“Where is your brother, he asked, and cain responded with another question. Am I my brother's keeper, You killed him, Yes, I did, but you are the one who is really to blame, I would have given my life for him if you had not destroyed mine, It was a question of putting you to the test, But why put to the test the very thing you yourself created, Because I am the sovereign lord of all things, And of all beings you will say, but not of me and my freedom, What, the freedom to kill, Just as you had the freedom to stop me killing abel, which was perfectly within your capabilities, all you had to do, just for a moment, was to abandon that pride in your infallibility that you share with all the other gods, and, again just for a moment, to be truly merciful and accept my offering with humility, because you shouldn't have refused it, you gods, you and all the others, have a duty to those you claim to have created, This is seditious talk, Yes, possibly, but I can guarantee you that if I were god, I would repeat every day Blessed are those who choose sedition because theirs is the kingdom of the earth, That's sacrilege, Maybe, but no more sacrilegious than you allowing abel to die…” GodHumanityCainSacrilegeCain And Abel Author:José Saramago
“What always strikes me in the story of Cain and Abel is how often the word "brother" is used. Cain killed his "brother." God says it was "the blood of your brother." The killing was done to another human being, a child of God like you, breaking that sacred bond of common humanity.” HumansChildrenDoneStoriesUsedHumanityHuman BeingsCommonBloodBrotherLike YouSacredKillingStrikesChild Of GodYour BrotherCainCommon HumanityAbelCain And Abel Author:Allan Boesak
“Take the story of Cain and Abel. Why were we given that story? Scientifically, you may have an explanation for it, but I'm not approaching it from the scientific point of view. I'm saying: Why do we need that? It's a sordid story, a depressing story, a dark story. Why should I believe that I'm a descendant of either Cain or Abel? Thank God there is a third son! [Genesis 4:25]” NeedsShouldBelieveMayStoriesGivenI BelieveDarkViewsSonThirdsPoint Of ViewExplanationThank GodDepressingShould IGenesisDescendantsCainAbelCain And Abel Author:Elie Wiesel
“I may be a descendant of Seth. I say to myself, What does [the story of Cain and Abel] teach me? So I go back to all the interpretations in the Talmud, which to me are a source of pleasure and joy. Then I say, maybe this story is not for then; maybe it's for now! It's possible for brothers to kill one another in civil wars. But most important, whoever kills, kills his brother. That's a moral conclusion that may not be there; but that must be my conclusion. Otherwise, why read it? Whoever kills, kills his brother.” MayDoeImportantWarStoriesJoyPleasureMoralTeachBrotherSourceConclusionCivil WarInterpretationDescendantsCainAbelCain And Abel Author:Elie Wiesel
“The gods were bored and so they created man. Adam was bored because he was alone, so Eve was created. Thus boredom entered the world, and increased in proportion to the increase in population. Adam was bored alone, then Adam and Eve were bored together; them Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel were bored en famille; then the population of the world increased, and the people were bored en masse.” PeopleMenWorldTogetherIncreasePopulationBoredBoredomProportionAdamAdam And EveCainAbelCain And Abel Author:Soren Kierkegaard
“I challenge anyone to tell me that there isn’t evil in this world. From the days of Cain and Abel we know all too well there will always be evil. But that evil shouldn’t take away our freedoms. In fact, the only way to defeat evil is by taking advantage of our freedoms.” KnowsWorldWayWellsFactsEvilChallengesThis WorldAdvantageDefeatCainTaking AdvantageAbelCain And Abel Author:Taya Kyle