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

Many parents that they have the right to punish and discipline their children as they see fit. Most parents see the concept of child abuse as a modern concept, with the ancients not having a concept of childhood and child abuse. Child abuse was seen in biblical times as anything that the child perceived as 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 consists of a parent being sorely disappointed when they don't get what they feel that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Any parent anger directed towards a child was deemed parental entitlement. 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 offensive touch or speech 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 their 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 deacon. 

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers to long-term damages, meaning trauma in this context. The ancients had a basic concept of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, it was treated as a sign of childhood trauma in an adult child, as opposed to simply an adult rebelling against God.

The law of the Early Church was enforced by way of pro-social rumor. Whenever the members of a parish caught wind of punitive parents, the word spread, until the word reached the council. Usually, the word started when a young adult tuned atheist, and shunned their parents, and from there, people slowly started avoiding the entitled parents. When parents were handed a guilty verdict by the council, a pedophile stepped in and took in the abused child. However, the only closeness allowed with the pedophile was male lactation that nursed the abused child back to health. Pedophiles then never brought in children, but they did allow children to go with pedophiles, with pedophiles being seen as a form of foster care then. 

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible were written by Jews. Never did a Jew worth mentioning punish a child. Even King Solomon recommended attachment parenting for the little ones. The rod verses refer to a form of judicial corporal punishment known as the 40 minus 1 lashes, and was intended only for adult children, and only within the context of an Israelite court of law. Christ came to fulfill the Law, and that means repealing the harsh punishments in the context of the Old Testament with his work on the cross. 

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!