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

Many parents think that they have the right to punish a child. Most American parents cite the Bible as an excuse for punishing children. However, we as a nation are founded on Judeo-Christian family values. Those founding values call for lawmakers to make punitive parenting unlawful under the secular 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. "Imposition" here refers to any parent anger or adult anger towards a child. Whenever this temper tantrum on the part of parents or adults is perceived as offensive by the child, 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 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 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 writings. Paul may not have not 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 times to ban all punitive parenting was Sweden in 1979. But, even before Sweden's landmark punitive parenting ban, many ancient societies prohibited striking or punishing a child. One of those societies was the Ancient Jewish society, including the Early Christian society. 

Modern Israel has banned all punitive parenting since 2000. But, even before then, Israel never had a legal defense for punitive measures being used on children. The problem was that family courts were sectarian in terms of orientation, with the Christian courts especially siding with the parents of an abused child. The Supreme Court of Israel ruled that the police could unilaterally dissolve the family, meaning arrest the parents and collect their children, with the secular courts being able to dissolve the family without the permission of the sectarian courts.

Currently, Israeli authorities invoke a criminal statute prohibiting all domestic violence, including domestic violence against children. When children are struck or punished in Israel, the parents are immediately and swiftly arrested on charges of domestic violence. The children then were collected by necessity, because the child would otherwise be homeless and without parents. 

In America, there is no law prohibiting any sort of punitive parenting under the secular law. However, America is a Christian nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, with the Bible being a founding document of this country, even above the Constitution itself. Nowhere in those values does it legitimately say to strike or punish a child. Even in the 7 rod verses in Proverbs, what is being referenced is the 40 minus 1 lashes, with this passages being repealed passages - Christ did away with the harsh punishments of the Law with His work on the cross. The commandment against provoking children to anger means don't offend them with your anger. 

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!