Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for tougher laws against child abuse

Many parents believe that the Bible has no concept of child abuse apart from obeying the law of the land. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. 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.

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 being sorely disappointed when they don't get the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. 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 then 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 offense as perceived by the child, with this referring to child abuse. Offenses in children include any hurt feelings in children where parents refuse to apologize. Whenever you hurt your child's feelings, you should apologize to your child. This includes when setting limits. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 term 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. But, this commandment was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children, as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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 atheist child. An atheist then was seen then 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" in the New Testament is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to anything outside the sexual norm, as understood then. This can be further summed up as any sexual relations or advances outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage needing to be equal in terms of chronological age. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Any intergenerational marriages or sexual relationships were banned in the Early Church. What was also banned in the Early Church was all pornography, including that which depicted a child. Most child sexual abuse then came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual victims. Most men then had parent attractions, and masturbated to thoughts of his child that he was attracted to. Child sexual abuse was rare in the Early Church, and when it happened, it was a huge moral outrage. Attraction to children then was on the surface, with men in particular disclosing their attraction to children out in the open, including even to their daughters when attracted to her. A father was a man of few words about his sexual fantasies of his daughter, and even disclosed to his daughter when she asked where he went in his fantasies. Whenever a father tried to hide his sexual desires for children, he was suspected of child sexual abuse. A sexually abused child knew then exactly what was happening to them, and self-reported the abuse that they were suffering.

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves in major Greco-Roman cities, shunning the broader Greco-Roman world, and also the world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system, with these courts being binding into the end of the 1st Century.

Child abuse in the Early Church was prosecuted by  way of internal church investigation. This investigation usually started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were summoned to appear before a council of 3 elders, who would preside over the investigation. If the parents at all got defensive, as opposed to answering directly to the court, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God, alongside all witnesses who testified on behalf of the parents. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with spanking then and now being a violation of Jewish law. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs instead referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were only translated into English in the 1960s. Before then, this level of parenting knowledge was only known to the Jewish world.

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes, under the English common law, are based off of biblical teaching. However, the criminal defense of "reasonable chastisement" is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time that we abolish the :reasonable chastisement" defense, and redefine child abuse as anything perceived by the child victim 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!

"Benign" deprivation: Why children don't need to hear the word "no" from parents "frequent and often"

Many parents think that children need to hear the word "no" from them "frequent and often". This is a common attitude amongst American parents, called "benign" deprivation. Most American parents buy into this idea to some degree. However, children need to hear your "yes" more than your "no".

God's Law against "benign" deprivation 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, namely the slightest of hurt feelings in children where parents refuse to apologize. Perhaps the most common thing that hurts a child's feelings is the word "no". The word "no" should be saved for when children want something unsafe, or else are getting into something unsafe. If a child is playing ball in the house, or else is about to touch a hot stove, they need to hear the word "no". Apart from safety's sake, children do not need to hear the word "no". Whenever you tell your child "no", you need to apologize in the case of hurt feelings in children. However, if you ever lose your cool with your child, 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. No anger at children was ever seen as a valid offense 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 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.

The idea as a parent is to give children almost everything that they want, and absolutely everything that they need. Children are counting on YOU to give them good things. The idea is to say "yes" even to benign wants in children, and a guaranteed "yes" to what the child needs. In most cases, benign wants count as an attachment need. The word "no" IS the end of the world for a child, as they lack emotional self-control until age 8. What is simply disappointing for adults is downright earth-shattering for a young child. If you do have to say "no", you should comfort your child with an apology. 

One place for contention in parenting is in the store. Usually, the child wants candy in the checkout line, and usually, parents demand that the child "put that back". However, in the Early Church, children wanted licorice from the candy stand in the market. So, parents let their children get a piece of licorice off of the shelf, with parents paying for it. Children rarely ask for much in the store. Sometimes, they want the bicycle off of the rack, in which case parents themselves should save just for their child's wishes, or else wait until payday. Children were not forced to work for money at all, and neither should children be forced to work at all in the modern context. 

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: How to deal with defiance in children without punitive measures

Many parents have been there. A child defying the limits of parents. This is a common occurrence in American hones. Most parents think that their defiant child is out to "undermine parents". However, children do not defy parents for "undermining parents". They simply cannot accept a set limit.

God's Law on dealing with defiance in children 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 is not enough to simply stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. One thing that hurts children's feelings is not being able to accept a set limit. One expression of childhood displeasure for set limits is by defiance, usually coming in the form of forceful tears when the child hears the word "no". However, your children aren't out to get you. They simply cannot accept a set limit, with this due to children having poor control over their emotions. Whatever is simply disappointing to adults is earth-shattering to children. Thus, in order to avoid offenses in children, you need to apologize for hurting your child's feelings, ideally in the face of their defiance. One thing that hurts children's feelings the most is limits set out of anger. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 term roughly translating as "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 by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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 a normal and developmentally appropriate behavior in children. Children lack emotional self-control, and this is the case until the age of 8. What is simply disappointing to adults is earth-shattering to young children. The idea is to give an apology in the face of the child's defiance. However, if you ever set limits out of anger, you need to apologize for hurting your child's feelings with your anger. 

Children never intend defiance as a means of "undermining parents". Instead, they simply cannot accept set limits. Most children go through moments where they are acting defiant. The key is to give an apology for having to set limits that the child does not like.

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!

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

Many parents believe that spanking children is condoned or even commanded in the Bible. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. A common excuse for spanking a child is found in 5 verses in the book of Proverbs. However, the teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. 

One commonly cited rod verse is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

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

The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet and refers here to the rod of correction, namely a switch. Ultimately, this passage refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back, in a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. The 40 minus 1 lashes was a final warning before an errant son was put to death. In the biblical context, it was unlawful to strike a fellow adult Jew outside of the context of a courtroom. It was unlawful to strike a minor child in all settings. The reason for this commandment is that, otherwise, fathers of adult sons would shield their children from blame, and would refuse to whip their sons.

Christ died and Rose on the Third Day in order to put an end to the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ did this by enduring corporal punishment unjustly before being placed on the cross. The Early Christians did not use capital or corporal punishment as a form of church discipline. The Old Testament punishments were seen as God's flawed punishment, with Hell being the perfect punishment for sin. Christ opened up the gates of Heaven and Hell for motivation as to how to behave as a Christian, replacing the flawed Old Testament punishments.

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere legitimately calls for the corporal punishment of children, or any punishment of children for that matter. 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 here refers 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. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Thus in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to your child for hurting their feelings. One thing that surely hurts a child's feelings is parent anger directed towards children. If you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to apologize for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper" and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 term 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 intended as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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. 

Contrary to popular belief, the parents in the biblical context did not enslave their children. Instead, attachment parenting was the norm in both the Old and the New Testament. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, with children following mothers around wherever she went. For the latter years of childhood, children played freely outside, with thus play often being wet and messy in nature. Whenever children got into mischief, parents laughed with their child. When children lashed out at parents , parents cried with their children. The Early Christian context is an attachment parenting context, and is the perfect context for attachment parenting inspiration. 

The Early Christians, contrary to popular belief, were not well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians shunned the broader Greco-Roman world, and the world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system that was binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

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 use the Bible as an excuse for spanking or punishing children. This is a common way for parents to excuse punishing their children. Most American parents cite 5 passages in Proverbs. as well as 1 passage in Proverbs as their "proof" that spanking is biblical. However, the core arguments in Hebrews about "biblical spanking" sits on shaky ground. The fact of the matter is that the passage in Heb. 12:5-6 is about enduring hardship, not spanking a child.

God's Word on trials and tribulations is spelled out 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 "acourgeth" is μαστιγόω (Latin: mastigoó) and can have a figurative meaning to it, as is the case here. The rod here is a metaphor is a metaphor for enduring hardship known as rod language. When a Christian man had a long day at work, he instead said "God whipped me hard today". God clearly does not come down from the Heavens and whip His children. However, God does punish His children, like only He can, sending trials and tribulations the way of the believer. 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 reassuring the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome.

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. God does not want earthly parents to use His Parenting methods, lest they 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 simply stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize for hurting your child's feelings. One thing that hurts children's feelings the most is parent anger directed towards children. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and rhen 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 in the Early Church who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin term 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 by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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 broader Greco-Roman society was an open-handed spanking to a bare bottom. Most Christians of the time shunned such treatment of children as a pagan custom that was of this world. However, pro-spanking infiltrators commonly brought their pagan ways with them into the church. The Apostle Paul would have none of it, and convicted the parishes at Colossae and Ephesus for their issues with pro-spanking infiltrators. 

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into broader Greco-Roman society. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves in major Greco-Roman cities, shunning the outside Greco-Roman world, and the world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system, which was binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

It is also a myth that the Early Christians enslaved their children. The Early Christians practiced attachment parenting. For the first 6 years of childhood, children were in constant closeness to mothers, following mom wherever she went. For the latter years of childhood, children played freely, often in a wet and messy way. Whenever children got into mischief, parents got a good laugh   When children lashed out at parents, parents cried with their children. 

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 tougher laws on the books protecting children from abuse

Many parents think that the Bible has no concept of child abuse apart from obeying the law of the land. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. 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.

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement in the New Testament 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 being 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 being parents. 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 then 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. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way with children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to your child for hurting their feelings. One thing that hurts children's feelings the most is parent anger directed towards children. If you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while settting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 term 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 by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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 concept of childhood trauma. If a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell on the parents, meaning not the child. An atheist in the Early Church was seen 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" in the New Testament is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to anything out of the sexual norm in the Early/Church. This included any sexual relations or advances outside of the context of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this commandment needing to be equal in terms of chronological age. Intergenerational marriage was banned in the Early Church. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Most child sexual abuse in the biblical context happened in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual victims. Fathers with parent attractions spent away their sexual desires for their children by way of righteous masturbation, meaning masturbation without pornography. Even all pornography was banned in the Early Church, meaning anything intended as such. Child sexual abuse was rare in the biblical context, meaning it was next to non-existent. Attraction to children was out in the open in the Early Church. Most men then had an attraction to their daughters, and masturbated to sexual thoughts of their daughters, being a man of few words when asked of his fantasies, including by his daughter. Whenever a man tried to hide his parent attractions when asked of such attractions, he was seen as suspect of child sexual abuse. Children then who were being sexually abused knew what was happening, and self-reported their own abuse that they suffered. Whenever child sexual abuse was found out, it was a huge moral outrage, with the given community being outraged by the abuse that the child suffered. 

Contrary to popular belief, the Early Christians were not well-integrated into Rome. Instead. the Early Christians lived in enclaves in major Greco-Roman cities, shunning the broader Greco-Roman world, and the world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system, with these courts being binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of internal church investigation. This investigation usually started with a child confiding into a church clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were summoned to appear before a council of 3 church elders, who would preside over the investigation. If the parents at all got defensive in court, they were swiftly excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God, as well as any witnesses called to testify on the behalf of the parents.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with spanking a child - then and now - being prohibited under Jewish law. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes, as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that these attachment parenting manuals only being translated into English in the 1960s. Before then, this level of parenting knowledge was known only to the Jewish world. 

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 are based off of biblical teaching. However, the criminal defense of "reasonable chastisement" is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time that we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and redefine child abuse under state and federal law 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 torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

Childhood bipolar disorder: How to discipline your bipolar child without punitive measures

In many cases, children develop childhood bipolar disorder. Most parents think that children who act up due to a mental health disorder need "a firm hand". With that said, child psychiatrists believe that the disorder cannot be disciplined without the child first being stabilized with medication. However, the fact of the matter is that there is a way to discipline your child with bipolar disorder. The idea is to catch them being good and praise them.

God's Law on disciplining children with bipolar disorder 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 clarifies for the second that discipline should not hurt your bipolar child. 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 children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to your child for hurting their feelings. One thing that perhaps hurts children's feelings the most is parent anger directed towards children. If you ever lose your cool with your 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 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 custom of patrias potestas, and 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 ultimately was received by the parish at Ephesus as prohibiting causing offenses children as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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.

This second stanza of this commandment refers to how to discipline your bipolar child without punishment or shaming. They aren't "bad kids", They simply have a mental health disorder. The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: erethizo) 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, such as self-discipline and self-control, and when children showed these traits, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for more of the same. Children with bipolar disorder always have moments of clarity when otherwise being deep in their mental illness. When a child with bipolar disorder has a moment of clarity, and manages to keep it together, they should be praised for their self-control. This should encourage more self-control in children. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and is more aptly translated as "instruction" in more modern versions of the Bible, with Paul here referring to religious instruction. Children with bipolar disorder usually cannot find religion until they are stabilized.

Most bipolar children lash out at parents at some point in their childhood. The idea behind this setup is the righteous acronym of righteous parent abuse. That means that even when your child is lashing out at you physically or verbally, you have to put up with their abuse, as they are your child. These outbursts are known as rage attacks, and usually come from the child hearing the word "no" from a parent. One way to deter attacks from your child is to cry out loud when they are attacking you.

It is futile to pick fights with a child with bipolar disorder. They actually might win. The more you try to control a bipolar child, the more they try to control you back, and a bipolar child just might win at that fight. The idea is to give up the fight with your bipolar child, and give in to their demands.

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!

 

Abortion: Why abortion is bad for women

Many on the political left support abortion rights. This is a common view amongst leftists. Most leftists support the so-called "right" for a woman to get an abortion. However, abortion is something that is bad for women, and benefits men.

The Bible mentions murder in Revelation 21:8 KJV:

But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

The Greek root word translated "murderers" is φονευς (Latin: phoneus) and refers to anyone who causes death in a human being apart from natural death. The Bible is clear, in context, that only God can take a life. Any death apart from natural death is prohibited in the Bible. This was understood in the Early Church as prohibiting abortion in all cases, including for rape, incest, or life of the mother.

Abortion is not good for women at all. Most women don't understand what abortion entails, or else they wouldn't get one. Abortion is not simply the doctor reaching in and taking the child out of the womb. An abortion consists of an medically-induced miscarriage. In the Early Church, abortion happened in the form of abortifacient tea that the mother drank in order to induce a miscarriage. Only the cold, unfeeling mothers ever got abortions then. Abortifacient herbs did not grow in Ancient Israel, and when they were brought in, the smugglers of such herbs were stopped at the border. No abortion ever took place in the Old Testament, or else it would have been seen as murder.

An unborn child is a child in their own right. The unborn child is not a part of the woman's body, but instead is a body within the mother's body. The unborn child has the DNA of both the father and the mother, in a way that makes the unborn child genetically unique. Unborn children are also genetically unique from their siblings. 

Even in the case of rape or incest, mothers can simply see the baby as theirs and not her abuser's baby. Abortion simply serves to cover up the evidence of sexual immorality, including rape and/or incest. Even in the case of life of the mother, the father is perfectly capable of caring for the baby once they are born. Most men are capable of lactating once they form a close enough bond with the child.

One compelling argument for abortion rights is the case of the pregnancy abusers. A pregnancy abuser keeps his partner pregnant in order to facilitate domestic violence. However, instead of blaming the baby, the police can simply arrest the man of the house for rape. Abortion simply serves to cover up the evidence for that form of domestic violence. 

Men benefit from abortion. Most abortions happen when a man gets his partner pregnant, and he doesn't want to take care of a baby. Ask any unmarried pro-life woman what happens when she says that she is pro-life - they all run away. That is because men can simply avoid fatherhood by pressuring their partner into an abortion. 

The early feminists warned women about the dangers of abortion. Abortion was popularized by eugenicist Margaret Sanger. Before then, most feminists were pro-life. I myself strive as a man to be a Christian feminist, and see myself in this article as warning women of the dangers of abortion.

I also support a safety net for the children already born, such as paid parental leave. I also support things such as daycare and college vouchers, as well as universal healthcare. The more expenses are taken care of by the government, the more money that families have to save. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, a church tax was collected on the first day of the week. If you needed money for free, you got free money. 

The depraved and entitled women who murder their children in the womb, and all who aid and abet, will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into the abyss which is the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent!

The Fifth Commandment: Understanding the commandment to honor parents in context

Many parents feel entitled to being "honored". This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents insist on honor and respect from their children, citing the Fifth Commandment as their "proof'" that children need to honor and respect them. However, the fact of the matter is that the commanmdment to honor parents speaks of a specific form of honoring parents - caring for them as they age.

The Fifth Commandment is spelled out 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.

And is repeated in Ephesians 6:2-3 KJV:

Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 

The Greek root word translated "honour" in Eph. 6:2-3 is τιμαω (Latin: timao) and refers here to being a caregiver to someone else, namely an aging parent. The idea is to give your parents the same tender loving care that they gave you when you were still a child. However, this only works if you had good parents to begin with. If your parents were abusive in any way, you have the right to shun them. The reason for this specific commandment was that elder abuse and neglect was endemic in the Old Testament and in the parish at Ephesus.

A common reason for punishment of children is when parents feel "disrespected" or "dishonored". In some homes, punishment only comes when children are clearly "dishonoring" or "disrespecting" parents. However, any punitive treatment of children is prohibited in the Bible, including when children speak against 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 your child, including for "dishonoring" or "disrespecting" you. 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. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize whenever you hurt your child's feelings. One thing that hurts children's feelings more than anything is parent anger directed towards a child. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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, and is a Latin term 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 by the parish at Ephesus as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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. 

Respect is not demanded in life. It is earned. The same is true in parenting. The idea in getting a respectful child is to show them respect, especially during the first 6 years of childhood. A parent is deserving of absolutely nothing in relation to their children. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not even respect. Not even honor. These good things from children are earned.

Most children live under tyrannical rule, with children oftentimes being punished or treated punitively for not "honoring" their parents. Most parents feel entitled to respect and honor from their children, and enforce their deservances with punishment and shaming. However, the Fifth Commandment was not written to minor children, but to adult children of aging parents. 

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!

Attraction to children: Individual responsibility for adults attracted to children

Child sexual abuse is a common problem in our society. 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Most adults blame pedophiles for the sexual abuse epidemic facing children. However, all adults are individually responsible for their sexual behavior around children. 

Every single adult is responsible for the sexual abuse of children, as any old adult could sexually abuse a child under the right/wrong conditions. All adults are capable of harm towards a child. Most child sexual abuse comes from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sexually abuse a child, with parents being the most likely culprit. 

God's Law on child sexual abuse is spelled out in 1 Corinthians 6:18 KJV:

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body. but he that committeth sinneth against his own body.

The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to anything outside of the Christian norm, as understood in the Early Church. "Flee fornication" implies the way out of committing fornication - righteous masturbation to sexual thoughts of children. All adults are capable of sexual attraction to children, which should be dealt with using righteous masturbation. Righteous masturbation is masturbation without pornography, meaning for health reasons It is okay to celebrate your fantasies a bit,  but don't take it too far by acquiring pornography on your possession, The idea is to masturbate to the first thought that comes to mind. For most men, that mental image is of his daughter. The idea is to purge that fantasy from your midst using righteous masturbation. Masturbation is banned by most Christian churches only because it oftentimes comes with pornography. However, the way around this is to masturbate without pornography, as the depictions themselves are what keeps the sexual addiction going. When you actually masturbate without pornography, you may find relief at the very first session. If it smells damp, you need to do it more. 

The sexual norm in the Early Church was clear and straightforward to understand. A man was only allowed two sexual outlets - sex with his wife, and/or righteous masturbation without pornography. As a Christian myself, I am not allowed sex at all with a woman, as she surely is not my wife. A Christian marriage, then and now, consists of a union between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage being equal in terms of chronological age. A groom then was only allowed marriage with a woman his age or up to 4 years older. This marriage consisted of an exchange of vows in a church setting, leading to the consummation, meaning the marriage agreement being signed on the dotted line. Simple sexual relations in and of themselves is not a proper marriage, and instead constitutes a fraudulent marriage. 

Pedophilia is not a sin in the eyes of God, as long as it isn't acted upon towards a child. Most pedophiles in the Early Church identified by their sexual desires for children, where they were given a listening ear, with the pedophile being able to talk out their desires for children with someone else. Today, a therapist can provide the listening environment that pedophiles need. All it takes is reflective listening with a pedophile, and then the desires can be a non-issue. 

Pedophilia is not a form of narcissism  Pedophilia is instead a mental health disorder involving a sexual preference for children under age 14. Most pedophilia has an autistic presentation to it, not a narcissistic presentation to it. Most pedophiles have a form of moderate-severe autism, with their whole world surrounding children, even if they have little to do with children in their life. Autism means "one with" a certain topic, which becomes their passion. When that topic is children, you can guess that such an individual is a pedophile. Pedophilia is not due to "woman" trauma or hatred of women, but instead is a genetic disorder that is genetically related to autism, with the onset of puberty triggering the pedophile genes in an individual. Pedophilia is a developmental disorder in the form of arrested sexual development, and can be diagnosed in children as young as 16, or even identified years earlier. Most pedophiles are the last adults to abuse a child in any way, as most pedophiles are aware of their own trauma, meaning they have parent trauma instead of parent jealousy.

The idea behind individual responsibility in terms of child sexual abuse is to stop yourself from sexually abusing a child, instead of relying on other people to stop you. Even if you are in a position of power and influence, you can do something so not to abuse your power. The idea is to masturbate righteously to sexual thoughts of children BEFORE you end up in a situation where you are alone with an attractive child. Moat power and influence abusers take one taste of child blood, and then exploit the fact that they have access to a great many children. Usually, a power and influence abuser is in denial of their sexual nature, even while actively abusing children. 

The depraved and decadent, defiled adults who sexually abuse children will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into torrents of Hell-fire prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent! 

Righteous apology: Why to apologize to your child in order to avoid offense in children

Many parents think that they don't have to apologize to their children at all. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think it is beneath them to apologize to their child. Instead, most American parents back up their limits with punitive measures, instead of an apology. However, children are going to feel hurt by set limits, in which case you need to apologize.

God's Law against punitive parenting 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. The idea is to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way with children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize for hurting your child's feelings. Most of the time, children are offended when their feelings are hurt by parent anger directed towards them. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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, and is a Latin term 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 by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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 snyway, obeying God over men.

Offense avoidance involves apologizing whenever you hurt another person's feelings. There is no way around it. If you hurt someone's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. Whenever you hurt your child's feelings, you need to apologize. This includes children having hurt feelings from set limits. Whenever you hurt a child's feelings, you need to apologize. 

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 expanding child abuse definitions

Many parents believe that the Bible has no concept of child abuse apart from obeying the law of the land. Most American parents support the present-day definitions 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. 

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 being parents. 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 then 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. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way with children when dealing with them. One thing that perhaps hurts children's feelings the most is parent anger directed towards children. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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 had a basic concept of childhood trauma. When a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell on the child's parents, not the child themselves. An atheist was seen in the Early Church as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won over". 

The ancients even had a basic concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual behavior outside of the norm in the Early Church. This included any sexual relations or advances outside of the context of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage needing to be equal in terms of chronological age. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Most child sexual abuse in the biblical context came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual victims. Most fathers dealt with parent attractions by way of masturbating to sexual fantasies of his daughter. Attraction to children in the Early Church existed on the surface, with fathers being honest to his daughter about his fantasies about her as a man of few words. Whenever a father hid his sexual attractions to children from open view, it was seen as a sign of an abuser. Child sexual abuse, when it happened for real, was a huge moral outrage. This setup made abusers easier to spot, and helped child victims know exactly what was happening to them. 

Contrary to popular belief, the Early Christians were not well integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves in major Greco-Roman cities, shunning the broader Greco-Roman world, and the outside world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system, with this court system binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

Child abuse in the Early Church was prosecuted by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, the investigation started when a child confided into a clergyperson about their home life. From there, the parents were summoned to appear before a panel of 3 church elders who would preside over the investigation. If the parents at all got defensive in court, they were swiftly excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God, alongside any witnesses that testified on the parents' behalf. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with spanking a child being prohibited under Jewish law. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes as a sentence for a crime, and only with adult children. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s. Until then, this level of parenting knowledge was only known to the Jewish world. 

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, under the English common law, are based off of Judeo-Christian values. However, the criminal defense of "reasonable chastisement" is based off of dated biblical knowledge. It is about time we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and redefine child abuse as anything that 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!

Positive reinforcement: 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 insist on discipline for their children. However, most parents conflate discipline with punishment. However, there are better ways to discipline a child, with these alternatives found in the Bible.

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. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or else stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize for hurting your child's feelings. Parent anger directed towards children is a common reason for children to have hurt feelings. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 stanza here 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 term roughly translating 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 first stanza of this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Ephesus as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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.

This second stanza states what discipline is appropriate in parenting, 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 sort. Christian parents in the Early Church looked for preferred behaviors in children, such as self-discipline and self-control. Whenever children showed these good traits, they were given lavish praise and encouragement for more of the same. Christian parents in the Early Church imparted a good example for children to emulate, with this good example being backed up by praise and encouragement, as opposed to punishment or shaming. Children growing up in the Early Church found their own discipline, and when they did find discipline, they were lavishly praised and encouraged for their good traits. 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, with the Bible being left open to a reassuring passage (such as the Beatitudes). Children taught themselves how to read on a Bible. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were lavishly praised and encouraged 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. Children were curious about Scripture, with fathers being quick to give pointers on the context. This stanza refers to the Judeo-Christian tradition of positive reinforcement, with this Hebraic tradition of encouraging good behavior in children predating Christ by thousands of years.

Children sometimes get themselves into mischief. All children will get into mischief at some point in their childhood. The idea is laugh with your child when they get into mischief. Most childhood mischief comes from lack of self-control in children, with children naturally acquiring the skill of self-control at around age 8. When this self-control shows in children, it is a good time to praise and encourage self-control in children. There is never a child that never shows good traits. 

Sometimes, a parent needs to ser limits, namely for safety's sake. However, children accepting limits is  whole other story. Whenever your child cannot accept a set limit, you need to apologize for hurting your child's feelings with your limits. Sometimes, limits are set out of anger, in which case you need to apologize for hurting your feelings with your anger, with all anger directed towards a child being entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. 

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!

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

Many parents want their children to have values. This is a common goal for parents to have. Most American parents want their children to have religion. However, most parents impart Judeo-Christian values onto children by way of punitive measures. The fact of the matter is that children don't need a religion beaten into them. Children can come to religious conclusions 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.

The first stanza of this commandment clarifies for the second that religious instruction should not be punitive in nature. The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refer 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 children, including for things such as refusing to pray or not assuming grateful postures. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way with children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need be willing to apologize for hurting their feelings. If you ever lose your cool with your 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, and is a Latin term roughly translated roughly as "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive measures on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. But, this stanza of this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Ephesus as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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 a religion beaten into them. Religion is a base 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, with the Bible left open to a reassuring passage (such as the Beatitudes). Children taught themselves how to read on a Bible. Whenever children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were praised and encouraged to keep 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. Children then were curious about Scripture, with fathers being quick to give pointers on the context.

Children oftentimes refuse to go to church. This is a common and developmentally normal behavior for toddlers and preschoolers. The fact of the matter is that children that young are too young to be taught a religion. If a child does not want to go to church, leave them home with the woman of the house, with the man of the house praying for his family. They eventually, at around age 6, will start to form their own religious beliefs. 

Most Christian parents rush the normal religious development of children. Most Christian parents do things such as punish children for not showing grateful postures. I myself tie my hands behind my back, and nobody made me.. Grateful postures are simply a sign of good religious development. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your children to anger throigh 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 burning sulfur, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

"Benign" deprivation: Why children shouldn't hear the word "no" from parents "frequent and often"

Many parents buy into it. It is the attitude that children need to hear the word "no" from parents "frequent and often" to "prepare them for the real world". However, children don't need to be toughened up for the real world. They aren't ready for the real world. They are only children.

God's Law on "benign" deprivation 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. The key here is to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. One thing that perhaps hurts children's feelings the most is being told "no" for every little thing that they ask for. The idea is to only say "no" to children when absolutely necessary, meaning for safety's sake only. Whenever a child asks for things that are dangerous, you then should say "no". Another valid reason to say "no" to a child is when they are behaving in an unsafe manner, such as playing ball in the house, or else going to touch a hot stove. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to avoid hurting their feelings unnecessarily with the frequent use of the word "no". However, sometimes the word "no" is necessary, in which case the parent should apologize for setting the limit with children. 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 parenting customs, which were puntive 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. 

The idea as a parent is to give your child most everything that they want, and absolutely everything that they need. A benign want counts as a need for a child. Children have limited self-control, with this lasting until age 8. The word "no" is earth-shattering to a child. Christian parents in the Early Church knew more than parents today how to accommodate children in their upset - only say "no" seldom, meaning preferably almost never.

One place of contention in parenting is the store. Usually, the child is asking for something, such as a candy bar, and usually, the parent says "put that back", and from there, the power struggle ensues. Why not just get the child what they want? They aren't usually asking for much. If a child wants something expensive, just save your own money to get them what they want. Don't make them work for the money. Work for the child's money yourself. In the Early Church, children all wanted licorice from the candy stand. The parent happily paid for the licorice themselves, and then let the child enjoy the candy that they wanted.

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 never to use punitive measures in dealing with defiance in children

Many parents have been there. A child acting defiant. Most American parents think that a defiant child is defiant because the child is trying to "undermine parental authority". However. children aren't out to get you. They just are developmentally unable to accept your limits. 

God's Law on dealing with defiance in children 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 when they are defiant. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or else stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. If you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Perhaps what hurts children's feelings more than anything else is a parent setting a limit that the child cannot accept. They aren't out to get you. They simply cannot accept a set limit. Children have limited control over their emotions, and this is the case until age 8. This means that whatever is merely disappointing to an adult is earth-shattering for young children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to apologize for hurting your children's feelings with your limits, ideally in the face of their defiance. In many cases, 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, 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 term 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. But, this commandment was ultimately received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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 in children is a common and normal behavior in children. Most all children have their moments where they act in a defiant manner. This is not due to children seeking to "undermine parental role". They simply cannot accept set limits, in which case you should apologize straight to your child for hurting their feelings, ideally in the face of their defiance.

Young children have limited control over their emotions. This is the case until they turn 8. What is simply disappointing to adults si earth-shattering to young children. The key here is to apologize to your children whenever you hurt their feelings with your anger. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke your 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!

Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for stronger laws against child abuse

Many parents think that the Bible has no concept of child abuse apart from obeying the law of the land. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under state and federal law. 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.

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 ultimately consists of a parent being 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 being parents. 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 then 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. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It is no different when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize whenever you hurt your child's feelings. In many cases, 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 for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper" and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as any parent anger directed towards children 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 with them 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. But, this commandment was ultimately received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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 had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. If a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell on the parents of the non-believing child, not the child themselves. An atheist in the Early Church was seen as an abused child, not a "lost soul" to be "won over".

The ancients even had an understanding of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" in the Bible 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 having to be equal in terms of chronological age. A groom was only allowed a bride his age or up to 4 years older. Any sexual relations with a child then, including intergenerational marriage, was banned in the Early Church. Mary may have been 14 when Joseph married her, but Joseph was 13 at that time. Any pornography in general was prohibited in the Early Church, including that which depicted children. Most child sexual abuse then came in the form of father-child incest, with daughters being the usual victims. Fathers who had an attraction to their children usually masturbated to thoughts of their children. Attraction to children then existed on the surface, with there being no shame in admitting to being attracted to a child. Child sexual abuse in the biblical context was rare, meaning next to non-existent. When a child was being sexually abused, they knew exactly what was happening, and self-reported their own abuse.

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves that shunned the broader Greco-Roman world, and the world at large. The Early Christians even had their own court system that was binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

Child abuse in the Bible was prosecuted 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 summoned to appear before a panel of 3 church elders who would preside over the investigation. If the parents were defensive at all, instead of answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God, as well as any witnesses that came to testify on behalf of the parents. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with anything punitive with a child being banned under Jewish law. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals that advocated attachment parenting. Even King Solomon wrote an attachment parenting manual for minor children, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes administered to an adult child as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that these attachment parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, this level of parenting knowledge was only known to the Jewish world.

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, under the English common law, come from biblical teaching. However, the criminal defense of "reasonable chastisement" is based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time that we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and amend the child abuse definitions under state and federal law to include anything that 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 abuss 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!

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

Many parents spank their children. Their main excuse for spanking children, arguably speaking, is 5 mentions in the Bible that mention the rod of correction. Most American parents believe that these verses in Proverbs condone or even command spanking children. However, the teaching of "biblical spanking" is  a man-made teaching. The rod passages in the book of Proverbs are repealed passages.

A total of 6 verses in Proverbs mention the rod explicitly. One favorite passage cited by pro-spanking parents in the Bible is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

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

The Hebrew root word translated "son" is ben and refers to a mature adult son. The Hebrew root word translated "rod" is shebet and refers to the rod of correction, namely a switch. This passage ultimately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes, administered to the bare back of an adult offender, in a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. It was unlawful then to strike another adult Jew outside of the context of a courtroom. Striking a minor child was banned under Jewish law in all settings. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, Jewish fathers would shield even their adult sons from blame.

Christ died and Rose on the Third Day in order to repeal the harsh punishments of the Old Testament. Christ banned corporal punishment entirely by enduring corporal punishment unjustly before being placed onto the cross. The Early Christians never used corporal punishment as a means of church discipline. Instead, Christians who committed moral offenses were excommunicated if they defended their sins in open court. 

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible never legitimately condones or commands striking a child as a form of domestic 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 children. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your children, or even stop punishing them altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same way when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to your child for hurting their feelings. In many cases, all that is necessary is a reassurance coming from parents, 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 limits 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 hurting your feelings with my temper", and then commit to never 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 term roughly translated as "power to the parent" , namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. But, this commandment was ultimately received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by a child, at minimum. 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.

Pro-spanking parents, in the Early Church, were seen as church infiltrators. These parents cited the same rod verses in Proverbs for pro-spanking excuses that parents cite today. Paul would have none of it in the churches that he oversaw as a deacon, and sent anti-spanking commandments to both the parishes ar Colossae and Ephesus. Contrary to popular legend, the Early Christians were not well-integrated into Greco-Roman society, with Christians then living in urban enclaves that shunned the outside world.

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 bight 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 believe that the Bible condones or even commands the corporal punishment of children. Most Christian parents cite 5 passages in the book of Proverbs and 1 passage in the book of Hebrews as their "proof" of spanking being "biblical". However, the New Testament evidence cited for the teaching of "biblical spanking" sits on shaky ground. The passage in Hebrews 12:5-6 does not refer to earthly parenting, but instead refers to God sending trials and tribulations the way of the believer.

God's Word on enduring hardship is cited 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. This metaphor is known as rod language. When a Christian man then got home from a long day at work, he instead said "God whipped me hard today". God does not literally come 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 loves the most. However, God only punishes His children when it does not harm them, whereas earthly parents only punish children when it does, in fact, harm them. The Apostle Paul here was reassuring the Hebrew Christians in their persecution from Rome. 

The teaching of "biblical spanking" is a man-made teaching. The Bible nowhere legitimately supports or commands the use of corporal punishment in parenting, with the rod verses in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes to an adult as a sentence for a crime. God does not want His Parenting methods to be used by earthly parents, lest they 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 is not enough to simply stop spanking children, or even stop punishing your child altogether for that matter. You need to avoid offense in children. Whenever you hurt someone else's feelings, you need to apologize. It works the same when dealing with children. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to apologize to children whenever you hurt their feelings. In many cases, 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, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for hurting your feelings with my temper", 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 term 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. But, this commandment ultimately was received by the parish at Colossae as prohibiting causing offenses in children as perceived by the child, at minimum. 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 broader Greco-Roman world was a spanking to the bare bottom with an open hand. However, most of the Early Christians shunned punitive parenting as of this world. However, some parishes had a clear problem with punitive parenting infiltrators. Paul would have none of it in the churches that he oversaw,  sending anti-spanking commandments to the parishes at Colossae and Ephesus. 

It is a myth that the Early Christians were well-integrated into Rome. Instead, the Early Christians lived in urban enclaves in major Greco-Roman cities, shunning the outside world. The Early Christians even had their own court system that was binding into the end of the 1st Century. 

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!