Curse of Cain, Blacks, Satan Needed Representative on Earth

13 January

Original Posting 2012

Curse of Cain, Blacks, Satan Needed a Representative on Earth

Journal of Discourses 22:336-337; “Why is it, in fact, that we should have a devil? Why did not the Lord kill him long ago? Because he could not do without him. He needed the devil and a great many of those who do his bidding just to keep men straight, that we may learn to place our dependence upon God, and trust in Him, and to observe his laws and keep his commandments. When he destroyed the inhabitants of the antediluvian world, he suffered a descendant of Cain to come through the flood in order that he might be properly represented upon the earth.” – John Taylor, Grantsville, Utah, October 29, 1882

Genesis 4:12-16; “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. 16 ¶ And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.”

Nowhere in the bible does it say God cursed Cain with a dark skin. In fact it said he became a vagabond who went out from the presence of God.

The word “mark” in the Hebrew is ’âoth which means mark, symbol, beacon, monument, miracle…

The Bible is absolutely silent about what type of mark God placed upon Cain and to insinuate we know exactly what it was is presumptuous, and leads to false teachings. Whatever it was, people knew not to slay him. 

There are three other problems with this passage and the first is the teaching God needed Satan.

1. This is purely a Mormon theological viewpoint, and has nothing to do with the biblical teaching historic Christianity holds dear. For the Christian, this is absolute heresy. God does not need Satan. God is self existent and needs no one, much less the devil. It also contradicts the LDS teaching that God is omnipotent (Ensign, May 1973, pg 3).a

2. Think about this: if the devil is evil which is what the LDS Church teaches (D&C 76:25), how could he “keep them straight”?

3. Believing and teaching black people are Satan’s representative on earth contradicts the LDS teaching that all people were born innocent (D&C 93:38).

[a. God is our Father…He is omnipotent and omniscient; he has all power and all wisdom; and his perfections consist in the possession of all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, all truth, and the fullness of all godly attributes.” – Joseph Field Smith]

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