Redefining child abuse: Why our Judeo-Christian values call for expanding child abuse definitions

Many parents think that the Bible does not have any answers on the issue of child abuse and children's rights. This is a common belief amongst American parents. Most American parents do not understand the spiritual dangers of punishing and being controlling with children. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible has a definition of child abuse that overrules all worldly allowances for child abuse in the English common law.

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. In short, any forceful demand imposed on a child is parental entitlement, including any controlling demeanor towards children. All anger at a child on the part of an adult is unrighteous anger, and thus is entitlement, and thus is sin. When children take offense to imposed demands on them, it becomes 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 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 was 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. The parents who punished 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 children 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 a deacon. 

The first country in modern history to pass a ban on punitive parenting was Sweden, which passed a ban on all punitive parenting in 1979, and repealed their "reasonable chastisement" defense in the 1966. Some ancient cultures came up with the idea earlier, including the Ancient Jewish culture. In the Early Church, parents who punished their children were excommunicated from the church if they defended their punishment habit.

Israel, contrary to popular legend, is a children's rights country, with Israel banning all punitive parenting since 2000. But, even before then, there was never a legal defense for striking or punishing a child. The problem was that the Christian and Muslim courts would not remove the child victim from custody due to their own religious bias, with family courts being sectarian in nature. It took a court ruling to allow for the police to step in and collect the child victim when nobody else would.

The definition of child abuse in Israel is based off of the criminal statutes under Israeli law. In all cases, punishing children is treated as domestic violence, or else domestic abuse. Israel has a statute against domestic battery, and it is applied whenever a child is physically or verbally reprimanded or punished. This is due to the Judeo-Christian parenting morals that prohibit any punishment or reprimand of 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!