Honor your parents: Understanding the Fifth Commandment in context

Many parents think that they have the right to demand respect from their children. Most American parents take the attitude that they are entitled to being respected and honored. It is good to honor your parents, when you can. But, honoring parents, as a mandatory commandment, means something very specific. Dishonoring parents means committing an honor offense against them, namely assault and battery in this context, and as an adult.

It says in Exodus 20:12 KJV:

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

"Honour" refers to a specific set of offenses under the Law, namely the parent protection laws. Simply talking back to or opposing parents is not dishonoring parents. This commandment, in both the Old and New Testament, was seen, in its original context, as prohibiting only clear elder abuse. "Do not strike your parents" means, as a self-reliant adult, do not repeatedly beat your parents. "Do not curse your parents" means do not administer a gaslighting curse to your parents. Elder abuse was a problem in Ancient Israel, and when parents reported their abuse, they were often blamed for their own abuse with statements such as "where did your son/daughter learn that kind of behavior". God said to honor your parents for THAT reason, meaning unless you are clearing assaulting or endangering your parents when you have your own place as an adult, you don't have much to worry about. The Fifth Commandment does not apply to children or care-dependent adults at all, except for the fact that God appointed a parent caregiver for every child.

The Fifth Commandment is repeated 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. Children are to rest securely in the sacrifice of parents, just as parent believers rest securely in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Parents are to be extensions of Christ in the family home, dutifully and selflessly submitting to children as they would God, expecting absolutely nothing in return, with children resting safely and securely in the submission of parents. Children are to rest safely and securely in the presence of parents, trusting parents in all things, following mothers around especially like goslings to a mother goose.

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 a child, stemming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and was understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including any punishments or controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages and offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up this legal context in order to convict 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 a child.

Parents are to be submissive to their children, just as parent believers are submissive to God. Children are extensions of God, meaning installments and sentries of God called to judge righteously the charity and good will of adults. Children were seen as deities representative of part of God's personality. Children, as these deities, reigned over their parents, with their parents seeking to win favor with their child and their child's deity. Children were seen as a collective Godhead, reigning over parents, righteously enslaving parents to their needs. Children were prized when they were bold and rebellious, and were allowed to issue brazen demands on parents, with these demands bringing parents to full and dutiful submission to parents.

Children, in biblical times, wore absolutely no clothing, at all, until they became adults. Women only wore clothing outside the home, and otherwise went in the nude, in order to serve their husbands and their children, separately. Mothers served their children by way of providing for them nourishment and sustenance, namely attachment parenting items such as breastfeeding or skin-on-skin comforting strategies. Children went naked for a reason in biblical times - so that mothers could scoop up and snuggle up with a crying and upset child, in order to soothe the child. This skin-on-skin treatment was also used for defiance, where mothers curled up with their agitated child in the fetal position, soothing the anger and frustration in their children. When out and about, children up until age 6 were wrapped up next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets. By night, mothers slept next to children, in order to guard them from predators, including sexual predators in the home. Fathers also formed a secure attachment with children, by way of witnessing skin-to-skin closeness and intimacy between mother and child. Usually, this secure attachment with fathers was a sexual attachment, usually in connotational format, and usually towards daughters. Fathers then followed their sexual thoughts about their child to the end using masturbatory fantasy. Actual child sexual abuse in biblical times was rare next to non-existent, and this is because the sexual needs towards children that adults had were already met. Child sexual abuse was seen as deserving of death, with the sex offender being branded a fornicator. Fathers were dragged around like human ragdolls when around their children. Mothers nurtured from up close, and fathers nurtured from afar.

The Fifth Commandment, as a whole, simply appoints a caregiver for children. It does not entail parents a right to respect and honor. Parents, as a head of their child, are to submit to their child from above, with the child resting safely and securely from beneath, demanding and ruling parents and other adults from beneath. The parent isn't the one actually in charge - children call the shots. Parents are merely there to provide for children, and must provide for children until they are fully independent. A parent is a righteous slave to the child, that the child values at a price, meaning parents need to earn their worth in their good works towards their children.

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!