Child punishment: Why punishing or reprimanding your child is unbiblical

Many parents think that punitive parenting is the way to go. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents punish or reprimand their child, assuming that such is the way to go. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible prohibits all punishments or reprimands of a child, including corporal punishment.

The Greek root word denoting entitlement, and cross-referencing the Tenth Commandment, is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and refers to, in this context, parental entitlement. Parental entitlement is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. When children as much as perceived offense due to this entitlement being imposed on them, it became child abuse under the Law. 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 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, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or other 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 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, thereby 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. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writings. Paul may not have gotten along with the women of the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children during his time. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers got out the scourge of cords in order to punish their children, but NOT the Christians against them - the Early Christians were largely persecuted for being "too soft" on their children.

Parents, in biblical times, did not get angry at their children. Parenting in biblical times was not motivated by anger, but instead was motivated by worry and concern for the child. Whenever a parent got angry at a child, the parent was seen as a viper and a monster. A set of parents who punished or even got angry at their children stuck out like ragweed, and they were subject to punishment for their choice to punish their children. In the Early Church, this came in the form of many rebukes leading to the council hearing the case, and then excommunicating the church interloper.

Punishment or reprimands in parenting were prohibited under the Law. This included any form of physical punishment of a dependent child. Sweden is the first country in modern times to ban corporal punishment. The Early Christians, as well as their Jewish predecessors, banned all punishment and reprimands against a child. Punishment by way of rape was actually prohibited under the Law as fornication as well. To put things into perspective, modern Israel banned corporal punishment in 2000 by way of court mandate. Israel has a very low rate of child abuse across the board. Israel, by banning corporal punishment, was simply nodding to their forefathers in the days of old.

The Latinate Bible was mistranslated. There are two root Bibles - the Byzantine Bible and the Latinate Bible. The Byzantine Bible was translated into many Eastern languages, including Aramaic. The Latinate Bible was mistranslated with Roman bias. To put things into nuance, there are multiple words for the word "child" in the Hebrew Bible, with the word in Proverbs denoting "child" is נעַר (Latin: na'ar) and refers to, in the Hebraic tense, a young man past his bar mitzvah.

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! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!