What is a criminal?: Understanding why punishing children leads to criminality

Many parents think that punishing their children stops them from becoming criminals, as well as imposed structure. The fact of the matter is that punishment leads to more crime in any given jurisdiction. One must first understand what a criminal is.

What is a criminal? Someone with a cognitive disability who cannot function in society without punishment, usually of the legal sort. Most Americans are criminals to varying degrees. Many violate traffic laws when the police aren't looking, and then it escalates from there. We have a crime epidemic in this country, and it starts at home - where children are punished. Punishment has a tendency of making children dependent on it as adults, meaning children cannot regulate their own behavior because someone else has been regulating their behavior from day one.

What is the healthy alternative? See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, as this is the first commandment with promise; That it 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 "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to a Christian standard of discipline in parents in relation to children, namely one that is entitled to nothing, but is grateful for everything, including from children. Children owe parents nothing, and parents owe children everything, with this creating a chastened up example in children, with this backed up by the occasional direction as a righteous test, giving instructions to children, but only as a way to see if they are ready to follow directions, letting them go if they don't follow directions, as denoted by the Greek root word νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) which refers to a righteous test as to the child's development as part of setting limits and boundaries with parents. This is all weighed by the Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" which is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers to damages, meaning the slightest of personal offense perceived by the child, including the slightest of offensive touch or words perceived by the child. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul to lift up the Law on punishing children. The punishment of children carried severe penalties under the Law, with it being a crime deserving of death, even if Christ spared the offender death. This commandment was intended to deter Greek Christians from using their custom of spanking children as a form of discipline. The seven rod verses in Proverbs do not refer to spanking, but to a dated form of judicial corporal punishment conflated with the death penalty in the Old Testament - the 40 minus 1 lashes with the rod of correction, as a last warning to save an ADULT child from death. Minor children were never whipped in the biblical context, as children could not stand trial for any criminal act or civil wrong they committed. This legal punishment was absent in the Early Christian context, where the main way that Christians enforced law was through pro-social non-association.

How should a parent motivate a child to want to be like their example? Parents are to put their child's needs first, and their own last, leading to dutiful and selfless submission to children and their every need, leading to rest in the love and grace of parents, translated as the word "obey" and is denoted by the Greek root word υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo). This rest is a trusting, open rest where children can tell parents anything, and want to be like the example parents impart onto children.

A non-criminal has a different upbringing than a criminal. A non-criminal is allowed to think for themselves as a child, and has no punishment or structure imposed on them. They instead follow an example in parents, with parents being the child's first role model.

A criminal had structure imposed on them to the point that only prison can replace the structure that they are addicted to. Many criminals beg to go back to prison, and sometimes even act out criminally so they can go back to prison. We here are talking spanking that escalated into physical abuse, with a strict upbringing nonetheless. Strictness must be self-imposed, not imposed by an outside force, meaning children must be invited to follow an example of a parent or other valued relative. Children need some role model, and where else to start than with parents. 

The kind of structure most children today get at home is the kind given in a prison setting, and this actually motivates children growing up to want to go to prison, and glorify that lifestyle. Children in biblical times were not raised this way, but were given the chance to form their own discipline as they got older, which is very possible for children. Children simply need an example and a nurturing environment to absorb the information on their own, as to what is right versus wrong.

Most people are capable of at least one type of criminal act, if left to their own devices, and could easily get away with it. Usually, these are opportunistic offenses, which most offenses are. All adults are capable of sexually abusing a child under the right/wrong conditions, especially adult men. But, usually, these opportunistic crimes are because of a downfall into poverty, meaning sustenance offenses.

The depraved and entitled parents will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them burn in the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death, which is Satan's final resting place! Let them descend into the abyss which is the Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!