An
apparently new social concern has risen in our days which highlights the abuse
of children. Child abuse is generally understood in our day in broad terms,
including the physical, mental, and spiritual harassment of children.
Specifically, child abuse is often understood as inflicting physical harm on
children such as striking. punching, whipping, depriving them of physical
needs, or subjecting them to sexual perversity. Also, included in the
understanding of child abuse is the psychological and emotional harm caused by
excessive criticism, denigration, constant verbal maltreatment, psychological
abandonment, or hatred.
Child Abuse in History
None of
these evils, however, is new or unknown in history. In the period when
Christianity first began to spread throughout society, the place of children
oftentimes was very precarious. Fathers had, in Roman Law, the right of life
and death over their children. Abortion, infanticide, and the exposure of new
born infants was a common practice. Young children who were exposed were
frequently rescued by those who would use them for immoral purposes, such as
pornography, homosexuality and prostitution. Christianity reacted strongly to
these attacks against children and developed a widely-based and coherent moral
teaching and practice reacting to wide-spread child abuse.
The Heart of the Matter
At the
heart of Christian teaching and moral values concerning child abuse is the
whole Orthodox Christian understanding of marriage and family. One of the
essential purposes of marriage is procreation. Spouses become parents not only
in a physical way, but also spiritual, since Orthodox Christianity understands
procreation as the cooperation of husband and wife with God for the
continuation of the human race not only in a physical sense but also morally
and spiritually. For the Church, children are a gift from God who complete and
fulfill the communion of husband and wife, in the image of the community of
Divine Persons which is the Holy Trinity. Ethically, children are required to
obey and respect their parents (Exodus 20:12) and parents assume the
responsibility for the physical, moral and spiritual nurture of their children.
The love of parents for their children is assumed by the teaching of the Church
as natural and proper. It expresses itself in affection for children and
concern for their welfare. Jesus asked, "If a son shall ask bread of any
of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?", assuming the good
will and intentions of the parent. The Church, expects as well, that parents
will guide, direct, and discipline their children, including appropriate
punishment when necessary. For, not to discipline offspring is to treat them
"as illegitimate children, not as sons" (Hebrews 12:5-11). But
discipline and punishment for the sake of correction must be motivated by love
and genuine concern for the child, so the teaching of the Church also places
limits: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger," (Ephesians
6:4) "lest they become discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). The major task
of parents is to direct their children in the paths of the Lord, that they may
know Him and in Christian faith, obedience, and Sacramental life, grow in the
image of God toward Theosis. In addition, parents are obligated to educate and
train their children to be good and useful members of society, to earn their
living, so as to contribute to the general welfare and assist the poor and to
develop a consciousness of service to humanity, as well as to prepare them in
turn to become husbands, wives, and parents in the future.
Abortion and Exposure
With this
background, it become evident why very early in its history the Church sought
to protect children from abuses of all kinds. Many of those early concerns are
still pertinent today, and unfortunately, some new concerns have been added.
The war against the child begins with abortion. What the Apologist Aristides
said in the 2nd Century continues to be true today: "it is not permitted
to destroy the fetus while it is still in the womb. To prevent birth is to be
beforehand with murder; and it makes no difference whether one kills a life
already born, or suppresses it at birth. He is already a man who is about to be
one; and every fruit already lives in its seed." (Apology IX, 6) Orthodox
Christians will oppose abortion in principle and practice and will struggle to
change the immoral legalization of abortion, as a legalization of murder.
Though
exposure of children in a physical sense does not happen too often in our
society, it still occurs elsewhere throughout the world. It should also be
noted that moral, emotional and psychological abandonment is becoming more
wide-spread among us. Morally, the ancient practice led to the sexual abuse of
children. Justin Martyr, writing about the year 155 noted that Christians
"hold it a crime to expose newborn infants… because we see that almost all
of them are dragged into prostitution, not only the girls, but also boys…
people raise adolescents for the sole purpose of abusing them obscenely"
(1st Apology XXVII, 1). An alarming increase of child pornography, child
prostitution and child homosexuality is now being reported in the press, and
the Church must oppose it. Even more widespread in our society is the emotional
abandonment of our children. Children are not "wanted", they are a
"burden", it is not "fashionable" to have children. The
neo-paganism of our times repeats the attitudes of the enemies of the child of
every age. A pagan work called the "Satyricon" advised that one ought
not to have children, for whoever does have any won't receive party invitations
and won't be esteemed. In imitation, our day speaks of "mere motherhood"
and denigrates parenthood, which the Church sees as cooperation with God. How
can these be reconciled? Orthodox Christians in precept, word and deed will
affirm both parenthood and childhood.
Abandonment
Another
concern unique to our time, is that children are isolated from the rest of the
social fabric with their own music, styles, values, heroes, etc. Among the
chief culprits in this "abandonment" is television. Parents use TV
today to "baby sit" their children. But it has taken over the family.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Religious Education pamphlet on TV
refers to "the way the TV subtly gets control of our lives… TV casts out
the natural experiences of the family, the daily give and take, the
conversations and the personal sharing… It reshapes family life. It influences
the raising and growth of children. It shapes and molds people's attitudes and
world view almost without their realizing it." (Television in the
Christian Home, p.5).
This
psychological abandonment of our children allows all sorts of un-Christian
values to enter the hearts and minds of our children, something no Christian
parent may properly do. For it is the responsibility of parents to nurture,
educate, and guide their child in the ways of faith, moral values, and
spiritual life. A Christian writing from the earliest period of the Church
instructs Christian parents "Do not neglect your son or daughter; but
teach them from childhood the fear of God." (Didache IV, 9). It is abuse
of our children to. permit the secular society to imbue them with
materialistic, secularist and immoral values, denying to them the "waters
of life" (Revelation 21:6) which come from God, for we deny to them in
fact, their true light and life" (John 1:4; 11:25, 20:31). What greater
abuse can there be! We must support all efforts of the Church, movements in
society and civil efforts to provide a spiritually and morally wholesome
environment for our children and wage a vigorous struggle against all that
pollutes and distorts their lives, what ever form it may take.
Drug and Bodily Abuse
One of
the greatest abuses of children is the diabolical spread of drugs. Young people
are systematically introduced to various drugs and made psychologically and
physically dependent upon them. This fearsome addiction attacks their whole
being, destroying their moral freedom and spiritual growth. If abuse of alcohol
is condemned by the Church (Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:21), how much more so
does the Orthodox Church oppose involvement with illicit drugs? As a Church we
are unalterably opposed to drug use by our own people, with special concern for
our children, as well as all persons in our society. As a Church we support
efforts by our government in its war against the traffickers in drugs.
It
remains, to be noted that the Orthodox Church utterly condemns those who
physically do bodily harm to children. Children are to be treated with love,
concern, patience, and understanding. The tenderness of Jesus toward children
is the source of our opposition to child abuse. "And He took a child, and
put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
'Whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me; and whoever receives
me, receives not me, but him who sent me'" (Mark 9:36-37). Thus, the
remarkable conclusion: to treat a child with love is to show love for God. But
the opposite is fearsome: to abuse a child is to abuse God!
By Fr. Stanley S. Harakas
Source: http://www.theologic.com/oflweb/curreven/abuse.htm
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