- Joined
- 30 Dec 04
- Moves
- 100917
-Removed-Hi,
I don't have an answer for ya, sorry.
Nothing in scripture tells us. It had to be one doozie of a mark though if:
1: Everyone who saw it knew that it was from God.
2: Everyone who saw it knew to stay away from Cain.
That leads me to believe that the mark must have showed some warning sign or that it was so significant that people knew that it could only have come from God.
I did read a little about what you were saying the Mormons belief. The site I saw didn't specify the Mormons though so I'm not sure about that. I agree with you that the belief of his skin being 'turned' dark would be a racist take on that.
Weren't the people's of that area of the world skin already a little dark anyhow? Giving their geographic location? Just a thought.
-Removed-Wikipedia says this. It reports that Mormonism adopted the general white Protestant belief so it should not be construed as unique to Mormonism, although
"Like many Americans of the era, Mormons of the 19th century commonly assumed that Cain's "mark" was black skin,[24] and that Cain's descendants were black and still under Cain's mark. Mormonism began during the height of white Protestant acceptance of the curse of Cain doctrine in America, as well as the even more popular curse of Ham doctrine, which was even held by many abolitionists of the time.[citation needed] This belief seemed to be confirmed by a scriptural passage in the Book of Abraham which suggested that Cain's bloodline was preserved on the ark through Egyptus, wife of Ham,[25] (an interpretation now generally rejected by mainstream Mormons).[26] While Joseph Smith indicated his belief in the curse of Ham theory in a parenthetical reference as early as 1831,[27] the only early reference to the curse or mark of Cain was in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, which included the following statement:
And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.[28]
There is evidence that Joseph Smith did not consider the restriction between blacks and the priesthood to be relevant in modern times, since he himself (and other church leaders close to him) did ordain black men to the priesthood.[29] notably Elijah Abel and Walker Lewis."
end quote.
The reference [24] refers one to a speech attributed to Brigham Young.
That speech says, in part:
" Now then in the kingdom of God on the earth, a man who has has the Affrican blood in him cannot hold one jot nor tittle of preisthood; Why? because they are the true eternal principals the Lord Almighty has ordained, and who can help it, men cannot. the angels cannot, and all the powers of earth and hell cannot take it off, but thus saith the Eternal I am, what I am, I take it off at my pleasure, and not one partical of power can that posterity of Cain have, until the time comes the says he will have it taken away. That time will come when they will have the privilege of all we have the privelege of and more. In the kingdom of God on the earth the Affricans cannot hold one partical of power in Government. The the subjects, the rightfull servants of the resedue of the children of Adam, and the resedue of the children through the benign influence of the Spirit of the Lord have the privilege of seeing to the posterity of Cain; inasmuch as it is the Lords will they should receive the spirit of God by Baptisam; and that is the end of their privilege; and there is not power on earth to give them any more power."
end quote
Of course all the above is just what Wikipedia and its reference [24] say. It also discusses how this belief has been moderated since then.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_and_mark_of_Cain
I remember I read most of the book of moron I mean....Mormon and There was a
war between the Laminites and the Nephites and God cursed one of these groups and their skin became dark and that's how you could tell God cursed them. Of course the book of Mormon is easy to refute as it is basically plagiarized from the bible except they add a bunch of stuff. Also most of this is supposed to have happened here in the new world. However there is no archaeological evidence or otherwise to support the book of Mormon. The Mark of Cain mentioned in the bible I don't think it is ever stated what it was or if it was even a physical mark.
Manny
Originally posted by menace71What do you mean? There are quite a few books in the bible that state almost identical verses as many other books. Wasn't the bible plagiarized from god in the first place?
I remember I read most of the book of moron I mean....Mormon and There was a
war between the Laminites and the Nephites and God cursed one of these groups and their skin became dark and that's how you could tell God cursed them. Of course the book of Mormon is easy to refute as it is basically plagiarized from the bible except they add a bunch of stuff. A ...[text shortened]... bible I don't think it is ever stated what it was or if it was even a physical mark.
Manny
-Removed-Why would any change in skin colour be a potential problem, but a mark of some kind not be?
If someone had said that Cain was white with blond hair, would you have called it an affliction and a curse?
Do you blame the devil for the existence of different races? Or were black people and Chinese people created as part of some other curse later on?
-Removed-What if the people who were developing the Genesis myth ran into outsiders that had visible distinctions from them at the time these stories were being developed? Perhaps genetic, like skin color, or such as ritualized tribal scarification or piercing? It would fit quite neatly into a Cain story especially if they were not field-tillers. It would explain their origin.
-Removed-"God’s sentencing of Cain to banishment from the ground evidently meant his eviction from the neighborhood of the garden of Eden, and the curse already upon the earth would be increased in Cain’s case, the earth not responding to his cultivation of it. Cain expressed regret over the severity of his punishment and showed anxiety as to the possibility of Abel’s murder being avenged upon him, but still no sincere repentance. Jehovah “set up a sign for Cain” to prevent his being killed, but the record does not say that this sign or mark was placed on Cain’s person in any way. The “sign” likely consisted of God’s solemn decree itself, known and observed by others.—Ge 4:10-15; compare vs 24 where that decree is referred to by Lamech."
IT book pages 367 & 368.