Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged.
The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest and trust in the love and grace of parents, with children being able to be themselves and tell parents anything, and not fear punishment from said parents, owing absolutely nothing in return to parents, with parents giving without receiving. This word refers to and uplifts a specific historical context where children were in providing custody of their parents, meaning an attachment parenting setup to the level of nudity in terms of intimacy, meaning children in the biblical context were held close by Hebrew mothers, with both parents being safe people in different roles, with mother being there to snuggle with in a co-sleeping set up, and father to protect and instruct. Child nudity was allowed under biblical law, and that was to ease the process of skin-to-skin contact, which was used by Hebrew mothers to gain the trust of their child. The nudity of the situation is stated in vivid, pictorial form to show the closeness between parents and children in the biblical context.
Where does spanking fall in? Nowhere. The Greek root word in vs. 21 translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and literally translates to "stirring up" anger and upset in children, referring to the Jewish idiom of "stirring the pot" with your child's emotional safety and welfare by being harsh and punitive with children. It refers to the specific moral offense of provocation of one's neighbor to anger, with children being seen as your neighbor under the Law. This historically included corporal punishment, which was banned, with punishing your child being stated as prohibited under the Law, with alternatives such as forming a bond through co-sleeping and skin-to-skin contact being recommended to form the bond needed for children to cooperate with parental instructions later, channeling energy into the family home or otherwise towards the parents, with their energy and rambunctiousness being only shown to parents as safe people. The Greek root word "parent" is γονεύς (Latin: goneus) and refers to leadership, not authority, and usually the child leading the parent to their needs, and parents ultimately leading by providing for every need and attending every petition of redress.
America is a Christian nation, and God's Law is above the law of the land. Spanking a child is banned under Divine Codified Jurisprudence. Children have three natural rights alongside their fellow Americans. Life. Liberty. Pursuit of happiness. "Equal protection under the laws" is what sums up children's rights in relation to children, especially in relation to freedom from assault and battery. Under the Law, there existed assault and battery laws, but the "reasonable chastisement" defense was part of Roman law, which saw wives and children as chattel, long after the conversion of Rome to Christ. The Roman Catholic Church then promulgated the faith by pandering to the pagan cultures of Europe, absorbing their pagan customs and rituals into the church. The church currently is improving on this issue, but Pope Francis is the head of the church, and I remember his view on spanking - he supports it.
Thing are improving for children. Here in Pennsylvania, physically punishing a child under age 1 was banned in 2014, as well as the physical abuse statutes for children aged 1-18 redefined as any mark left on the child's body, including a lasting red mark, whereas before, there needed to be a test by pushing the injury and gauging the cry of a child, in which case some children with autism don't cry at all ,so they weren't protected. The legal trend on physical abuse in Pennsylvania is easing towards a complete ban, and society will be ready by then. Just a few years ago, here in Berks County, I would regularly see verbal domestic altercations in stores between parents and children. Sometimes I see it these days, but not like I saw it just a few years ago, and that is how you look for change. That and children who are more street smart.
God chose Israel for how Israel treated children - the "least of these" who were the lowest in society. Christ catapulted the Law and its protections for children across the world. Christ's agenda is not done. This world is not intended for us, but as the Satan's playground. Parents will be enslaved and tethered to their children, just like in the days of old in ancient Israel and its churches, just like children are enslaved to parents and adults by false Catholic infiltration into God's Church that is idolatrous and pagan in nature, and endorses child abuse, with the Roman Catholic Church being historically the whore of Babylon (Rev. 17:1-18) that promoted child abuse such as spanking children throughout the world. Constantine did successfully get Christianity spread across the world, but at a price to children, meaning the promulgation is imperfect and tainted by the devil. The Bible uplifts the true Laws as the historical and legal context then, but namely the legal context, understood it. Anti-spanking values are thus American values. The European church has long discouraged corporal punishment of children, and changing church opinion was the first step of children's rights advocates and reformers in Sweden, Iceland, and other countries in Europe, by presenting the biblical case against spanking shrouded in mystery in the American church. I believe in religious reform, and am the first children's rights advocate to explicitly denounce anti-religious efforts and advocacy being conflated with the rights of children, which can be integrated into any culture or worldview pretty much.
The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger violate the natural laws of this country, and will surely be cast into 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!
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