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

Many parents think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood let alone child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parent. Most American parents support the current child abuse definitions. However, the Bible has its own definition of child abuse - 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. In fact, any parent anger directed towards a child was deemed parental entitlement then. Whenever this sense of 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 here to offenses or damages, 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, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. Child abuse, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in parents, leading to offense in children. The key behind not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children, meaning be willing to meaningfully apologize to a child whenever you hurt their feelings. It is inevitable that children's feelings end up being hurt in the course of parenting, and so parents should apologize whenever they cause their child to be upset. In most cases, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intent from a parent. However, if you ever lose your cool as a parent, you should definitely give a formal apology to your child, and then commit never to lose your cool as a parent ever again, as losing your cool at all with your child, in and of itself, is entitlement. This commandment implies that spanking and other forms of punishment is child abuse, as punishment from parents is always motivated by parent anger. This commandment cross-references the Eighth and the Tenth Commandments, with the Apostle Paul here convicting a group of Greek Christian parents who brought into the church their pagan custom of patrias potestas, which is a Latin phrase roughly translated to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive measures on children, such as spanking and other forms of punishment in parenting. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting of a child in his secular writings. Attachment parenting was banned under Roman law, but the Early Christians did it anyway, obeying God over men.

The Greek root word translated "they be discouraged" is αθυμέω (Latin: athumeo) and refers to long-term damages, namely trauma. The ancients had a basic concept of trauma in children. Whenever children grew up to reject their parents, they were seen as having trauma, not as being defiant. Most parents were well cared for as they aged, and so when a child refused to care for their aging parents, shame fell onto the parents that were being rejected.

The ancients even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to anything considered sexually amoral as understood then. This word prohibits, among many other things, any sexual interaction between an adult and a child. Whenever the child perceived sexual advances from an adult, it was seen as child sexual abuse, even if the child liked it. Child sexual abuse was rare in biblical times, meaning next to non-existent. However, sexual fantasies about children were acceptable then, and most men in particular usually masturbated to sexual thoughts of children, yet were commanded to avoid pornography, including that which depicts children. Sexual attraction to children was on the surface level, with adults showing risk to children if they repressed their sexual desires for children, and they stuck out like a weed. Any time a pedophile was disclosed in biblical times, they were given help, in the form of allowing the pedophile to talk out their intrusive sexual thoughts.

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church via an internal investigation. The investigation usually started with a child confiding into a church elder or deacon for help. Then, the council subpoenaed the parents to testify before the council. If they defended themselves at all, as opposed to answering to the court directly, they were excommunicated from the Early Christian Churches of God.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by Jews, with no Jew worth mentioning ever defending the so-called "right" to punish a child. Even King Solomon recommended attachment parenting for the little ones, with the rod being spared for when an adult son is convicted of a criminal offense, meaning the rod of correction was a sentence for crime, in the form of the 40 minus 1 lashes.

America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian family values. The Bible is a founding document of this country, even above the Constitution itself. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to get along and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are based in Judeo-Christian values. It just so happens that the Bible was poorly translated at the Latinate level, with this being partially intentional in order to keep the pagan tradition of spanking going. However, upon a second glance, Col. 3:21 spells out God's definition of child abuse just fine in the text - do not offend your child by provoking them to anger.

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 torrents, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!