Expanding child abuse definitions: Why the Bible calls for stronger child abuse legislation

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 parents. However, the fact of the matter is that 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 feet that they deserve from parents. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children just for existing. Even any parent directed towards a child was seen as entitlement in the Early Church. 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, with this entitlement including any parent anger directed towards a child. Child abuse in the Bible, as a legal concept, consists of entitlement in 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 avoiding offense in other adults - be willing to give a meaningful apology whenever you hurt the feelings of another. Usually, all that is necessary is a reassurance coming from parents, such as when a child cannot accept a limit not set out of anger. However, if you ever lose your cool with your child as a parent, including while setting a limit, you definitely give a formal apology to your child, and then commit to never losing your cool with your child ever again, as losing your cool with your child 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 phrase ultimately translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions on children, such as spanking or other forms of punishment. 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 a child losing heart due to overly strict parenting. The ancients had a concept of childhood trauma in the Bible. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, it was seen then as a sign of trauma, not a sign of a "lost soul" in need of "saving". 

The ancients in the Bible even had a concept of child sexual abuse. The Greek root word translated "fornication" is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers here to any sexual advances directed towards a child. Most child sexual abuse in the Early Church was committed by parents. Most fathers in particular were attracted to their daughters. Most fathers then masturbated to sexual thoughts of their children, especially their daughters. Righteous masturbation involves masturbation without pornography, meaning for health reasons. Child sexual abuse was rare in biblical times, meaning next to non-existent. 

Child abuse was prosecuted in the Early Church by way of a church investigation. Usually, the investigation started with a child confiding into a clergyperson about being abused by parents. Then, the parents were called to testify before the council, and if they were defensive at all, 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 condoning the punitive treatment of a child. All of the biblical writers issued parenting manuals that recommended attachment parenting. Even King Solomon recommended attachment parenting for the little ones, with the rod in Proverbs referring to the 40 minus 1 lashes. 

America is a Christian nation founded upon Judeo-Christian values. We as a society glean from the Bible and its context as to how to behave and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes are based off of Judeo-Christian values. It just so happens that the parenting manuals in the biblical context were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, we were totally in the dark as to how God wanted us to bring up children. 

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!