Redefining child abuse: 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 parents. Most American parents support today's child abuse definitions. However, the fact of the matter is that the Bible has its own definition of child abuse - anything that 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 when parents can't get what they feel that they deserve from children. Parents are deserving of absolutely nothing from children, 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 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 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 in parents, leading to offense in children. The key to not abusing your child is to avoid offense in your child. Avoiding offense in children is the same as 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 of good intent coming from parents, such as when a child cannot accept an ordinary limit. However, if you ever lose your cool as a parent - including when setting a limit - you should definitely give a full apology, and then commit never to lose your cool with your child ever again, as the slightest of parent anger directed towards a child 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 roughly translating to "power to the parent", namely the power to impose punitive sanctions 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 when a spiritually abused child loses heart. The ancients in the Bible had a basic understanding of childhood trauma. Whenever a child grew up to be atheist, it was seen as a shame onto the parents, not as the atheist being a "lost soul" in need of "being saved". Atheism in adult children and minor children alike was seen as a sign of child abuse, with that being the shame that fell onto parents.

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 to any sexual relations outside of a Christian marriage between one adult man and one adult woman. Sexual relations with your daughter, as a father, was prohibited under Christian law then. Most men do have sexual attraction to their daughters, and this attraction being able to be kept in check using righteous masturbation to thoughts of their daughters. She isn't ready for your adult sex drive, with her attractions to her father being only intended for masturbatory purposes on her end of things. Child sexual abuse then was rare, meaning next to non-existent.

The Bible is an anti-spanking document. All 88 books of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation - were written by anti-spanking Jews. All of the biblical writers wrote parenting manuals that recommended attachment parenting to parents. Even King Solomon recommended attachment parenting to the little ones, with the rod of correction in Proverbs consisting of the 40 minus 1 lashes imposed as a sentence for a crime.

America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian values. The Bible and its context tells us how to behave and treat each other with respect. Even our legal codes were based off of Judeo-Christian values. It just so happens that the parenting manuals written in biblical times were not translated into English until the 1960s. Before then, we were completely in the dark about how to deal with children as per the Hebraic understanding of the Bible. 

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!