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

Many parents believe falsely that the ancients had no concept of child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. Most American parents oppose changing the child abuse definitions. However, the Bible calls for expanding child abuse definitions, with child abuse being defined in the Bible as whatever the child perceives as abusive.  

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 consists of a parent being sorely disappointed when they don't get what they feel that that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Any parent anger towards a child was seen as parental entitlement then. When this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived by the 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 here 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 inn 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 a deacon. 

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers to long-term damages, namely trauma. The ancients did have an understanding of trauma. When a child went atheist, it was presumed that the child suffered child abuse at the hands of parents. 

Child abuse is defined under biblical law as anything perceived by the child as abuse. Most children who were abused brought their abusive parents before a council of 3 elders. The council of elders operated in the form of an inquisitorial system of jurisprudence, meaning the council directed the investigation and heard out all of the evidence before coming to a verdict. If found guilty, the parents were excommunicated from all of the Early Christian churches.

All 88 books of the Bible were written with an anti-spanking bias. This is because all of the biblical writers were Jews, and Jews never endorsed punitive parenting of any kind. Even King Solomon only recommended the rod for young adults in the form of judicial corporal punishment, and otherwise gave attachment parenting advice for parents of minor children. Proverbs was intended as poetry, and clearly reads as poetry in the Hebrew.

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!