Parental entitlement: Why to oppose it (in yourself, and in others)

Many parents and adults in relation to children believe that parental entitlement is the only entitlement that should be supported. The core of parental rights advocacy is that parents should be entitled at the parent level, and that "parents are entitled beings" - as an excuse for abuse many times. A parent does not have to be entitled. The best parents are non-entitled.

It says in Romans 3:9-12 KJV:

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, none, not one.

This passage was written to Roman Christians to scold them about becoming too proud in their faith. However, this passage is universally applicable as a sign to the modern day as to how God feels about humanity. God hates us all, to the point where He wants us not to exist in relation to Him. Children are exempt from this hatred, as children have not reached adulthood yet, and thus they are simply learning about biblical law. Thus, God here was mainly talking about adults, and their entitlement.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement in the New Testament, and cross-referencing the Tenth Commandment, is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and refers to, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, this Greek word refers to wanting anything from children. It is not good to want anything in life, including from children, and so it is good to ask politely for what we want, including from children. Want is the very definition of our sin nature as adults, and wanting things from children is at the very core of that nature.

Sometimes, entitlement leads to an offense. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by the child. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and understood in context, as prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including any form of punishment or controlling demeanor. Patrias potestas is translated to "power to the father" or "power to the parent", and refers to the right of a father under Greco-Roman law to use force to police his home as he saw fit. No analogous law existed under Judeo-Christian law. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children too many times. Punishing a child was seen as kidnapping, with kidnapping being any damages stemming from hostage-taking - punishment then was seen as holding a child hostage for something they did wrong. Paul was lifting up this moral legal context for a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church. No such custom existed among the Early Christians, as all violence and entitlement was shunned - including parental entitlement.

Parental entitlement is not a form of entitlement to embrace. No entitlement is to be embraced, as we are to strive to having no entitlement as human beings, knowing we won't ever reach that goal. The best way to center and discipline oneself, however, is to avoid parental entitlement as well as the other layers of entitlement in our corpse. When we chasten up the lowest layer of entitlement, which is parental entitlement, that makes it easier to avoid every other form of entitlement. I oppose parental entitlement, in myself and in others.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be forever cast into 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 the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!