Child punishment: Why child punishment is sin (and what to do instead)

Many parents think that they have the right to punish their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible bans all punishments and reprimands against a child are sin, and a provocation to anger.

Child punishment is prohibited in the Bible, in all cases. See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on 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 "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Children are to rest securely in the sacrifice of parents, just as parent believers rest securely in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul to lift up the customary law that commands a secure attachment between parents and children in the family home. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents are to submit to their children as their enemy, from beneath yet from above, expecting absolutely nothing in return. 

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) 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 understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, therefore treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church at Ephesus. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his writings.

There are alternatives to provoking your child to anger through punitive means. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, to modeling Christian discipline to children. The Christian standard of discipline is deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in the Early Church centered their entitlement in view of their children, with children then following in the footsteps of parents. Children in biblical times were caught being good, instead of parents catching children being bad. Whenever a child was caught emulating the Christian example of parents - perhaps by showing self-control and/or accepting the word "no" - they were lavishly praised and encouraged to "keep going down the straight path". Boys were given manly praise when caught being good by parents, and girls were given hugs and snuggles from fathers when caught being good. Sometimes, children needed direct parental instruction. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to the advice and counsel of parents. Parents then could only give advice to their children, or counsel them like a therapist would. Only the children in the house could issue lawfully binding orders on parents, and so when parents needed children to do something, they begged and pleaded for the child to cooperate, knowing they weren't deserving of cooperation from their child.

Christian attachment parenting is attachment parenting based off of the Early Christian context. For the first 6 years of a child's life, children were in constant closeness with mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, with mother and child in the nude next to each other, in skin-on-skin closeness and intimacy. When children cried, mothers responded by cooing and then picking up the child, holding the child close to her bosom in mammary closeness. When mothers were out and about in public, they swaddled their young children - under age 6 - next to their bosom in swaddling blankets. Christian mothers in the Early Church breastfed their children, and were not shy about breastfeeding in public.

For the latter 7 years of childhood, children were turned over to the providing custody of fathers, in order to provide a religious education for their children. Parents left out a Bible for the child to find, and hopefully find meaning in. When fathers saw children studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged in their religious vocation. Fathers nurtured from afar, in a teaching way, while it was the role of the mother to provide close comfort. Fathers formed a bond with their children through righteous masturbation to sexual thoughts of children. When an adult masturbates righteously to fantasies of children, they center the sexual thoughts in a certain place, away from the child. When this happens, in the case of fathers, this turns the sex drive into a male nurturing instinct. Fathers were on formal terms with children, meaning they did not even speak to children, unless the child invited the father to informal interaction. Otherwise, children were simply praised and encouraged by fathers from a distance. 

Mothers nurture children up close, and fathers nurture from afar. The nurture of fathers is to encourage religious self-study in the child. After a long day of playing freely and exploring the Bible, children surrendered themselves to the sustaining warmth of mothers, in the form of skin-on-skin co-sleeping. This type of co-sleeping lasted until the child reached the onset of puberty, and thus wanted their own place to sleep. This skin-on-skin setup of co-sleeping was intended by mothers then to convict the man of the house of his parent attraction, and also to guard children from the sexual wrath of their fathers. Fathers, due to having parent attraction to children, were not allowed access to their children without the mother's consent, and usually were kept out of the children's lives during the first 6 years of said children's lives. Children spent the first 6 years of their childhood with mothers, and then were turned over to their father for religious instruction for the last 7 years of childhood. Motherly nurturing was warm and comforting, whereas fatherly nurturing was warm and encouraging.

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