Many parent are convinced that the Bible doesn't have a definition of child abuse. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible has its own definition of child abuse. That definition calls for the expansion of all child abuse definitions nationwide.
The Greek root word denoting parental entitlement is πλεονέκης (Latin: pleonektés) and is defined as, officially speaking, wanting things from children, to the point of imposition. Unofficially speaking, parental entitlement is an adult losing their cool when they don't get the good behavior that they feel they deserve from children. Any adult anger directed towards children was deemed parental entitlement, including when parents called out "sin" in a child. Whenever this entitlement was perceived by a child 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 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 children 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 a deacon.
Sweden is the first modern country to ban all punitive parenting of children, with the ban coming in 1979. However, several ancient societies beforehand had laws against punishment or force, including the "hand-me-down-the-slate" treatment. Ancient Jewish culture was one of those clean cultures where children experienced no child abuse whatsoever.
Children's rights advocates in Sweden cited many grievance in how the Latinate Bible was translated. Several passages in the Bible were willfully mistranslated in a manner that aimed to keep a pagan tradition going within the Roman Catholic Church. Punitive parenting, contrary to popular belief, originated as a European pagan custom. Girls were spanked, and boys received the scourge of cords.
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!
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