Many parents still endorse punishment of a child. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents get their parenting advice from the Bible. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible, when understood in context, prohibits all forms of punitive parenting, including any child punishment.
The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement is an adult temper tantrum when you don't get what you feel that you deserve from children. Any parent or adult anger towards a child was considered parental entitlement in the Bible. When children were offended or damaged by the temper tantrum of adults, it was deemed child abuse. 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, including 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. The parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined 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 what 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 their 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, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment 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 as a deacon.
Any anger towards a child, in biblical times, was considered parental entitlement. That meant that whenever an adult was angry with a child, it was seen as a form of entitlement. Parent anger was seen then as akin to a viper striking out against a child. Christian parents in the Early Church were instead worried or concerned about their child's behavior, or otherwise laughed with their children when they got into mischief.
Whenever children were upset by the anger of a parent or other adult, it was considered offensive to the child, and thus child abuse. Acts considered child abuse involved acts of false imprisonment by parents such as time-out or grounding, or worse, physical punishment imposed onto the child. Any upset perceived by a child was deemed a child abuse offense, when it came from entitlement. Parental entitlement is basically a temper tantrum when adults don't get what they feel that they deserve from children.
The depraved and entitled parents who provoked 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!
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