biblical context, namely the Early Christian context, both boys and girls were offered a religious instruction starting at age 6, with religious instruction being optional for girls, and only seen as a route to become clergy (there were many women religious leaders in the Early Church). 6 was the time in that culture when boys in particular were interested in theology, meaning children grew up quicker then. Children submitted to instruction by asking questions, leading to Socratic reasoning, meaning either a question in response to a question, or else encouragement to "do your research in X book, and come to me with the answer you come to", being there to assist and help the child, especially at the beginning of their journey, but throughout their journey. Before then, children were close to both parents at different degrees, with children being close to mother, with children up to age 3 being swaddled to the bosom of mothers, with fathers foreshadowing, showing loving and gentle encouragement from a distance. Older children were encouraged, not forced, to study Scripture, meaning by customary law and not by enforced law, meaning an environment where a child would simply find a book of Scripture somewhere, run with it, and ask parents questions later. Scripture was left out for children to find on their own, and were taken to worship and collective study on the first day of the week, meaning Sunday on the Gregorian calendar. Children were exposed to the Christian religion enough to provoke questions from them. Even church attendance was not seen then, in Hebrews, as obligatory, but something that was highly recommended, due to the fact that any member of the Church body could be displaced, but if you respected the church community from afar, you were a member in spirit, due to being a believer while on planet earth, which is being a member of the Church regardless of your record of church attendance. The point was not to praise the Lord then, but to study the Bible, and older children especially were eager then to learn about God and Scripture. Some people simply had written copies of the books of Scripture on hand at home, and maybe left it at a place where a curious child could easily discover.

Religious entitlement is refusal to recognize the religious liberty of children, meaning their right to any religious beliefs or no religious beliefs. Usually, children rebel regarding religion when punished in the name of God, and otherwise follow the beliefs of their parents, at least eventually. The First Amendment does not have an age limit attached to it. A good idea is for parents to discuss religion around the child, in a way that would invite them to ask questions, and then allow them to do their own research, with parents perhaps keeping up on their own Bible study themselves, then comparing notes. This is how I was taught the Bible, in fact, meaning much of my spiritual journey was of my own making, but my my father especially told me facts he knew, and I confirmed them by researching it and/or putting items in the context together, then reporting back. I myself currently am theologically conservative, meaning I go by the whole Bible as it was intended to be interpreted, based on commonsense contextual interpretation and hermeneutics. Children have the right to freedom of religion, or lack thereof, meaning when a child is punished for believing differently, they are being persecuted for existing religious beliefs. I was never punished for those purposes, thank God, but I heard the phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child" once or twice from various extended family members as a child.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger through religious persecution of their genuine religious beliefs or lack thereof will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them burn in the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!