Redefining child abuse: Why the scope of child abuse definitions should be broadened

Many parents support parental rights. Part of the parent ideology is to support the current child abuse definitions. However, the Bible has its own definition of child abuse, and the scope of such a definition is broader than today's definitions under the secular law. 

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement, and cross-referencing the Tenth Commandment, is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. When the child then perceives the entitlement of adults, it becomes child abuse. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

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

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to anger" is ερεθιζο (Latin: erethizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or other controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing their children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment in his secular writings. Paul may not have gotten along with the women in the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children during his time as a deacon. Indeed, Greco-Roman fathers got out the scourge of cords in order to punish their children, but NOT the Christians among them - the Early Christians were persecuted largely for being "too soft" on their children.

Sweden is the first country in modern society to ban all physical punishment of children. Before then, many other ancient societies were anti-spanking, and one of them was Ancient Jewish society. It is a myth that Ancient Jewish society was punitive towards children, with that society instead being an attachment parenting society. Even sexual correction - legal in most ancient societies - was unlawful in Ancient Israel and the Early Church.

Parent anger imposed on children was seen as akin to that of a viper or a monster. Parents in biblical times did not get angry, and neither do Jewish parents today towards a child. Most parents in the Early Church were instead motivated by worry or concern, meaning parents only got angry aside of the child, in order to protect their children.

Even in modern Israel, corporal punishment and other controlling demeanor towards a child was banned after a Supreme Court ruling in 2000. Before then, there was no legal defense in the Israeli penal code for "reasonable chastisement". What was blocking a full ban was sectarian courts that did not want to intervene with family affairs. The Supreme Court ruled that the police could unilaterally make arrests for punitive parenting, and also unilaterally collect the children in the process.

The way the law in Israel works is that the authorities find the charge that is most likely to stick, then sticking with that charge while putting the parents out on a rink. If the parent was simply yelling, they could be charged with harassment. If the child is struck, then the parent could be charged with battery. If the child was grounded or put in time-out, then the parent could be charged with.

The main Bible verses used to justify punitive parenting are in Proverbs. These verses are repealed verses, as they refer to a specific form of judicial corporal punishment, known as the 40 minus 1 lashes. The 40 minus 1 lashes were a final warning before putting an adult offender to death. If the rod wisdom wasn't in Proverbs, fathers would refuse to whip their children. Christ died to end the harsh punishments under the Law. Heb. 12:5-8 refers to a specific form of divine discipline where God sends trial and tribulations in order to toughen up His children, like only He can do - earthly parents are incapable of whipping their children without hurting them. Paul here was simply reassuring the Hebrew Christians in the midst of their persecution by the Romans. The main parenting passages in the Bible are Col. 3:20-21 and Eph. 6:1-4, with "provoke...to anger" and "provoke...to anger" referring to damages or offenses perceived by 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 forever cast 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!