Why "adult authority" doesn't exist in the Bible

Many parents and teachers believe in the concept of adult authority. Adult authority is a hegemonic concept that keeps children down beneath a compress. However, does adult authority really exist? Adult authority is a misinterpretation of the Bible, whereas God's Law prohibits the overpowering of a child.

Every single parent and adult is guilty in relation to children, and is deserving of DEATH and DESTRUCTION merely for existing in relation to children, with parents/adult being meek and shamefaced in relation to children. Parents especially are to prioritize their child above themselves, to the point of dutiful and selfless submission to children and their every need, expecting absolutely nothing in return, with children resting safely and securely in the love and grace of parents, with children being in place of God on earth. See Colossians 3:20-21 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they become discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and grace of parents. Attachment parenting was the norm in biblical times. Think a mother holding pales of water, with a young child swaddled in her bosom, and an older child in the nude that walked in tow with the mother. This is the proper image of true biblical parenting - primitive, in a way that encourages closeness with parents. Fathers simply hung out with children, being their child's best friend, relating to children on an equal level, with sexual connotations attached to a benign friendly interaction, with children confiding into parents about anything that upsets them, bothers them, or simply is on their mind, without any fear of punishment or reprisal, with children being valued as extensions of God in the family home, laying down the Law as to their needs, with their every need being Law. The Greek root word translated "parents" is γονεύς (Latin: goneus) and refers to leadership, not authority. In many friendships, there is the leader in the friendship that cares for the younger, more vulnerable friend. Parents are to leaders in this regard in caregiver format, meaning caregiver friends to children. Mothers are to provide sustenance and nourishment such as skin-to-skin closeness and breastfeeding, and fathers are to be friends in a more distant, encouraging way, hanging out with their children like they are equals. Teachers should also be friends with their students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12, as the same kind of restful submission allocated to children in relation to parents applied to teachers, and did in the Early Church, when most children were homeschooled. I do recommend homeschooling whenever possible, to shield children from the punitive nature of school discipline in the United States.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages, namely the slightest of personal offenses perceived by the child, including the slightest of offensive touch or contact perceived by the child. The commandment not to provoke a child to anger is the commandment to love your neighbor stated in the negative, and was intended by the Apostle Paul to lift up the Law, with penalties for punishing or otherwise controlling children being quite severe, meaning chenek or hanging parents in a bloodletting way, similar to how a slaughterhouse hangs poultry - punishing a child was very much a criminal offense in biblical times, and would have been seen in Hebraic circles then as pure witchcraft and desecration of a child, as children were seen as holy and guiltless. The seven verses in the book of Proverbs mentioning the rod of correction are repealed verses, meaning they only apply to the context, as they refer to a dated form of judicial corporal punishment - the 40 minus 1 lashes with the rod of correction, which applied only to the Old Testament, with the Early Church banning members from participating in capital or corporal punishments, even as a spectator. Ancient Israel, in the Old Testament in particular, was a patrilineal society in terms of family structure, with fathers being legal authorities over their ADULT son once appointed by the state. The patrilineal system usually had to do with family headship or heirlooms, but in a criminal investigation involving the religious authorities, fathers were appointed to whip their young adult children in the case of a criminal conviction for a capital offense.

Adult authority, however, did not exist for minor children. Minor children surrendered to parents in a specific way that deemed them incompetent to be held accountable for any criminal acts or civil wrongs towards others or God. Children were not seen as culpable for things they did wrong, with parents instead being required to apologize in court on the child's behalf. The role of parents was attendant care and protection, with mothers providing nourishment and sustenance in terms of breastfeeding and skin-to-skin closeness respectively. Fathers simply hung out with children as friends, approaching them as equals. There was a dynamic of sexual connotations attached to girls in particular by fathers, with children of both sexes being guarded by mothers.

These principles can be applied to teachers and educators as well, meaning a good teacher is a good friend towards their students. Adult authority is for the wastebasket. Throw out the paddle and the detention slip. Simply call teachers by their first name, and feel safe in school, knowing you won't be punished or harmed in any way. "Parent in loco parentis" here means children should rest in the love and grace of teachers in place of parents, with teacher-student relationships being warm and caring, in a way that is distant and respects the consent of all parties involved, namely all students enrolled in a local education agency (LEA). Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) streamline services for some students, but every child has special needs of some sort. Teachers should be attendant to their student's needs and even requests. If ANY child, IEP or no IEP, wants to play on the computer after a lesson, they should be able to. All children should be treated in the least restrictive manner possible by an LEA. This means no punishment or rewards systems, but instead direct incentives such as "if you finish your math work you can surf the Internet". ALL children need that sort of non-demanding environment, not just children with autism. The one thing a teacher may not be able to swallow - but must swallow nonetheless - is the demand from a student. Children are demanding. They cry, whine, or pout, and that is because they are trying to communicate a need, and the teacher or school personnel involved should be attendant to those needs, and the more attendant and selfless you are in relation to students, the less trouble they cause. Children should have a say in even the administration of a school, with student council actually having influence over school decisions. Here in Pennsylvania, state regulations allow for reassuring physical contact such as hugs and embraces for ALL students, which should be the law nationwide.

Schools in the Early Church consisted of homeschools, where fathers would gather together to homeschool their children collectively, apart from the hierarchical and punitive Greco-Roman public school system. Homeschools then were very non-demanding on children, and worked by peeking the natural curiosity of the child, with children usually forming an interest in theology at age 6. This curiosity in theology was cultivated into a religious education, usually in the form of the Socratic reasoning of both question-and-answer and meeting a question with a question. Children had a casual, close relationship with their parents, with education being meted out on the level of the child, at the child's pace. Early Christian fathers were warm with their children, in a push-over type of way that was pro-social in nature. I support homeschooling rights, largely because the public school system has a long record of violating the rights of children. In 19 states, it is still legal to srrike a child in public schools, and in 48 states, it is legal to strike a child in a private school. This was unheard of in Early Christian homeschools, where children could take a break when they needed it, play when they needed it, and then study knowing play would come after work. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger 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! Let them descend into the abyss which is everlasting Hell and torment, suffering God's Wrath forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!