Pro-social deification, pro-social child worship: Why biblical society was child worshipping society

Many parents think that children are to obey them because "parents are God". There has long been a "tradition" that children are to obey parents or else be punished, because "parents are God". Children have, for centuries, been considered property of their parents, due to the assumption that this was the setup in biblical times. The fact of the matter, however, is that parents in the Bible actually worshipped their children, meaning venerated them as extensions of God.

Jesus Christ said in Matthew 25:45-46 KJV:

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.

This refers to Christian love, which is an adversarial love where a parent serves a child as said child's enemy, just as mankind is the enemy of God, and is to be subservient to Him as such. Whatever you refused to do for your child, you refused to do for God. Whatever you failed to do for your child, due to your own negligence, you failed to do for God. Children were installments of God in the family home, sitting on a high spire from their lowly, oppressed place in society, pronouncing righteous judgment on parents and other adults based on how favorably they were treated. Parents and other adults reverently feared children, with children striking reverent terror into parents and other adults. 

It says in 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 be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and grace of parents. Parents are to sacrifice for their children, just as Christ sacrificed for God, being toppled over, submitting to children as the enemy of all children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, with parents subservient to children just as they would be to God, being righteously enslaved to their children as they are to God. Parents can only ask politely that a child cooperate, but if they provide for the child beforehand and submit to the child as an extension of God, the child will cooperate with most anything a parent asks of their child.

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 a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by the child, coming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including any punishment or controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children too many times, and also receiving many warnings that their punitive parenting habits were in violation of the Law. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen by biblical society as holding your child hostage merely for things they did wrong. Paul here was lifting up the Law to a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of children. Paul was educating parent newcomers to the church on proper Jewish parenting. The Early Christians followed Jewish customary law on parenting, with Col. 3:20-21 here lifting up that Jewish customary law on parenting to a Christian context.

Attachment parenting was the established norm in Ancient Israel and the Early Church. The Ancient Jews, including the Early Christians, practiced a special, distinct form of attachment parenting that deified children. Children were worshipped and venerated as extensions of God in biblical times. The concept of children having a deified role meant that children could use their righteous judgment powers to lawfully petition parents to provide for their needs, perhaps taking them to court if necessary. If a child took their parents to court, or vice versa, the child always prevailed. Parents had no power to countersue against their children, as children were under the age of majority. In the Early Church, parents had no power to countersue against children until their children were baptized upon becoming an adult. Until then, only the child in the mutual submission relationship had the power to bring forth litigation. 

Parents, in the biblical tense, are in a mutual submission relationship with their children, with parents being righteously enslaved to their children just as an adult believer is enslaved to God. Children are extensions of God that parents are reverently beholden to and enslaved to. In a parent-child mutual submission relationship, it is the parent's duty to prove their worth to God through serving their children. Parents are the enemy of children, just as mankind is the enemy of God, with parents being subservient to the orders and edicts of children just as mankind is to God. 

Parents did not get angry with children in biblical times. Instead, parents expressed righteous anxiety and worry towards a child's unsafe and unacceptable behavior. A parent that instead lashed out at a child and punished them was seen as a viper and a monster merely for showing the slightest of anger towards a child. The only anger allowed in parenting was aside of the child, in order to protect them. Otherwise, parents didn't get angry, even in the face of childhood aggression or rebellion. I myself don't get angry with children. The emotion is missing. You can eliminate all parent anger towards any child by stifling it and knowing you are deserving of absolutely nothing from children, not even respect or forgiveness.

Mothers are to provide for children and care for their every vulnerable need, including attachment needs. Children in biblical times never wore clothing until adulthood, and mothers only wore clothing outside of the home. Mothers and children snuggled in skin-to-skin closeness and intimacy, breastfeeding children until age 3. Fathers did not speak to children except when their child addressed them, and/or when the child invited them to casual discussion, otherwise being on formal terms with children. Men in particular, including the child's father, were to be silent and shamefaced in relation to children. Even if the child consented, the mother could veto the child's consent if the interaction was deemed unsafe and/or inappropriate by her. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever 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!