Is it child abuse for christians to teach their children they could end up in hell? My answer is an emphatic YES!!!!!!!
Absolutely yes. Medical physicians have actually sounded the alarm over the proven psychological damage from the teachings around Hell. Telling a that they will spend eternity after they die in an inescapable torture chamber because they masturbated, or they watched an R-rated movie, disobeyed their parents, got in trouble at school, stopped following god or refuse to accept god, etc is absolutely morally wrong in the strongest sense of the word. Its an eternal death threat.
In and of itself, no. But while it doesn’t involve a physical or neglectful act which leaves a child physically injured or in a situation where their over all health is in danger, it is in fact a case of misguided influence, which if brow beaten incessantly can adversely effect a child’s life long sense of self and their pursuit of pleasure and happiness.
The problem is, most people who brow beat the concept of hell in to their children’s heads are simpletons who have no capacity for dealing with conflict through any other means than violence. So most of the time child abuse and neglect and the passing on of suspicious and misguided beliefs go hand in hand.