Child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for stronger laws protecting children from abuse

Many parent think that the ancients in the Bible had no concept of childhood, let alone child abuse. This is a common belief amongst American parents. 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 parents who are sorely disappointed when children don't give them what they feel that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing just for existing. Even any parent anger directed towards children was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. Whenever this sense of entitlement in parents was perceived 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 translating "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 children. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement is parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in children. Avoiding offense in children is the same as avoiding offense in other adults - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever they hurt the feelings of another. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance of good intentions coming from parents, such as when a child cannot accept a set limit. However, if you ever set a limit with your child out of anger or haste, you should definitely apologize to your child for losing your cool, and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool as a parent alone is entitlement, and was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. 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 term roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive parents on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment of children. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punitive parenting 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 here to long-term damages, namely childhood trauma. The ancients had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, it was a shame for the parents, who were then suspected of child abuse. An atheist in the Early Church was seen as a victim of child abuse, not a "lost soul" to "win over". 

The ancients even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to here, at minimum, any sexual advances perceived by children, even if the child liked it. Mere sexual attraction to children was not seen as morally wrong. But, if you had sex with a child at all, or even had pornography of such on your possession, you are guilty of fornication. Child sexual abuse was rare in the Early Church, meaning next to non-existent.

Child abuse was investigated by the church authorities in the Early Church. Usually, the investigation started with a child confiding in an elder or a deacon. From there, a council of three elders convened and called in for the parents to testify. If the parents defended themselves at all, they were excommunicated and shunned by the Early Christian parishes throughout the Greco-Roman world.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. The writers of all 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by Jews. No Jew worth mentioning ever endorsed punishment in parenting, including spanking. Most all of the biblical writers also wrote parenting manuals based off of customary law then, with this customary law mandating attachment parenting.

America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian family values. The Bible and its context is where we glean as a society as to how to behave and treat each other with respect. It just so happens that the Jewish parenting manuals written by biblical writers were not translated into English from the Hebrew until the 1960s.

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!