Child discipline: How to discipline your child without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have discipline. This is a common goal amongst American parents. Most American parents discipline their children. However, most parents equate discipline with punishment. However, there are better ways to discipline your child than by punishing them.

God's Law on child discipline is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This first stanza clarifies for the second that discipline should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul in this first stanza was convicting a few Greek Christian parents in the parish who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions onto children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this stanza of this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting all offenses as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The second stanza of this commandment spells out what discipline is acceptable, with the first stanza ruling out anything punitive with a child. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a specific type of nurturing, namely of the teaching type. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, including any discipline or self-control in children. When children showed these behaviors, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for more of the same. Christian parents in the Early Church set a good example for children to follow, but with this example being backed up by praise and encouragement, as opposed to punishment or force. Children also need religious instruction, as religion is a human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is better translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible. The Apostle Paul here was discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to keep up the good work, with fathers then saying to children "you can ask me anything about that book". From there, religious instruction came in question and answer format, with children being curious about Scripture, and with fathers giving pointers on the context. This commandment refers here to the Hebraic tradition of positive reinforcement, meaning catching children being good and praising them. This tradition of positive reinforcement predates Christ by thousands of years.

Sometimes, you need to set a limit with your child. However, children accepting set limits is a whole other story. Whenever a child cannot accept a set limit, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology for hurting their feelings with your limit. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, namely in the form of an informal apology. However, if you set a limit out of anger or haste, you should give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger.

Parent anger at children in the Early Church was not acceptable as motivation for parenting. Instead, parents then were motivated by worry or concern. Anger at a child was seen then as akin to a viper striking out at its prey - maybe the child was given a warning, but that's about it.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let then 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!

Defiance: Why not to punish your defiant child

Many parents have been there. A child is acting defiant, oftentimes at the most inopportune of times. This is a common and normal situation that most parents find themselves in. Most American parents punish their children for defiance. However, defiance is not intended as anything personal coming from a child. They just cannot accept a set limit. 

God's Law on punishing children for defiance is spelled out in 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your defiant child, or even stop punishing your defiant child for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. One reason why children's feelings are hurt is when they cannot accept a set limit coming from a parent. This form of hurt feelings in children often comes in the form of defiance. Defiance, in most cases, comes in the form of forceful tears. This defiance in children comes from a child not being able to accept a set limit. Thus, when children are defiant towards you, you need to avoid offense in children by being willing to meaningfully apologize for hurting their feelings with limits that they cannot accept. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of an informal apology, for hurting your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting all offenses in children, as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Punishing your child was not received well by your average 1st Century Christian. Anything punitive ytowards a child was seen then as pagan in origin, and was shunned by Christians as such. The Early Christians were not, in fact, well integrated into Rome. The Early Christians lived in impoverished ghettos, and shunned the outside Greco-Roman world, winning over new believers by way of invitation only. 

Any parent anger directed towards a child was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Most Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger, but instead were motivated by worry or concern. Whenever a parent even lost their cool on church grounds with their children, the whole church turned on them, and they were swiftly excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. Parent anger at children was seen as a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child got a warning, but that was about it.

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!

Adult attraction to children: Individual responsibility for adults attracted to children

Many adults are rightly concerned about children being sexually abused. Most adults, however, pin responsibility somewhere else, or else to a person being stopped if they show a threat to children. This is called collective responsibility. However, the fact of the matter is that every single adult is individually responsible for the primary prevention of child sexual abuse, as any old adult could sexually abuse a child under the right/wrong conditions.

The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations outside of the context of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage being equitable in nature. A Christian marriage then was deemed equal, thus acceptable, when the bride was the same age as the groom, or else up to 4 years older. Intergenerational marriage was banned in the Early Church, and this is the context where we can understand what fornication objectively is. Children were not considered "insel-persons" in the Early Church, but instead were considered full human beings that were vulnerable in their nature.

Most child sexual abuse happens in sexually repressive environments where an adult man does not take care of his sexual needs in relation to children. Most child sexual abuse is committed as a form of father-daughter incest, with the father having sexual lusts for his daughter to the point of physical pain in the stomach. Most sexual attraction in a domestic household happen in the form of a criss-cross, with the attractions between father and daughter being mutually unrequited. However, sexual attractions in daughters exists only in her masturbatory fantasies, and only before she reaches the onset of puberty. We as a species, in terms of our nature, are glorified apes. 

Most adults do not masturbate to sexual thoughts of children enough, and that is what leads to a sexual narcissist in the adult in question. When this sexual narcissist is ejected onto the nearest child, it becomes child sexual abuse. The key is to masturbate whenever necessary to thoughts of the first child that comes to mind. Usually, for most fathers, this entails sexual fantasy about his daughter.

In Israel, the Jewish teaching of righteous pedophilia is widely practices. This does not mean men can sexually abuse a child, as the age of consent in Israel is 17. However, whenever a father sexually fantasizes about his daughter, he turns it into a joke. Some more orthodox fathers might instead be a man of few words about his fantasies about his daughters, but the issue of adult attraction to children exists on the surface, and most people know when they are talking to an abuser - the abuser is instead evasive in a skittish way. I myself am required as a Christian to masturbate to thoughts of children, as an amendment to my theology, but I cannot disclose a fantasy in story format. I instead have to abbreviate my fantasies or else give entirely in secret. 

In the Early Church, pedophilia was a surface-level issue, not something hidden in darkness. Whenever an adult admitted to sexual thoughts of children, they were given help and accommodation. Usually, all the adult needed was someone to talk out their desires with. Pedophilia then was not seen then as something shameful to admit - the admission was seen as a cry for help. Some pedophiles even attained the status of clergy, where they could convict the parents of their parenting flaws. 

A pedophile is not an anger packet directed towards a child. A pedophile is a human being with a sexual preference for children under age 14. Pedophilia involves arrested sexual development in terms of age-based sexual attraction. A pedophile starts out as a child attracted to children their own age, but as they grow older chronologically, their attractions stay the same in terms of age. Most pedophilia exists in the context of moderate-severe autism. If you see a man with autism get along naturally with children, think pedophile. Most adults with autism find children to be "too noisy" or "too chaotic". A pedophile usually is a burial ground for knowledge about children. Their whole world revolves around children, usually despite themselves having little to do with children. 3 out of 4 pedophiles have never sexually abused a child, with pedophiles making up 1-2% of the male population. Most child sexual abuse has nothing to do with pedophilia, and when it does have something to do with pedophilia, it usually does not involve any intent to harm. Most pedophilic adults who sexually abuse children are curious about what children look like naked. 

I myself have a history of sexually abusing children. I usually committed street harassment against children. I did not intend harm towards my victims, but instead was curious about their bodily attributes. I also committed sexual assault by the feminist understanding of the term, in my grandparents' attic with a cousin, meaning I freshened up the sides of her budding breasts. I was found not guilty by the police after a children's rights test was performed on me, because my writings showed that I did not intend harm to my cousin. I was initially accused of rape, and my cousin was accused of being a rape victim in relation to me. An uncle lodged a false and fraudulent prediction that I'd go on a string of rapes starting with a cousin. But, what I did, in and of itself, is inappropriate and sexually abusive. I deserve prison for what I did. My motive involved lack of understanding of boundaries, with most pedophiles instead knowing the boundaries in relation to children. I was an atheist at the time of my offenses, but now I know Christ and accept Him as my Savior, with God wanting me to avoid giving a child sexual attention. 

The depraved and decadent, defiled adults who rape or sexually offend against a child will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into torrents of Hell-fire prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent! 

"Spare the rod, spoil the child": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents think it is acceptable to physically punish a child. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents cite the Bible to justify their choice to use physical punishment, usually by arguing the phrase "spare the rod, spoil the child". This phrase points to 6 verses in the book of Proverbs that mention the rod of correction. However, the rod of correction was never used in the Old Testament for purposes of parenting, and instead was a form of judicial corporal punishment.

One popular rod verse for parents to cite is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 

The Hebrew word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew word translated "rod" is shebet and refers to, in the context of the book of Proverbs, to the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage, and those like it, ultimately refer to the 40 minus 1 lashes, applied to the bare back of an adult son, in the context of a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. Striking a fellow Jew was prohibited under Jewish law except in the context of a courtroom, and striking a minor Jew was prohibited regardless. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish fathers would refuse to administer the blows that he was deputized by the court to impose.

All 6 verses that mention the rod of correction are repealed verses. Christ did away with the harsh punishments of the Old Testament with His Work on the cross. Christ endured the 40 minus 1 lashes from the Romans before being nailed to the cross. Thus, because Christ endured physical punishment unjustly, the Early Christians shunned all corporal and capital punishment of anyone.

The Bible does not speak of any "biblical spanking". The rod verses in Proverbs do not refer to any sort of Christian parenting, but instead refers to judicial corporal punishment. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some. 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology to your child whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage ultimately was received as prohibiting all offenses towards children, as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals, with all of these parenting manuals advocated attachment parenting. Among these biblical writers writing attachment parenting manuals was King Solomon. King Solomon recommended intense closeness for the first 6 years of childhood, with children then wanting to please their parents in an affectionate way.

Anger at children alone was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Most parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger, but instead were motivated by worry or concern. Christian parents in the Early Church were prohibited from having parent anger at their children. The only place where parents were allowed to ger angry was in the context of protecting their children from interlopers. Anger at a child then was seen as akin to a viper - maybe the child got some warning, but that's about it.

The Apostle Paul was a child advocate, meaning he was not a strongman in most cases. Paul was a very emotional man, and could cry at the drop of a hat. However, he became a strongman when advocating for children. Paul wrote many parenting manuals to many Christian parishes, all advocating attachment parenting. 

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!

Hebrews 12:5-6: Why this passage is not a pro-spanking passage

Many parents support the use of corporal punishment in parenting. Many times, parents cite Scripture as their excuse for spanking their child, with the passages cited consisting of a few verses in the book of Proverbs, as well as a passage in the book of Hebrews. However, the core of the pro-spanking argument rests on Hebrews 12:5-6. But, this verse has nothing to do with any "biblical spanking", but instead refers to enduring hardship.

God's Word on trials and tribulations is spelled out in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

This passage, when understood correctly, is comforting to me. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it. This sort of language is known as "rod language". When a Christian in the Early Church got home from a long day at work, he instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the Heavens and whip His children. But, God does punish His children, like only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of His children that He loves the most. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, whereas earthly parents only punish their children when it does, in fact, harm them. The Apostle Paul here was comforting the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome. 

The Bible nowhere speaks of any "biblical spanking". God does not want His Parenting methods used by earthly parents, as earthly parents might get it wrong. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some. 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, when you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase translating roughly to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage was ultimately received in the Early Church as prohibiting all offenses in children, as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

A staple punishment in the broader Greco-Roman world consisted of an open-handed spanking to the bare bottom. This sort of punitive parenting was seen by the Early Christians as pagan in nature, and was shunned as such. A few Greek Christian parents did punish their children this way, but Paul would have none of it, convicting the Greek Christian parents in question of their offenses against their children.

Any parent anger directed towards a child in the Early Church was seen as entitlement. Most parents in the Early Church did not have an entitled parental backbone. Instead, Christian parents in the Early Church were motivated by worry or concern. Anger at a child in a parent was instead seen as akin to a viper striking out against its prey - maybe the child was given a warning, but that was about it.

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!

 

Child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for expanding child abuse definitions

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. Most American parents support the present-day definitions of child abuse. However, God's Law is above the law of the land. The ancients in the Bible had their own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse.

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 consists of a parent who is sorely disappointed when they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing in relation to children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards a child is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by a child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse. See also 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in your child, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, when you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received then as prohibiting any offenses as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned in the Early Church, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages imposed on a child, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. If a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell onto the parents, not the child. An atheist was seen in the Early Church as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won over".

The ancients in the Bible even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage having to be equal in nature. A groom then was only allowed a bride his age, or else up to 4 years older. Any sexual relations with a child then was prohibited in the Early Church. Most child sexual abuse then happened in the form of father-child incest, and when that happened in the Early Church, the perpetrator was excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. Most fathers kept a masturbatory fantasy going about their daughters, as a means of rechanneling their sex drive away from hitting their daughters directly. Child sexual abuse, in the biblical context, was rare, meaning next to non-existent, and was a huge moral outrage whenever it happened. 

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. The investigation usually started out with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were subpoenaed to appear before a council of 3 elders. If the parents defended themselves at all, as opposed to answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with no Jewish rabbi ever recommending punitive measures in parenting, then and now. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals advocating for attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual for minor children, with the rod of correction in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes, towards an adult son, as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s.

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context for answers as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes largely are based off of biblical teaching. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time we abolish the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and expand the child abuse definitions, under both state and federal law, to prohibit any abuse as perceived by the child victim.

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 torrents, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Abortion: Why abortion benefits men and harms women

Most people have an opinion on abortion. Most American mothers on the political left support abortions for other women "if they need it". Most American mothers would never get an abortion themselves, but allow for other women to get abortions. Abortion isn't what most women think it is.

Abortion isn't a procedure involving the doctor reaching into the vagina of the mother and pulling out a baby. Abortion involves a prescription of a category of drugs known as abortifacients. Abortifacients are drugs that induce a miscarriage. The baby is still going to come out, but only in a state of being stillborn. Most women who learn this come to oppose abortions. If most women knew what abortion is, they wouldn't support abortions.

The Bible is anti-abortion. The Greek root word translated "murder" in the New Testament is φονος (Latin: phonos) and refers here to any death other than natural death. This was seen then as prohibiting murder in the womb, with childhood in the Early Church beginning at conception. Whenever a woman got an abortion in the Early Church, the mother and the man impregnating her were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. Most women murdered their unborn children by drinking abortifacient teas. Such herbal drugs did not grow in Ancient Israel during the time of the Old Testament being written. Whenever such teas were caught at the border, they were treated as contraband, and were kept out.

Most men benefit from abortions. Many men pressure women into abortions in order to escape the responsibility of being a father. Also, abortion removes the consequences of male promiscuity, including sexual violence such as rape. When men are faced with the possibility of fathering a child, they are more reluctant to sleep around town. Ask any young woman who is pro-life - the men go elsewhere.

Abortion is also bad for women. Abortion doesn't stop the baby from passing through the birth canal. Instead, the baby comes out stillborn. This experience is traumatic for mothers. Most mothers regret the lost time spent with the child that they killed. Only the coldest of mothers defend abortion as a right. A mother who got an abortion in the Early Church was seen as cold on the nurturing side, and was ostracized from Christian society then. Most women in the Early Church were warm and kind on the nurturing. 

An unborn child is a valid child. Only half of the baby's DNA belongs to the mother. The other half of the baby's DNA belongs to the father. Thus, the unborn child is not a part of the mother's body - it is a body within the mother's body. If you truly support the science on genetics, you must support the rights of the unborn.

Being pro-life does not end at birth. I support paid parental leave for all mothers, for the first 6 years of childhood. I also support a social safety net that supports all human beings from conception to natural death - from the womb to the tomb. Whenever the government takes care of core expenses such as healthcare or parental leave, that leaves less expenses for working families to worry about. I support, to fund these expenses, abolishing the IRS and having a federal sales tax to fund a governmental safety net. I support the free market and a safety net, all in one. I support, as a Christian, caring for the poor and the vulnerable, and that includes with my tax dollars. I don't mind paying more in sales tax. See Matt. 25:31-46. 

Most women have natural instincts telling them not to get abortions themselves. The problem is that most women support abortions for other women. If they knew that abortion is a medically induced miscarriage, they wouldn't support it. Most women can wait in order to have the baby naturally, and then they can put the baby up for adoption. Either way, the baby is coming out, dead or alive. Pregnancy is not a big deal for a woman if she is in touch with her maternal instincts fully, even if the child wasn't planned. No nurturant mother ever defends abortion in first-person as a "choice". 

The depraved and entitled mothers who murder their children in the womb, and all those who aid and abet, will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent!

Child discipline: How to discipline your child without punitive measures

Many parents want their children to have discipline. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most parents have discipline as a goal of theirs. However, most American parents equate discipline with punishment. However, there are better ways to teach discipline than punitive measures.

God's Law on child discipline is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This first stanza clarifies for the second that discipline should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough for parents to stop spanking their children, or even stop punishing their children altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This first stanza of this commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents in the parish at Ephesus who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanction on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was received as any offenses as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The second stanza of this commandment spells out what discipline is acceptable, with the first stanza ruling out anything punitive with a child. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a certain specific form of nurturing, namely of the teaching sort. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, with the main one of these behaviors being self-discipline. When parents saw preferred behaviors in children, the child was lavishly praised and encouraged to keep up the good work. Christian parents in the Early Church set a good example for their children, but then backed it up with praise and encouragement, as opposed to punishment or force. Children also need religious instruction, as religion is a human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is more aptly translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible. The Apostle Paul here was discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to keep on studying, with fathers then adding "you can ask me any question about that book". From there, religious instruction came in the form of question and answer, with children being curious about Scripture, and with fathers giving pointers as to the context. This method of catching children in the act of being good is the Hebraic tradition of positive reinforcement. This Hebraic tradition is also a part of the Jewish faith, and predates the coming of Christ by thousands of years.

Occasionally, parents need to set limits with their children. However, children accepting those limits is a whole other story. Whenever a child cannot accept a set limit, you as the parent must apologize whenever a limit hurts their feelings. Usually, all that is needed is an informal apology. However, if you set a limit out of anger or haste, you definitely need to give a formal apology whenever you hurt their feelings with your anger.

Parent anger directed towards children was not seen as acceptable as motivation for parenting. Most Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger, but instead were motivated by worry or concern. Anger at children was seen then as akin to a viper lashing out at a defenseless child - maybe the child got some warning, but that was about it. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath 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!

Passing down the faith: How to instruct your child in the Lord without punitive measures

Many parents think that children should have values. This is a common goal amongst American parent. However, most Christian parents in particular feel the need to beat a religious education into a child. However, religion is a human need for children and adults alike. Children can learn the Christian faith almost entirely on their own.

God's Law on child discipline, including religious instruction, is spelled out in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

This first stanza clarifies for the second that religious instruction should not hurt. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking children. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt their feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt their feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit to never losing your cool with your child ever again, as parent anger directed towards children alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This stanza of this commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents in the parish at Ephesus who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this stanza of this commandment ultimately was received as a prohibition on all offenses or damages as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Children do not need to have religion beaten into them. Religion is a human need for children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is more aptly diagnosed as "instruction". The Apostle Paul here was discussing religious instruction. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were given lavish praise and encouragement to keep on studying. Fathers then said to children something along the lines of "you can ask me anything about that book". From there, religious instruction came in question and answer format, with children being curious about Scripture, and with fathers giving pointers on the context. 

A common way to instruct children in the Lord is to "break the will" of children. In many Christian households, children are punished for "having a will" as soon as they are mobile. However, a child does not have a will to be broken. A child simply wants things, in most cases from you as a parent. In most cases, children aren't asking for much, so why not give them what they want. 

Many Christian parents rush the natural religious development of their children. One way parents do this is by forcing their child into grateful positions. However, grateful positions come on their own, with grateful postures being a sign of healthy religious development. I myself tie my hands behind my back, and nobody made me as a child.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to wrath 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!

Pedophilic children: How to accommodate your pedophilic child

Many parents fear their child being sexually abused. This is a common and normal fear in parents. However, no parenting book ever prepares a parent for having a child who grows up to be a pedophile. No parent ever "raises a pedophile". A pedophile has a genetic disorder of sexual preference for children under age 14. A pedophile can be a child, and a child can be a pedophile.

A pedophile is not an anger packet directed at a child. A pedophile is a human being with a sexual preference for children under age 14. Most of the time, a pedophile has a form of autism that is child-centered in nature. Pedophilia involves an autistic specialty in children in terms of knowledge and social preference. Whenever you see a grown man with autism get along naturally with children - meaning he is a born nurturer - think pedophile, but the right kind. 3 out of 4 pedophiles have never sexually abused a single child throughout their lives. Researchers estimate that about 1-2% of the male population are pedophiles, though the exact percentage is probably even less than that. A child can be diagnosed as pedophilic as young as age 16, and perhaps identified even earlier. 

Pedophilia is a form of arrested sexual development. In most men, age-based sexual preferences change as they get older. However, with pedophiles, the individual grows up, but their attractions do not. Most men have age-based sexual preferences their age or slightly younger. Pedophilia is a genetic disorder associated with autism in terms of genes, with the genes usually being triggered by the onset of puberty.

The Bible itself does not treat pedophilia as a sin. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage having to be equal in nature. A groom could only have a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Sexual relations with a child then was seen as a form of rape even then. Possession of pornography on one's person was seen then as fornication as well, including when children were depicted in the material. The idea is to allow your child to masturbate righteously to thoughts of children, meaning masturbate for health reasons.

Most pedophilic offenses against children are not due to anger at a child, but instead involve body curiosity. The way to quench this curiosity is to allow pedophilic children to reuse body positivity literature intended for children. 

Pedophilia is the most stigmatized of all mental health disorders. The mental health stigma against pedophilia is on the admit level, meaning simply admitting to that disorder invites shame and ostracism. Most pro-pedophile advocates blame us at trauma survivors for the hysteria surrounding the issue of pedophilia. The stigma actually started with Pope Constantine, with a papal decree stating that whenever a person admitted to attraction to children, that all friends and family must disperse from the holder of the attractions, and that anyone defending them was lumped in with the adult attracted to children. Survivors of child sexual abuse also chimed in against pedophiles, but only in order to get a certain specific form of opposition based on the trauma held by the pedophile.

Most pedophiles will never offend sexually against a child. Most pedophilic offenses against children do not involve intent to harm. Most child sexual abuse committed by pedophiles involves sexual harassment. Most pedophilic rapes are committed by adults with a developmental disability such as severe autism. I myself am a pedophilic adult, and I have offended sexually against a child. My usual modus operandi involved street harassment, but also committed a form of sexual assault by the feminist definition of the term, with this incident taking place in the attic of my grandparents' house, with a cousin. I was excused by the police for not meaning harm towards my cousin. I was falsely and fraudulently accused of rape by a family member, with my cousin being accused by rogue police of being my first victim. Most pedophilic sex offenders mean well, and so the police cut them a break. Most actual pedophilic rapes take place with the offender having an IQ of under 70. 

Most pedophiles are victims of child abuse. Pedophiles have a collective parent trauma from sexually shaming parents. Most parents kept the topic of pedophilia down, and threatened abandoning their child if they even disclosed their pedophilic attractions. However, pedophilic child needs to talk out their desires with a parent or therapist. 

A pedophile's risk to children can be gauged by the tone of the disclosure. Most pedophiles disclose with tears their sexual preferences for children. If your child is tearful in their disclosure, it is likely because they don't want to hurt a much younger child. A pedophile who discloses in a tone-deaf manner has a greater risk of sexually abusing a child through sexual harassment. Most pedophilic sexual abuse is due to an autistic fixation on a specific child. That type of pedophile was me. 

The depraved and entitled parents who abuse their pedophilic children will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into the abyss which is the lake of fire and burning sulfur! Repent!

Childhood bipolar disorder: How to discipline your actively bipolar child

Many parents think that their child is simply a "bad kid" when they act oppositional and defiant. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, oppositional and defiant behavior, when severe enough, is a sign of childhood bipolar disorder. All they need is medication to be well. But, what does a parent do until then? The answer involves catching your bipolar child being good, and then praise them for it.

Child discipline is spelled out in the Bible in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Punitive measures do not work with children with bipolar disorder, with this being true about all children, but especially those suffering from bipolar disorder. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing not to spank a bipolar child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking these children, or even stopping all punishment for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your bipolar child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are inevitable in all children when dealing with them, but especially children with bipolar disorder. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This stanza of this commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christians in the parish at Ephesus who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment ultimately was received as prohibiting offenses in children, as perceived by the child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

There are ways to discipline your bipolar child without punitive measures. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a specific type of nurturing, namely of the teaching sort. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, and when those behaviors showed in the child, the child was lavishly praised and encouraged to keep up the good work. The main preferred behavior then and now is/was self-control, meaning the bipolar child keeps it together, and then is praised for more of the same. This method of discipline works well with any child, but when a child has bipolar disorder, it is literally the only thing that works. A bipolar child literally cannot be stopped using punishment, and fights back when punished. But, they do respond to spontaneous praise when caught being good. Children with active bipolar disorder cannot internalize religious beliefs. Children are ready for religious learning only once stabilized, at their own pace.

Sometimes, children with bipolar disorder can't keep it together fully. In that case, you simply let it go, and keep them safe. However, if you praise them for keeping it together, they will work to gain your approval by keeping it together to the best of their ability. Punishment doesn't work with any child. But, with bipolar disorder, it is even more obvious that punitive measures don't work for such children. Most children simply hide their mistakes. Bipolar children actually fight back when punished.  

Children with bipolar disorder have their good days, and then they have their bad days. They are prone to keep it together some of the time, and other times, they want to keep it together but cannot. Whenever you see your bipolar child keep it together, praise them lavishly and encourage them to keep up the good work. They won't keep it together perfectly without medication, but they will be more likely to do the hard work of trying to keep it together.

Bipolar children cannot function fully without medication. If your child is acting disorderly and defiant to the extreme, your child is not a bad kid. Your child simply needs medicine for a brain disease. Most children benefit from mood stabilizers and/or antidepressants, starting in the teenage years. However, until then, children should be praised for keeping it together, as well as any other preferred behaviors that parents want to see; Children are not immune to mental illness. Any disorder found in adults can be found in children, including bipolar disorder, but also psychoses such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

I myself hold a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, with exclusively manic features. Punishment did not work at all to control me. I was punished for oppositional-defiant traits associated with my bipolar disorder. Most of my parents were looking for autistic behaviors, and ignored the fact that I had an emotional disturbance. I was suspended many times unjustly from school, when the behavior was a manifestation of my bipolar disability. Maybe a child with bipolar disorder does call out in school, but why fight that fight with them? Let them call out, and then when they do raise their hand, praise them for it. All you have to say is "Good work raising your hand this time. That's what we want." I was the schoolchild that would call out, then get kicked out of class, then fight the system. I ended up getting suspended for being defiant to the teacher. Why pick such fights with children? They are bound to raise their hand at some point, in which case you praise and encourage that behavior for more of the same. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their bipolar child to wrath 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!

Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for redefining child abuse

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. Most American parents support the present-day definition of child abuse. However, God's Law is above the law of the land. The Bible has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse. It is about time our legal codes reflect this reality.

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 consists of a parent who is sorely disappointed when they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from their children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards a child is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was seen as offensive or damaging by the child, it was deemed child abuse. See also 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology to your child whenever you hurt their feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology when you hurt your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting all offense as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell onto the parents, and not the child. An atheist in the Early Church was seen as an abused child then, not a "lost soul" to be "won over". 

The ancients in the Bible even had an understanding of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with the marriage being equal in nature. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Sexual relations with children were prohibited in the Early Church, including in the context of an intergenerational marriage. Most child sexual abuse then was directed towards the offender's child, usually in the case of daughters. Most men in the Early Church allowed themselves to masturbate righteously to sexual fantasies of his daughter. However, the possession of pornography on one's person was seen as a form of fornication in and of itself, including when children were depicted in the pornographic material. Child sexual abuse was rare in the biblical context, meaning next to non-existent. Whenever it happened, it was a huge moral outrage.

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, the investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were subpoenaed to appear before a council of 3 church elders. If the parents at all defended themselves in court, as opposed to answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God for their entitlement.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever endorsing punitive measures in parenting. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod of correction in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes, namely judicial corporal punishment of adult children as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s.

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes largely come from biblical teaching. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and amend the child abuse definitions to define child abuse as whatever the child victim perceives as abuse. 

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 torrents, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Honor parents: Understanding the Fifth Commandment in context

Many parents feel entitled to being honored. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think that they deserve blind obedience in children. However, these parents need an attitude adjustment. No entity is deserving of blind obedience except God Himself. Honoring parents simply means taking care of parents as they age. 

The Fifth Commandment is stated 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,

The Hebrew word translated "honour" is kabad and refers to being a caregiver to another person, in this case an aging parent. The idea is to give parents the same loving care that you received as children. However, this only works if parents took care of you as a child. If your parents were abusive to you, you have the right to shun them, and only forgive them once they give a meaningful apology. If your parents were abusive to you, all you have to do is find a nursing home for them. This commandment seems commonsense, but there was an epidemic of elder abuse and neglect in the Old Testament.

A common motive for punitive measures in parenting is when parents feel "dishonored" and "disrespected". Most American parents punish their children for "disrespect". Some parents only punish their children for "disrespect". However, all punitive parenting is prohibited in the Bible, including in the case that children are "disrespectful" as seen by parents. 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking children. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your children, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you should be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of an informal apology, whenever you hurt your children's feelings with a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool as a child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology to your child for hurting their feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church, This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment ultimately was received as prohibiting all offense as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The Fifth Commandment does not prohibit speaking against parents. This commandment instead commands that children care for their aging parents. However, parents are obligated to treat their children with respect, and not punish them for anything. If they do not treat their children with respect, they can be shunned by an abused child of theirs.

I myself forgive my parents for abusing me. However, though I forgive, I don't forget. I only forgive them at all because they apologized. If your parents don't apologize to you genuinely, you do not have to forgiven them for abusing you. 

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!

Defiance: Why not to punish your child for defiance

Many parents think that defiant children deserve punishment. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think that their children are out to "undermine" them. However, defiance happens when a child cannot accept a set limit. Punishing children for defiance is a form of child abuse, and was seen as such in the Early Church.

God's Law on child abuse is spelled out in 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child, including for defiance. However, it isn't enough to stop spanking your children, or even stop punishing your children altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give meaningful apology whenever you hurt your children's feelings. One thing that hurts a child's feelings is when they cannot accept a set limit. One way that children express displeasure for set limits is through defiance. Defiance usually comes in the form of forceful tears. The key to dealing with defiance is to apologize to your child whenever you hurt their feelings with a limit that they cannot accept. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of a half-apology, when children cannot accept a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage was ultimately received then as prohibiting any offense as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men. 

Defiance is normal behavior in children. Most children have their moments when they defy their parents. This happens when a child cannot accept a set limit. They aren't out to get you. They just can't accept the limits that you set for them. This is when an apology is in order. If you simply set a limit, and weren't angry about it, a half-apology should suffice. However, if you are at all angry with your child when setting limits, you need to give a formal apology. Children always forgive, and if they don't, you have officially traumatized your child. 

Anger at a child alone in the Early Church was seen as a form of entitlement. Most Christian parents in the Early Church were not motivated by anger. Instead, Christian parents then were motivated by worry or concern. The Early Christians saw parent anger directed towards children as akin to a viper lashing out at its prey - maybe the child was given warning, but not quite. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will nor 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!

"Biblical spanking": Why the rod verses in Proverbs are repealed verses

Many parents think that the Bible supports, or even commands, the use of force in parenting. This is a common attitude coming from American parents. Most American parents cite the book of Proverbs for their pro-spanking "proof". However, the rod of correction in the book of Proverbs refers to judicial corporal punishment, not domestic corporal punishment.

One popular verse used to defend the corporal punishment of children is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

He who spareth his rod hateth his son: but he who loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 

The Hebrew word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew word translated "rod" is shebet and refers here to the rod of correction, namely a switch. However, striking another Jew outside of a courtroom setting was prohibited under Jewish law, with striking a minor child being prohibited even in a courtroom setting. The rod here refers to a form of judicial corporal punishment known as the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of an adult child, as a sentence for a crime. Minor children were not whipped at all. Fathers were deputized to whip his errant son whenever his son was found guilty of a capital offense, with the 40 minus 1 lashes being a final warning before the offender was put to death. The reason for this commandment is that, otherwise, fathers would refuse to whip their sons when their sons went afoul of the law.

The harsh punishments of the Old Testament are repealed by Christ's Work on the cross. Christ experienced corporal punishment unjustly, in the form of the 40 minus 1 lashes, before being nailed to the cross. The Early Christians shunned all corporal punishment under Roman law, or any corporal punishment for that matter. 

There is no such thing as a "biblical spanking". The Bible does not endorse a "biblical spanking" of any kind. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some. 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of a half-apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with limits not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with a child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage ultimately was understood then as prohibiting any offense as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Corporal punishment of a child was seen by the Early Christians as a pagan custom of parenting that occasionally plagued the parishes of the Early Church. Whenever a parent defended even parent anger, the offender was excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. Contrary to popular belief, the Early Christians were not well integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban ghettos, and shunned the outside world.

Any parent anger directed towards a child was seen in the Early Church as entitlement, and was condemned widely as such. Most Christian parents in the Early Church instead were motivated by worry or concern, as opposed to an entitled backbone. Anger at children then was seen as akin to a viper lashing out at its prey. Anger at children then was seen as a predatory drive, meaning not a valid motive for parenting.

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!

Hebrews 12:5-6: Why this is not a pro-spanking passage

Many parents use the Bible as a means of insisting on their "right" of punishing children. Most American parents support spanking and other forms of punishment, citing the Bible as an excuse for abuse. The cornerstone passage used as "proof" that spanking and other forms of punishment are "biblical" is Hebrews 12:5-6. However, Heb 12:5-6 is not a pro-spanking passage, but instead is a reassurance for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

God's Word on enduring hardship is stated in Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation that speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

This passage, when understood correctly, is comforting to me. The Greek root word translated "scourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it, as is the case here. Whenever a Christian then came home from a long day at work, they instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally reach down from the Heavens and whip His children. However, God does punish His children, as only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of His children that He cherishes the most. However, God only punishes His children when it doesn't cause harm, whereas earthly parents only punish when it does, in fact, cause harm. This passage was intended as reassurance for the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

The Bible does not endorse punishment of any child, including in Heb. 12:5-6. God does not want His Parenting methods to be used by earthly parents, as they could get it wrong. However, the Bible does touch on the spanking issue, and then some. 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it not enough to stop spanking children, or even stop punishing your children altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent, in the form of a half-apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards a child is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement then. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this passage was ultimately received as prohibiting any offense as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The staple punishment in the Greco-Roman world for a child was an open-handed spanking to the bare bottom. Spanking then was seen in the Early Church as a pagan custom to be shunned. However, some Greek Christian parents were bringing into the church their punitive pagan parenting customs. Paul would have none of it, and wrote two passages to convict Greek Christians of their punitive parenting habits. See also Eph. 6:4, stanza 1. 

The Early Christians never whipped even the worst of moral offenders. This was because Christ Himself experienced the 40 minus 1 lashes unjustly before being nailed onto the cross. Christ died and Rose again on the Third Day in order to abolish the harsh punishments found in the Old Testament in their entirety. 

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!

Redefining child abuse: Why the Bible calls for tougher laws against child abuse

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. Most parents today support the modern-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. However, God's Law is above the law of the land, and the Bible itself has its own definition of child abuse - whatever the child victim perceives as abuse. God's Law is the basis for most all of our legal codes, with Judeo-Christian values being the foundation of this country, and thus the child abuse definitions should be expanded, not narrowed.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement in the Bible is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement consists of a parent who is sorely disappointed when they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. A parent is deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards children is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by a child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse then. See also 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 here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of a half-apology, whenever you hurt your child's feelings with a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. However, this commandment was ultimately received as prohibiting offense as perceived by a child. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men. 

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell onto the parents, not the child. An atheist was seen in the Early Church as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won over". 

The ancients in the Bible even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, including any sexual relations with a child. Marriage then had to be between equals in terms of age, namely if the bride was the same age as the groom, or else up to 4 years older. Most child sexual abuse then happened in the case of father-daughter incest. Most fathers then masturbated righteously to the fantasy of his daughter, at least some of the time. However, all pornography was prohibited then even on the possession of the person, including that which depicted children. Child sexual abuse was rare in the Bible, meaning it was almost non-existent apart from a handful of cases that shocked Jewish society then.

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, this investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were subpoenaed to appear before a council of 3 church elders. If the parents at all got defensive in court, instead of answering to the court, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with most Jews throughout history not endorsing anything punitive with a child. Each of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals, with these parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes of a wayward adult son, as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that the parenting manuals in the biblical context were not translated into English until the 1960s. 

The Bible is America's book. We as a country are founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society use the Bible in order to know how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are largely based off of the Bible. However, the legal codes on child abuse are based on dated biblical teaching. It is about time we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense and expand the legal definition of child abuse to include basically any abuse perceived by a child victim, in order to reflect more modern biblical teachings.

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 torrents, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!