Ya THINK???
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The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings.
Brigham Young-President and second 'Prophet' of the Mormon Church, 1844-1877- Extract from Journal of Discourses. |
This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race--that they should be the 'servant of servants', and they will be, until that curse is removed."
Genesis 4:9-15
9. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
10. The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.
11. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13. Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.
14. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15. But the LORD said to him, "Not so ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
If Cain was not born with this characteristic - and he was not -- then in the ordinary course of nature, his descendents would not inherit it.
While God could certainly change Cain's genetic make-up if He willed the 'mark' to be inherited, where in the text does it suggest He wished to do so?
The text says NOTHING about folks killing Cain's OFFSPRING - just HIM.
Even if the 'mark of Cain' were imagined to be heritable versus 'a tattoo', where does the text even hint that the 'mark' is 'black complexion', versus 'a birthmark shaped like the State of Utah'!
Genesis 4:16-26
16. So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17. Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
18. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19. Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
20. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.
21. His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
22. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.
23. Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.
24. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."
25. Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."
26. Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 5
1. This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
2. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man. "
3. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.
4. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5. Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
6. When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh.
7. And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
8. Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
9. When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.
10. And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
11. Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
12. When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.
13. And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
14. Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
15. When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared.
16. And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
17. Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
18. When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch.
19. And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
20. Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
21. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.
22. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
23. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.
24. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
25. When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.
26. And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
27. Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
28. When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son.
29. He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed."
30. After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
31. Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
32. After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Genesis 6
1. When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
2. the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
3. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal ; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5. The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
6. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
7. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them."
8. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
9. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
10. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.Nowhere does the text say that the sons of Noah went over to the area where Cain's descendants were living for a wife.
sis 9:20-27Gene
20. Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
21. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.
22. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
23. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.
24. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,
25. he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."
26. He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27. May God extend the territory of Japheth ; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave."