Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for more laws protecting children

Many parents think that the Bible has no answers to the issue of child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. Most American parents think that the Bible is silent on the issue of child abuse. They would be wrong. The Bible is clearly opposed to child abuse.

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. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement is being sorely disappointed when children don't give adults what they feel that they deserve. Parents and other adults are deserving of absolutely nothing from anyone just for existing. In biblical times, any anger towards a child by an adult was seen as parental entitlement. When this sense of entitlement in an adult was perceived by children as offensive or damaging, it was deemed 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 limited to, any punishments, reprimands, and 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" referring to the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen 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 during his time as a deacon.

Sweden was the first modern country to ban all use of force in parenting, with the official ban coming in 1979. However, several ancient cultures also banned force in parenting. One of these cultures was the Early Christian culture. The Swedish children's rights movement used the Hebraic context of the Bible to convict Swedish parents of their punitive ways. 

The Bible is America's book, with the Bible being a founding document of this country. The Bible is a book that is the main source of wisdom in this country, even above the Constitution itself. We as a society glean from all 88 books of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Most of our laws are based off of the Bible, and if you have my values, you get to hope for having Christian law in this country. I support Christian law, but with an anti-spanking flair. If Jews and Muslims can want their law, then I can want mine. The Bible, when understood in context, is an anti-spanking document - the Bible was written entirely by Jews, and Jews were always anti-spanking.

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!