Original sin: How to talk to your children about the flaws of mankind

Original sin is one of the most misused of all Christian teachings. However, original sin is the backbone of Christianity. Without original sin, Christ would have died in vain. Original sin is not something to accuse a child of. Instead, YOU need to regard yourself as a sinner in order to be saved.

We as human beings are flawed creatures. God hates most all of mankind, as mankind has turned his back on God. God only loves a few human beings who are His elect. All of mankind is deserving of absolutely nothing just for existing. There is nothing good about human nature. I myself am a depraved and decadent sinner deserving of absolutely nothing, and am grateful for everything that I have. Children can also be convicted of the doctrine of original sin, but that should come without sin shaming. 

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 of this commandment prohibits sin shaming towards children. 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. The key here 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. One thing that hurts a child's feelings is being called a "sinner" in the perjorative tense. Thus in order to avoid offense in a child that is sinning, you need to avoid calling them a sinner, or stop punishing them for their sins entirely for that matter. If you ever lose your cool at all with your child as a parent, including when children sin, 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 parental 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 who brought into the church their pagan parenting customs, which were punitive in nature. 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.

Original sin, as a Christian teaching, does not have to be beaten into a child. Instead, all that is necessary is a brief talk about the topic. 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 the child to discover and explore, with the Bible left open to a reassuring passage, such as the
Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were given lavish praise and encouragement to keep on studying the Bible. Fathers then interjected 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 quick to give pointers on the context. At some point, somewhere in the beginning of a child's religious development, children are bound to ask "Why did Jesus have to die?", in which case you should respond "We as human beings are sinners, and thus we needed a Savior so that God can forgive our sins". 

Children were not seen as "sinful swats" in the Early Church. Children were instead seen as next to God, with God Almighty identifying with the vulnerability of children. The Early Christians did not practice child worship proper, but pretty close to it. See Matt. 25:31-46. 

It is easy to call out your child on their sins. But, it is a whole other thing to convict yourself of your sins. ALL of mankind has a fallen nature, as ALL human beings are sinners deserving of absolutely nothing. Not just children. ALL of us as human beings have fallen from grace. God rescued us from a peacekeeping past, and our human genome is flawed due to our peacekeeping nature as human beings. The idea is to focus on your own sins, and not your child's sins. They will learn how to avoid sin and entitlement just by watching you and copying your example.

The teaching of original sin is something that children do need to know if they want to be good Christians. Most children are spiritually curious as children. Thus, they might just learn about their sinful nature on their own. If they can call themselves sinners at all, they are on the right path. If they as you questions about mankind being sinful, inform them in a way that is gentle and sensitive. 

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!