Redefining child abuse: Why the Bible calls for expanding child abuse definitions

Many parents think that the Bible does not touch on the issue of child abuse. This is a common sentiment amongst American parents. Most American parents instead misuse the Bible as an excuse for child abuse. However, the Bible has its own definition of child abuse, with that definition being more expansive than today's definitions. Child abuse is defined in the Bible as whatever the child victim perceives 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. Whenever parents got angry with their children, that anger alone was deemed parental entitlement. Whenever 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 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 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 here to long-term damages, namely trauma. The ancients did have a concept of trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, the parents were blamed for the abuse of their child. Atheism then was seen as evidence of child abuse, not mere rebellion against the religious establishment.

When children disowned their parents, and went atheist, word spread far and wide across the church. At some point, the rumor spread to the council. When the council ruled in favor of the child victim, the child was given the choice - go with parents or go with pedophiles. Most of the time, children chose pedophiles. If the child instead went with their abusive parents, suspicion fell squarely onto the pedophile. Nobody brought in children then. The child then found refuge in pedophiles, with  pedophiles lactating in order to nurse an orphaned child to health. Sometimes, the abuse wasn't discovered until the abused child became an adult, and shunned them, with the rest of the church falling suit.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 of the books of the Bible were written by Jews. No Jew worth mentioning, then and now, supported punishing a child for anything. Even King Solomon advocated attachment parenting for minor children. What King Solomon was talking about in Proverbs was the 40 minus 1 lashes, with striking a Jew was only allowed in the context of a courtroom as a sentence for a crime. Christ endured whippings unjustly before being placed on the cross, and thus the Early Church never supported a whipping of any kind.

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!