Redefining child abuse: Why punitive parenting should be banned

Many parents think that the child abuse definitions should stay the same. Most parents support a parent's legal right to discipline their children as they see fit. This is a common stance amongst American parents. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible has its own definition of child abuse. 

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement, and cross-references the Tenth Commandment, is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. When a child perceived the imposition of this entitlement onto them, it became child abuse. See Colossians 3:21 KJV:

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest their 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, threats, or other controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parent 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 children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writing. Paul may not have gotten along with the women of the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children in his time. 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 largely persecuted for being "too soft" on their children.

Sweden is the first nation modern history to ban all forms of punitive parenting. However, Sweden wasn't the first. Ancient Israel was one of the first societies to prohibit all forms of punitive parenting, including any sexual correction of children. Child abuse, in biblical times, was defined as, at minimum, any offense perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. Col. 3:21 is simply this moral statute from the Old Testament lifted up for the relevance of all. This moral statute ultimately cross-references the Eighth and Tenth Commandments.

Modern Israel passed a law in 2000 - by way of court order - prohibiting all forms of assault and battery. However, even before then, Jewish courts enforced a ban on corporal punishment in their own communities, with there not being a legal defense for "reasonable chastisement" on the books. However, the Christian and Muslim courts did not enforce a ban on punishment. After the 2000 ruling in favor of the child's right not to be punished, the police were authorized to unilaterally collect children from their abusive homes.

Currently, how the law works in Israel is that the police and the prosecutor find the proper statute to charge the parents with. Time-out would be false imprisonment. Spanking would be battery. Yelling would be harassment.

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!