Cain and Abel: Explanation Please. Pretty Pretty Please!

[Jenny A]

So what is the moral lesson of Cain and Abel?

Cain and Abel both make sacrifices to god. Abel is a hunter and brings meat. . . yum meat. Cain is a farmer and brings vegetables and grain. . . yum, yum, bread. But god is finds favor only in meat. God apparently demands blood. WHY?

This is like a father looking at the little hand made clay gifts of two sons and throwing bouquets at one and rejecting the other. What kind of good father would do that?

Next Cain kills Abel. Not good. I get that. You don't get to kill your brother because daddy loves him best. But why does Cain get a pass with just exile and a you can't kill me card? Later in the OT the penalty for murder, let alone fratricide, is death. Why doesn't Cain have to pay that price?

It seems to me that this is a tale about the arbitrariness of fate, not an all loving god. Anyone care to explain it differently?

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No Christian explanation? Really?

[Minimalist]

This is a classic tale of the struggle between herders and farmers. In the case of this particular bullshit story, it was told by the herding culture...i.e. the southern kingdom and SURPRISE fucking 'god' finds favor in their sacrifice. Then the angry farmer kills the poor, deserving, herder.......

I imagine the story had a different ending when told in the farming cultures in the more agrarian sections of the region. Since the farmlands were considered valuable they were overrun by various conquerors while the goat fuckers....um, herders.... were able to enter into a vassal relationship with the conquering Assyrians.

It's a pile of shit. Like the rest of the bible.

[psychoslice]

I think the story is about being obedient to god no matter what, no matter how we interpret what god may like or dislike, we must do what he wants literally, if he wants an animal sacrifice then that is what he wants. But of course I don't believe in this shit, I say do what you want, as long as it doesn't hurt another.

[Michael]

Jenny. Abel chose the best of his crops to offer back to God. Cain did not choose the best of his herd. Abel, but not Cain, found favour because he reserved the best for God. It's a wisdom tale about bringing the best of what God graces us with back to God, putting God first in our lives (out of recognition that without God we would have, and be, nothing). We then have a tale about the destructive force of envy, consuming Cain to the point of murder. Envy is, in many respects, the opposite of love; we find angst, and not happiness, in the good fortune of others. When envious, we no longer seek the best for others; rather we may seek to deprive others of that which we cannot have ourselves. It drags down people and society (even to the point of murder), rather than love which lifts up everyone (the lover and the loved).

[Minimalist]

Jenny. Abel chose the best of his crops to offer back to God. Cain did not choose the best of his herd.

Um, Mike....I hate having to correct you people on your own books.

4 Adam[a] made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.[ b] She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth[c] a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

"Abel" was the herder. "Cain" was the farmer. So Sayeth The Big Book of Fairy Tales.

[Michael]

Oops, yes. Other way around :-) Abel offered the best, the fat portions of the first born, of his flock. Cain did not offer the best of his crops, just some of his crops.

[Minimalist]

No problemo.

I've had to correct Drippy and G-C numerous times.

You know...I don't think those guys have even read that book that they keep prattling on about.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

No problemo.

I've had to correct Drippy and G-C numerous times.

You know...I don't think those guys have even read that book that they keep prattling on about.

Only the parts they like, at least.

[Natachan]

There are two purposes to the story. The first is the illustration of man's fall with the introduction of human death. The first human death is not a natural death of age, but one brought about by violence and malice. This illustrates that man has become a fallen being.

I've also heard priests and rabbis place a great deal of emphasis on Cain's question to God, "am I my brothers keeper?" Some like to say that this sets up the idea that yes, humans are there to watch and take care of each other.

[Brian37]

Explanation. It is in an ancient book of myth written by ignorant people. There, thats your explanation. No different than any other holy book written by humans in our species history.