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The Curse of Cain refers to Jewish and Christian biblical passages in Genesis where God YHWH placed a curse upon Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve. This curse has been interpreted in many ways. Most Biblical scholars currently interpret the "curse" as the Bible indicates, Cain's inability to cultivate crops and requirement that he lead a nomadic lifestyle. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th century BC to 1 BC) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן spear Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قايين Qāyīn in the Arabic Bible; قابيل Qābīl in Islam) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation... This article is about the biblical Adam and Eve. ... Extensible VAX Editor EVE stands for Extensible VAX Editor, a flexible text editor that is part of the VMS operating system. ...

In recent history The "curse of cain" had been often been equated with the "mark" which the god YHWH also placed upon Cain. In 18th Century America and Europe, a link was assumed by Whites that equated this "mark" to black skin, thereby linking any Black person to being a descendant of Cain. This de facto assumption of the curse/mark was used to justify racism and the enslavement of people of African ancestry. This theory has been largely abandoned even by the most conservative theologians since the mid-20th century, although it is not uncommon to find people especially those unfamiliar with the Bible who seriously consider this to be a Biblical tenant. The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th century BC to 1 BC) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... A Black person drinks out of a water fountain designated for black people in 1939 at a streetcar terminal. ... A monument celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, erected in Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London Slavery is a condition of control over a person, known as a slave, against his or her will, enforced by violence or other forms of coercion. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

Biblical verses

The biblical references to this curse comes from the fourth chapter of Genesis. This passage describes two brothers; one raises animals for food (Abel), and the other (Cain), a farmer, offers his harvest for sacrifice to God. God finds Cain's offerings inadequate and Cain, seeing Abel's offerings, becomes jealous and kills Abel. The following passage is taken from the Bible and the bold indicates the specifics of the curse (similar passages are found in the Torah). Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... In the Book of Genesis, Abel (Hebrew הֶבֶל / הָבֶל, Standard Hebrew Hével / Hável, Tiberian Hebrew Héḇel / Hāḇel; Arabic هابيل Hābīl) was the second son of Adam. ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן spear Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قايين Qāyīn in the Arabic Bible; قابيل Qābīl in Islam) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation... The holy Jewish scripture: The Torah. ... Torah, (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or especially law. It primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh–the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Five Books of Moses, but can also be used in the general sense to also include both the Written...

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. (Book of Genesis 4:9-15).

Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

Interpretations

Early Christian

Because the name Cain (or qayin in Hebrew, meaning spear), is identical with the name Kenite (also qayin in Hebrew), some scholars speculate that the curse of Cain may have arisen as a condemnation of the Kenites. In the Bible, however, the Kenites are generally described favorably, and may have had an important influence on the early Hebrew religion. There is also no clear consensus as to what Cain's "mark" would be. In an unrelated passage of Book of Leviticus 19:28, the word "mark" is used in a way that clearly indicates a "printing" action with respect to marks on the skin, a strong indication that the "mark of Cain" was a printed letter or symbol. Objectively making the idea of a Cain's mark into a change of skin color would require Biblical passages to equate the two, however, in the Book of Jeremiah 13:23, there is a distinction made between skin color and marks on the skin, which all but refutes the idea that Cain's mark was Black skin: ("Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?"). Some Bible code groups claim they have identified that the mark of the curse of Cain was the sign of the cross on his forhead. [1] The Kenites were a people whose name has been interpreted as smiths by some and by others related to the word nest. These interpretations are not sure, however. ... Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ... The Book of Jeremiah, or Jeremiah (יִרְמְיָהוּ Yirmiyahu in Hebrew), is a book that is part of the Hebrew Bible, Judaisms Tanakh, and later became a part of Christianitys Old Testament. ...

However, according to some scholars, some early interpretations of the Bible in Syriac Christianity combined the "curse" with the "mark", and interpreted the curse of Cain as black skin. (Goldenberg, p. 180). Relying on rabbinic texts, it is argued, the Syriacs interpreted a passage in Book of Genesis 4:5 ("And Cain was greatly saddened and his face fell") as implying that Cain underwent a permanent change in skin color. (Id.) Syriac Christianity is a culturally and linguistically distinctive community within Eastern Christianity. ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

Eurocentric Christians

Perhaps due to the zeal of racism, many white Christian groups associated the Mark of Cain with the Curse of Cain. Some promoted additional ideas such as the belief that intermarriage was a sin, that blacks were unworthy of many spiritual blessings from God, and should not allowed to preach the gospel. Most 19th and early 20th century Southern Baptist congregations in the southern United States taught that there were two separate heavens; one for blacks, and one for whites. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States cooperative ministry agency serving missionary Baptist churches around the world. ...

One effect of the curse was for Cain to struggle agriculturally, to be "driven" from the face of the Lord and that Cain would not settle in any specific locale. For Canaan's curse it was to serve the people of Shem's line. Making the curse a racially-based issue ignored the primary issues of the curse and was used to justify black servitude to whites. The doctrine became part of the institution of slavery and reasoning of many racist white Christian institutions in the West.

The doctrine was used to support a ban on ordaining blacks to most protestant clergies until the 1960s in the U.S. and Europe. It is significant to note that the Coptic, Ethiopian, Orthodox, Thomasite and the Catholic church did not recognize these interpretations and did not participate in the religious movement to support them. Certain Catholic Diocese in the Southern United States did adopt a policy of not ordaining blacks to oversee, administer sacraments to, or accept confessions from white parishoners. This policy, was not based on a Curse of Cain teaching, but was justified by any possible perceptions of having slaves rule over their masters. Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

The doctrine was still taught in some South African and Mormon churches as late as the early 21st Century.

Catholic Church

The Catholic Church teaches that the curse of Cain was given by the earth, not God, to Cain, as a punishment for having to "opened its mouth and drunk the blood of thy brother." The Church teaches that Cain's punishment was not having to wander, as he founded a City, but that he wouldn't have the "strengh" of the earth in his agricultural endeavors, but that the Earth would still produce for him. The Church also teaches that he was to be banished from the land of his parents as a result of his curse.

As for the mark of the curse, the Catholic Encyclopedia states, "No indication as regards the nature of this sign is given us."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Main article: Blacks and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest sect of the Latter Day Saint movement was founded during the height of the curse of Cain teaching by White American Christian organizations in America. Mormon church leaders however went one step further and canonized Mormon scriptures and doctrines that further justified racist policies against those of African descent based on Cain's curse being on Black people. Although the Mormon establishment had allowed Black people into their church and even a few were ordained as priests, the Cain interpretation was codified throughout the 19th and 20th century and contributed to much of the instututionalized and socialized racism in America. Like many predominantly white Christian churches, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormon) has held controversial positions on the issue of race, and the LDS Church had a general policy of racial exclusion from their priesthood from 1849 to 1978, long after most... The temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Salt Lake City, Utah is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the Mormonism movement or the Mormon movement) is a religious movement beginning in the early 19th century that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism and to the existence of numerous churches, the majority of which call themselves Latter...

Mormon leaders used passages from the King James Version of the Bible, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, Book of Abraham, Book of Moses to fuel the rhetoric of the "Curse of Cain" and the "Curse of Ham" between 1835 and 1970. The rhetoric centered around blacks being cursed of God in regard to the priesthood, their servitude to whites, their status in spiritual matters, and other issues. They had taught that the cursing would one day be lifted once spiritual blessings had been distributed to the white members of the religion. The holy Jewish scripture: The Torah. ... The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, also called the Inspired Version of the Bible or the JST, is a version of the Bible dictated by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... An image copied by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Book of Moses is a text published by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The curse of Ham (also called the curse of Canaan) refers to the curse that Noah placed upon Canaan (the son of Ham) after Ham had done something to Noah while Noah was naked and unconscious because of drunkenness in his tent. ...

Smith and Young taught that the curse of Cain consists of several parts:

1. That Cain would not be allowed to enter God's presence, nor would he enjoy the companionship of any member of the Godhead
2. That Cain would be called Perdition and not be resurrected to a degree of glory; He would lose any chance of exaltation
3. That Cain would not taste of death (become a translated being)
4. That the earth would not "yield unto Cain her strength," (or in other words, he would be agriculturally cursed)
5. That a mark would be placed upon Cain so that others would not try to kill him
6. That this mark was "Black skin and a flat nose".
7. That Cain would have to live as "a vagabond" on the earth until the return of Christ as a translated being
8. That Cain would rule over Satan after the final judgement
9. That any mixing of Blacks with any others, would pass the curse upon any of their descendants.
10. The denial of the priesthood and temple ordinances to Cain and his descendants, those being of Black African descent (except in rare occasions), until after Abel's descendants had a chance to receive the gospel and hold the priesthood. No blessing would be denied these people after the resurrection, but it would be denied in this life.

Note that the part of the curse that would be passed on to his descendents would be the mark, and the denial of priesthood and temple ordinances until after the resurrection. Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell is, according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife, a place of torment, of great weeping and gnashing of teeth. ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן spear Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قايين Qāyīn in the Arabic Bible; قابيل Qābīl in Islam) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation... Gustave Dores depiction of Satan from John Miltons Paradise Lost Satan (שָׂטָן Standard Hebrew Satan, Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Aramaic שִׂטְנָא Śiṭnâ: both words mean Adversary; accuser) is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. ...

Some quotes by Brigham Young in regards to the Mark of Cain are as follows:

Again to the subject before us; as to The men bearing rule; not one of the children of old Cain, have one partical of right to bear Rule in Government affairs from first to last, they have no buisness there....I will not consent for one moment to have an african dictate me or any brethren with regard to Church or State Government. I may vary in my veiwes from others, and they may think I am foolish in the things I have spoken, and think that they know more than I do, but I know I know more than they do. If the Africans cannot bear rule in the Church of God, what buisness have they to bear rule in the State and Government affairs of this Territory or any others?

What we are trying to do to day is to make the Negro equal with us in all our privilege. My voice shall be against all the day long.

Joseph Smith, Jr. and some other early church leaders claimed to have see Cain in open vision on a few occasions, and described his mark. The wording used to descibe the encounters (including the word hairy) has led to some jokes and light urban legends about Cain being Bigfoot within the Mormon culture. Urban Legend is also the name of a 1998 movie. ... Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film This article is about Bigfoot, an unconfirmed North American ape-like creature. ...

Although many Mormon scholarly and laypeople assert that the mark or curse was not related to Black people, Mormon prophets and leaders invariably attest throughout the period that the Curse of Cain was indeed, delegated to the Black people of the world, indicating that this was not folk-doctrine, but offical church doctrinal policy.

"What is that mark? you will see it on the countenance of every African you ever did see upon the face of the earth, or ever will see... I tell you, this people that are commonly called negroes are the children of old Cain." - Brigham Young 1852

“You see some classes of the human family that are black are uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, and seemingly without the blessing of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind.. Cain slew his brother.. And the Lord put a mark on him, which is a flat nose and a black skin" - Brigham Young

Criticisms

More recently, there has been a stronger Christian backlash against use of the curse of Cain doctrine in racial politics. Today, all of the mutually recognizeable Christian denominations flatly reject such a doctrine. Most Christians also point to Biblical references which refute the doctrine, including a reference in the Book of Numbers: The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ...

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman...9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous." (Numbers 12:1, 9, 10).

Other Christian arguments include the following:

1. That the passage in Genesis relating to Cain makes no mention of the effects on his descendants.
2. That the effect of parts of the curse on the land could have only applied to Cain - and not Blacks - who historically, were unaffected (like all other surviving people) in their ability to cultivate land. If this interpretation held true - 19th Century Americans would not have enslaved them to do agricultural work in the United States.
3. That Moses' wife Tzipporah, Job, Queen of Sheba, Ebed-Melech, Tirharkah, and the Ethiopian Treasurer of Queen Candace, Hagar, Egyptians, and other Black people in the Bible were not mentioned as being partakers of the curse. Had the curse affected Black people, at least one instance of it would have been mentioned in the Bible in that context to these people.
4. That Christianity and the Bible was founded 2000 years ago, and early documents do not make any references to blacks being cursed, and no manuscripts have been found in the middle east by Christian leaders of those periods that support the exclusion or prejudice against Blacks, Ethiopians (Greek word for Black) or Kushites (hebrew word for Black).
5. That the racist interpretations of scripture did not exist before European colonization. These interpretations were likely introduced by ethnocentric ideologies that were codified into the Western mindset. This ideology adversely influenced the protestant reformation and enlightment period.

Modern Baptists

Some Baptist denominations now deny that Cain was cursed by God, but rather Cain brought the cursing on himself. "God does not say, 'Now I curse you.' He simply states the truth, 'Now you are cursed'".[2] In this way, Cain's aggression was the curse, and the outcome was the death of Abel. Because of continued problems with anger and aggression, the curse was handed down to Cain's posterity and even to Lamech who killed similarly to Cain.

In the same way, the teaching goes that Born Again believers are often cursed because of some of their stuggles or sins, and should work to overcome them, or they will be passed on to their children or descendants. If they do so, their curses will not be promulgated to their posterity. Born again is a term used originally and mainly in Christianity, where it is associated with salvation, conversion and spiritual rebirth. ... This page is about sin in the context of religion. ...

Supporters

Denominations that still teach the doctrine include the Aryan World Church and New Christian Crusade Church, both considered to be extensions of White Supremacist organizations and hate groups.

American racial politics

The most controversial developments in the curse of Cain doctrine have to do with the doctrine's application to modern racial politics. Most often, the curse of Cain has been used as an explanation for the dark skin shades of people in various parts of Africa, and a justification for racism and slavery. These racial implications are closely linked to the related implications derived from the curse of Ham doctrine, which has a much longer history, and has often been combined or conflated with the curse of Cain doctrine, as well as the "curse of Esau" doctrine. Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ... A Black person drinks out of a water fountain designated for black people in 1939 at a streetcar terminal. ... A monument celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, erected in Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London Slavery is a condition of control over a person, known as a slave, against his or her will, enforced by violence or other forms of coercion. ... The curse of Ham (also called the curse of Canaan) refers to the curse that Noah placed upon Canaan (the son of Ham) after Ham had done something to Noah while Noah was naked and unconscious because of drunkenness in his tent. ...

Many Black people are outraged by the LDS Church's . The question arises for many Blacks as to why God would allow a curse to be revealed in a context that had been atrocious in moral nature and hypocritical in it's application. The curse's application has been invented, not by a Mormon revelation, but by prior European greed and opportunism. As White slave policies and practices utilized Christianity as a tool to justify them, many leaders pushed a de facto interpretation of God's Biblical standards, especially after the New Testament, would not regress backwards.

An early American reference to the curse of Cain doctrine in the context of modern racial issues was in a poem by Phyllis Wheatley, herself a black slave, who wrote in 1773, "Remember Christians, Negoes black as Cain/May be refined and joined the angelic train". Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley (1753 - December 5, 1784), also spelled Phylis Wheatley, was born in Senegal in Africa, but was captured and sold into slavery at the age of 7. ... 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Until the mid-20th century, nearly all Protestant groups in America had supported the notion that black slavery, oppression, and African colonization was the result of God's curse on people with black skin or of African descent through Cain, or through the Curse of Ham. The curse of Ham (also called the curse of Canaan) refers to the curse that Noah placed upon Canaan (the son of Ham) after Ham had done something to Noah while Noah was naked and unconscious because of drunkenness in his tent. ...

Anti-Semitism

Some racist groups, such as Stormfront White Nationalist Community believe that the curse of Cain was for him and his descendants to have to wander without a permanent home. According to this interpretation, they believe that Esau and his descendants was also given this curse (See Genesis 27:38, 40), and had to wander without a homeland. Stormfront is a white supremacist website that began as a BBS in 1990 and has been on the Internet since 1995. ...

They believe that modern Jews also have this curse for the murder of Christ, resulting in the Diaspora. [3] Look up Diaspora in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term diaspora (Ancient Greek διασπορά, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the...

References

• Regina M. Schwartz (1997). The Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism. Univ. of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226741990.
• David M. Goldenberg (2003). The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World). Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 0-691-11465-X., Chapter 13: "The Curse of Cain".
• The Curse of Cain: The Untold Story of John Wilkes Booth (ISBN 1580060218)
• Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 Through the Stono Rebellion, by Peter H. Wood
• White Attitudes toward Black People (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Institute for Social Research, 1971), by Angus Campbell
• "The Fading of the Pharoah's Curse: The Decline and Fall of the Priesthood Ban against Blacks in the Mormon Church," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 14:3 (Fall 1981)
• "Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The changing place of Black people within Mormonism," Greenwood Press, (1981), by Newell Bringhurst

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Cain
• Review of the book "Curse of Cain"
• Baptist sermon on the curse of Cain
• Sermon on seperate heavens and race relations in Mississippi
• Encarta article that discusses race and religioun in 1969
• Biblical racism
• Reparations "demanded" by some Blacks of churches for racist teachings
• Church of England issues dealing with race
• Religion and race in Indianapolis
• ReligiousTolerance.org discussion of Mormon views on Blacks and slavery
• Discussion of LDS views on blacks by a black Mormon
• Discussion of cultural myths about the LDS Church by a Black Mormon
• A critical look at Mormon sermons on Blacks
• A response to critical approaches to Blacks and Mormonsim
• Article on Blacks in the Bible
• Discussion of Mormon expulsion from Missouri
• Discussion of Anti-slavery views of Missouri Mormons in Encarta
• More about the expulsion from Missouri and Anti-slavery views of Mormons in Missouri
• More about Mormons anti-slavery beliefs
• A review of The Curse of Ham-Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam