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

Many parents believe that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. Most parents today believe in 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 who is sorely disappointed for not getting the well-behaved child that they feel that they deserve. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards a child is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. When this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by the child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse. See also Colossians 3:21 KJV: 

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

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

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, shame fell on the parents, not the child. An atheist then 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" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, with this marriage being equitable in nature. Sexual relations with children was banned then. A groom was only allowed a bride his age, or else up to 4 years older. Most men in the Early Church masturbated to thoughts of his daughter. The only sexual outlets a man was allowed in the Early Church was sex with his wife, or else righteous masturbation without pornography. Pornography was banned then when on a person's possession, including when it depicted children. Child sexual abuse in the Bible was rare, meaning next to non-existent. 

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

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible were written by anti-spanking Jews, with Jews nowhere in history supporting punitive measures in parenting. Each 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 the book of Proverbs consisting instead of the 40 minus 1 lashes, as a sentence for a crime. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s.

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Our legal codes come from biblical teachings. However, the laws on child abuse are based off of dated biblical teaching. It is about time we abolish the "reasonable chastisement" defense, and amend the child abuse definitions in light of the biblical teaching not to even offend a child.

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!

Righteous apology: Why to always apologize to apologize to your child for hurt feelings

Many parents oppose apologizing to their children. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents need an attitude adjustment on this issue. Parents need to apologize to their child for hurting their feelings. Refusal to apologize to your child for hurt feelings can be seen as child abuse.

God's Law on child abuse is spelled out in Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is not enough to stop spanking or punishing your child. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just as hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. The key to avoiding offense in children is to be willing to meaningfully apologize for hurting your child's feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent coming from parents, in the form of a half-apology, for hurting their feelings with a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. However, even refusing to apologize to your child is a form of entitlement, and was understood as such 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. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting in his secular writings. However, any personal offense perceived by a child was seen as child abuse then. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

Righteous apology, as an acronym, refers to a parent's duty to apologize to their child whenever you hurt their feelings. When you refuse to apologize for hurting your child's feelings, that counts as an offense. Any time you offend a child, including with the enumerated offenses, it is a form of entitlement. When accused of a moral crime, you need to answer to the court of your accusator. Offense in and of itself is a violation of the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, in which case you should answer to the court of the offended party by being the first to apologize.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger though punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

 

Pedophilic children: How to accommodate your pedophilic child

Many parents are afraid of their child being sexually abused. Children being sexually abused is usually every parent's nightmare. However, most parents aren't prepared for their child being a pedophile. Most parents think such a child deserves punishment, namely the attitude of "I never raised a pedophile". However, a pedophile has a mental health disorder that is genetic in nature. A pedophilic child is a child with special needs, not a monster in the making.

A pedophile is not an anger packet directed towards children. A pedophile is a human being with arrested sexual development. Most pedophiles have an immature form of autism that is child-centered in nature. Most individuals with autism have trouble relating to children. Thus, when a child with autism gets along with much younger children, think pedophile. Most of the time, the pedophile is acting as a defense attorney on behalf of a child. But, most pedophilic males in particular know how to nurture a child, meaning not through sex, but more appropriate forms of closeness. A child can be a pedophile, in which case they can be diagnosed at age 16, and identified even earlier.

Most people think being a pedophile alone is sin. However, pedophilia is not a moral crime. It is a flaw of the human genome, but it isn't a sin to be a pedophile. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here not to mere sexual desires, but instead here refers to sexual advances towards a child, at minimum. Mere sexual attractions are not reasons for God to condemn an individual. Most men in the Early Church avoided sexual sin by way of masturbating righteously without pornography. I am a pedophile, and I convict myself with this Greek word. 

What your pedophilic child needs is room to masturbate to sexual thoughts of children. Use of pornography is prohibited in the Bible, but you can accommodate their sexual needs otherwise by letting them masturbate to sexual thoughts of children. In the Early Church, most men had a masturbation policy as an amendment to their theology, and that included anything that wouldn't fit into a Christian marriage, including attraction to children.

Most sexual offenses committed by pedophiles are committed out of curiosity, not intent to harm. What a pedophilic child needs is the reuse of body positivity literature. The more that children's private parts are known to a young pedophile, the less likely that their curiosity will land them to choose to sexually abuse a child. Most pedophiles who sexually abuse a child just want to see things, and so body positivity literature is the best bet to help them see things.

Most people think that we as survivors started the hysteria against pedophiles, including many who defend pedophiles. However, the hysteria actually started with the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Constantine issued a decree stating that when an individual admitted to sexual attraction to children, that all friends and family must disperse from them, with anyone defending the pedophile becoming a pedophile themselves. Before Rome took over, the Early Christians treated pedophiles well, meaning that when they disclosed their attractions, it was assumed that they needed help of some sort. Maybe a parent would stand in between their child and the pedophile. But, usually, the pedophile needed to use another person as a sounding board. Pedophiles then could even become clergy in the Early Church, and used the pulpit to advocate attachment parenting. Survivors only opposed pedophiles in order to win over the right kind of opposition of a pedophile, meaning one that mentioned trauma. Once a pedophile mentions a trauma here at survivors, they are welcome here any time.

Pedophiles have a collective parent trauma, usually from parents who sexually shame their pedophilic children. Usually, such parents know their child is a pedophile, and threaten to send them out on the street if they ever disclose. All trauma in a pedophile exists on the inherent level, meaning the sexual level. Most adults ignore their childhood traumas by focusing on parent anger at their child. But, a pedophile is usually incapable of any adult anger towards a child. Most child sexual abuse instead is committed out of anger, and has nothing to do with pedophilia. 

Most child sexual abuse is not committed by pedophiles. The sexual abuse of children is usually a crime of opportunity, meaning an adult acts on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rape, sexually assault, or sexually harass a child. Usually, this sexual abuse comes in the form of a rape. Sometimes, a pedophile does sexually abuse a child, but the motives are different, and the sex offender is left off by the police for not having intent to harm. Most pedophile rapes happen in the case of a mentally disabled offender, meaning the pedophile rapist usually has a low IQ. Most child sexual abuse committed by pedophiles happens in the context of what is called an obvious abuser - they have a crush on a child, and make it obvious to the child and everyone else around them.

I myself was an obvious abuser in my past. I myself, as a pedophile, usually acted on my desires in the form of street harassment. I had many crushes, coming like train cars, with everyone around me hoping for the caboose. I am under investigation for a specific incident of sexual harassment that happened in my grandparents' attic against my cousin. I was falsely and fraudulently accused of rape, when it was a form of sexual harassment instead. This whole platform is being monitored by the police, and thus I choose to be fully transparent in light of these allegations - I am non-deserving of appearances, and so I accept if I am seen in an unflattering way by my readers. I do mention being investigated for full disclosure purposes. The police have already decided that I am not guilty, due to not intending harm towards a child. I, however, believe I am guilty of sexual harassment of children, and deserve prison. I am grateful for the grace afforded to me by the legal system. 

Most pedophiles aren't like me. I didn't know where the boundaries are during the time of my offenses. Most pedophiles know where the boundaries are, with 3 out of 4 pedophiles having no acts of child sexual abuse under their belt. Most pedophiles, if they do pose a danger, only pose a danger to themselves. Most pedophiles hate their attractions to children, due to the fact that they are afraid of acting on their desires. They don't want to hurt a child, and so they hate their attractions. What they need to know is that if they are that afraid of abusing a child, that they are a good person and not a bad person. The problem is that many pedophiles have preplanned a suicide for if they are found out as a pedophile, especially if they have a co-morbid diagnosis of major depression.

Most pedophiles have a co-morbid diagnoses of moderate-severe autism spectrum disorder. I myself have moderate autism. I can tell you everything you need to know about parenting, but I can't even clean up after myself half the time. I struggle with things most people take for granted, such as organizational skills. Most pedophiles are like me, and focus on children all of the time in an autistic way in the course of their attractions. Autism usually comes with a mood disorder as well. Those with major depression usually pose a danger to themselves. The most risky form of pedophilia is mine - with a co-morbid diagnosis of bipolar mania. Bipolar disorder can come in the form of the sufferer being exclusively manic. I now take psychotropic medication to calm down my mind, namely lithium carbonate. Even with lithium treatment, you still need to learn the boundaries, especially if you are a pedophile. I use my Christian faith to convict me of the boundaries in our society, as our society is founded on Judeo-Christian norms. Medication can be seen as training wheels for the sufferer of mental illness to do the rest of the work on their own. I myself followed the 12 Steps in dealing with my pedophilia, leaning on the fourth step. I needed that kind of intervention. Most pedophiles do not. Most pedophiles instead need to learn to accept their sexual fantasies of children, and that can be done by masturbating to sexual thoughts of children to become more comfortable with your sexual desires. 

As a pro-pedophile advocate for children, I seek to ban the pejorative use of the word "pedophile". Most pedophiles pose no risk apart from maybe to themselves, and most adults who sexually abuse children aren't pedophiles. "Our abuser" as survivors was not a pedophile, but rather was a womanizer who had "I own the world" delusions. We as survivors profile for pedophiles differently. He may be a pedophile, but is he a rapist? If he is a rapist, we exile them. If he simply has attractions to children, he can be here anytime. Maybe he is an abuser other than a rapist, in which case he is lumped in with rapists and not welcome here. Pro-pedophile, in the context of children's rights, means making it okay for pedophiles to admit to their desires without threat of mental health stigma. My religion is children's rights, not "pedophilia". 

The depraved and entitled parents who sexually shame their pedophilic children will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descend into torrents of Hell-fire prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent!  

Passing down the faith: How to instruct your children 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 embrace Judeo-Christian values. However, many conservative Christian parents in particular seek to "break their will" in relation to their children. However, there are better ways to instruct your child in the Lord than using punitive measures.

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

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

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

You do not need to beat religion into children. 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 referring to religious instruction, of a specific type. Starting at age 6, fathers left out a Bible for children to discover and explore. When children were caught in the act of studying the Bible, they were given lavish praise and encouragement to keep on studying the Bible. Fathers then said "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 giving pointers on the context. 

Christian parents oftentimes rush the religious development of their children. Children do not need their will broken. Children develop a religion on their own. One thing Christian parents do to rush their child's religious development is to force their children into grateful postures. I tie my hands behind my back whenever possible, and nobody made me when I was a child. Grateful postures are simply a sign of progress in terms of childhood religious development. 

Breaking your child's will does not work. The reason for this is because children do not have any sort of will to begin with. Children simply have wants, with most of these wants being benign in nature. Children will find religion all on their own, in which case you should praise them for finding God. 

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 punishing your child for defiance is child abuse

Many parents have been there. A child is acting defiant towards parents. This is a common scenario in parenting. Most parents punish their child for acting defiant towards parents. However, the fact of the matter is that punishing your child for defiance is child abuse. 

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

Defiance in children is inevitable in parenting. Such behavior in children is normal for them. Christian parents in the Early Church knew more than parents today that when a child is being defiant, they simply cannot accept a limit. Parents then did not take defiance personally like parents today do. Instead, they simply apologized for having to set a limit.

Any parent anger directed towards children then was seen in the Early Church as entitlement. Most Christian parents in the Early Church did not ever get angry with their child. Instead, they were the type of parent to worry a lot. In most Christian households then, limits were set out of worry or concern, not anger towards a child.

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 think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. Most American parents support the present-day child abuse definitions under the secular 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. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards children is parental entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. When this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by the child as offensive or damaging, it was deemed child abuse. See also Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. 

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

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

The ancients in the Bible also had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to any sexual relations with another person outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman, including, but not limited to, any sexual relations with a child. A man in the Early Church could only have two outlets - sex with a wife, or else masturbation without pornography. All forms of pornography were prohibited to be on a person's possession, including that which depicts children. Most child sexual abuse happened as a form of domestic violence against the child. Most men have a sexual attraction to their daughter in particular, and the only way that fathers could deal with that attraction was to masturbate to fantasies of his daughter. When you masturbate to thoughts of your child, you imprint onto them that way, and then a close bond will flow between father and child, namely father and daughter. Child sexual abuse in the biblical context was rare, meaning next to non-existent. Whenever a child was sexually abused, even in the Old Testament, it was a shock, with the sex offender being seen as deserving of death.

Child abuse in the Early Church was prosecuted by way of internal church investigation. In most cases, the investigation started with a child confiding into a church elder or deacon about their home life. From there, the parents were subpoenaed to appear before the council, and testify on how they treated their children. If the parents were at all defensive of their behavior towards their child, they were excommunicated from the church for their entitlement alone. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews, with most Jews being anti-spanking throughout Jewish history. All of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals, with these parenting manuals advocating attachment parenting as a means of bringing up children. Even King Solomon wrote one of these attachment parenting manuals, with the rod verses in Proverbs referring to a sentence for a crime, namely the 40 minus 1 lashes. It just so happens that these parenting manuals were not translated into English until the 1960s.

The Bible is America's book. America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context for instruction as to how to live and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are based off of the Bible. However, the "reasonable chastisement" defense is based off of dated Christian teaching. It is about time that we repeal the "reasonable chastisement" defense and pass more expansive child abuse definitions. 

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!

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

Many parents think that it is okay to spank a child. Most parents get their pro-spanking advice from religious sources. These pastors cite 5 verses in Proverbs as their "proof" that spanking is commanded of parents by God. However, these rod verses, in all actuality, do not refer to parenting at all, but instead refer to judicial corporal punishment of adults.

The most commonly cited rod verse is Proverbs 13:24 KJV:

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

The Hebrew word translated "son" is ben and refers here to a mature adult son. The Hebrew word translated "rod" is shebet and refers here to the rod of correction, namely a switch, applied to the bare back, within a courtroom setting, as a sentence for a crime. This passage ultimately refers to the 40 minus 1 lashes. In the Old Testament, striking another Jew was prohibited except in the context of a courtroom. Striking a minor child then was strictly prohibited. The reason for this commandment was that, otherwise, the father would refuse to whip his son. The court deputized fathers to whip their sons when his child ran afoul of the law. 

The harsh legal punishments in the Old Testament are repealed by the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, including judicial whippings. Christ was whipped with 40 minus 1 lashes unjustly before being placed onto the cross. Thus, the Early Christians shunned all corporal punishment done under Roman law, or any corporal punishment for that matter. 

The rod verses in Proverbs do not discuss parenting of any kind, let alone corporal punishment in parenting. There is no such thing as a "biblical spanking" in the Bible. However, the Bible does weigh in on the spanking issue, and then some. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers here to offenses or damages, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. It is one thing to stop spanking your child. However, it is not enough to stop spanking your child, or even stop punishing your child. You need to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults. Just like hurt feelings are inevitable in relations between adults, hurt feelings are also inevitable in children when dealing with them. Thus, in order to avoid offense in children, you need to be willing to give a meaningful apology to children whenever you hurt their feelings. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent from parents, in the form of a half-apology, whenever children cannot accept a limit not set out of anger, such as "I'm sorry, but I had to set X limit for Y reasons". However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting limits, you definitely need to give a formal apology for hurting your child's feelings with your anger, such as "I apologize for losing my temper with you", and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child in and of itself 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. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting of children in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The 40 minus 1 lashes was a once in a lifetime experience that was recollected as a harrowing experience. The rod verses in Proverbs refer to this legal punishment. The 40 minus 1 lashes was a final warning before an offender was to death for further recidivism. We don't live under the Law of Moses as Christians, as Christ repealed these harsh legal punishments so that we don't have to live under them.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All of the biblical writers, including the Apostle Paul, issued parenting manuals to parents. These parenting manuals advocated for attachment parenting, in the most convicting of ways. Even King Solomon wrote one of these attachment parenting manuals. The rod of correction was a punishment reserved for adults who ran afoul of the law.

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!