Redefining child abuse: Why child abuse definitions should be expanded

Many parents think that the ancients had no concept of child abuse. Thus, to many people, child abuse is a modern concept. However, the Early Church, and their Ancient Jewish predecessors, did have a basic understanding of children's rights. We as a nation are founded on Judeo-Christian family values, and glean from the Bible and its context as to how our society should be set up. The Bible is a founding document of this country, above even the Constitution itself. The Bible is also a children's rights document. 

The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement, and cross-references the Tenth Commandment, is πλεονέκτης (Latin: pleonektés), which is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. This means a demand at the very least. When that demand was imposed on a child, and the child perceived it, it became 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 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 writings. 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 during his time as deacon. Indeed, Greco-Roman 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 country in modern times to ban all punishment of a child. However, bans on punitive parenting did exist in ancient societies as well as modern societies. Ancient Israel prohibited all forms of punishment of a child, including the sexual correction of a child. The only corporal punishment that was allowed was the 40 minus 1 lashes, and only as a sentence for a crime committed as an adult - a once and a lifetime experience that was meant as a final warning before being put to death. This form of corporal punishment was abolished in the Early Church, as Christ experienced corporal punishment unjustly.

Even today, the Israeli Supreme Court made a ruling in the year 2000 that punishing your child was illegal. It was illegal even before that in Jewish circles, as no Jewish family court would allow such treatment of a child. However, the Christian and Muslim courts instead protected the perpetrator. Thus, a court ruling had to take place to authorize the use of police force in apprehending scofflaw parents who punish their children. Israel has a sectarian court system on the level of family court.

Children in Israel have equal protection under the law to an adult in terms of domestic violence. If you yell at your child in Israel, expect a charge of harassment. If you put your child in time-out, expect a charge of false imprisonment. If you strike your child, expect a charge of domestic battery. These statutes existed long before the national ban on punitive parenting, but were not applied unilaterally by the police in Israel until the year 2000.

God chose Israel, and spread Judeo-Christian values throughout the world, through Christ's message of peace and forgiveness. The good news of Christ's death and Resurrection was a catapult for Judeo-Christian values to spread all around the world. One of those values is peace, meaning non-violence, and that includes non-violence in the home. 

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!