Cain,
Accused of Premeditated Murder, Walks Away
God,
Cain, and the Psychology of Shame
Geoffrey W. Sutton, April, 2024
Brian
Dorsey's execution, a denouement of a tragic sequence of events, was carried
out on April 9, 2024, concluding a legal process that spanned nearly two
decades. Dorsey, then 52, was convicted for the 2006 homicides of his cousin,
Sarah Bonnie, and her husband, Ben Bonnie. The case's notoriety stemmed from
the brutal nature of the crimes: Dorsey, in a desperate attempt to settle a
drug debt, murdered the couple in their residence post-midnight, subsequently
engaging in a postmortem sexual assault on Sarah Bonnie.
The
execution, administered via a single-dose injection of pentobarbital at the
Missouri state prison in Bonne Terre, was not without its controversies.
Concerns were raised regarding the potential difficulties in vein location due
to Dorsey's physical health conditions, yet the procedure was reported to have
been expedited without complications. Dorsey's final moments were marked by a
pronounced expression of remorse, encapsulated in a prewritten statement
acknowledging the gravity of his actions and the irreversible pain inflicted
upon the families involved.
*****
My
purpose in this post is to examine the story of God and Cain from a
psychological perspective. I’m
numbering the paragraphs for ease of reference in a planned group discussion.
1.
Moral Focus
Although,
the Bible’s first murder story is usually taught to children as the story of
Cain and Abel, Abel is not the main character. Perhaps the wordplay on his
Hebrew name, breath or vapor, illustrates his limited appearance in the tale.
Also, the storyteller doesn’t plumb the
depths of despair and incredible outrage that parents usually feel at such a
violent loss. Who cares about Adam and Eve? Does anyone have empathy? Having
evaluated and treated crime victims, I have a sense of the unspeakable pain that
loved ones carry to their graves. And having evaluated murderers and violent
men, I am tuned in to searching for moral emotions and psychopathology. But this
story is different. I think God and Cain is part of a sequence of prelaw moral
stories in Genesis and the spiritual struggles experienced by ancient
Israelites when it comes to understanding God’s mysterious ways in dealing with
human nature.
2.
The Farmer and the Shepherd
At first it seems the two brothers are godly men. The firstborn Cain follows his father’s cursed vocation as a farmer. However, Abel becomes a shepherd. The Genesis story echoes the Sumerian rivalry between the farmer (Enkimdu) and shepherd (Dumuzid).
Oddly, neither
son, unlike the third brother, is born in the image of Adam. Presumably, Cain
and Abel are young because we do not learn of Abel’s wife and children. And it
is later in the story that we learn of Cain’s descendants.
3.
The Sacrifice
Now
these two brothers appear to do what is right by offering God a sacrifice from
their labor, although the storyteller adds a bit of emphasis on Abel’s animal. Perhaps
this is when the ancient Israelites learn that God, like the gods of their
neighbors, prefers the smell of a savory BBQ rather than veggies. In fact, we
may wonder if there is a prejudice favoring animal husbandry over farming the
land.
4.
Rejection!
God’s
rejection of Cain is devastating! Isn’t Cain, the firstborn, the one entitled to
inherit his father’s estate, the one expected to rule over the household, and
the one who offers the fruit of his labor, worthy of respect? Instead, God disrespects
Cain’s gift. Cain gets no respect.
5.
Shame
Cain
is shame-faced. And not surprisingly, given what we know from psychological
research, shamed people respond with anger and aggression. I’m intrigued by the
possibility that the writer seems to know what we know about the difference
between the moral emotions of shame and guilt and the role of rejection in
provoking shamed people to violence—especially shamed people who have a sense
of entitlement. Rejection is a blow to self-esteem especially in front of his
younger sibling. Psychologists warn judges and prison administrators against shaming
men in contrast to evoking an empathy-guilt response.
6.
Unprotected
I’m
not saying the storyteller intended to present Abel as a sacrifice, but Cain,
perhaps named to represent a spear or the one who acquires, hatches a plan. He
rises up and takes control—Abel is removed—his life disappears like a vapor. Cain
seems to act like a modern man with narcissistic personality disorder who is
provoked and primed for vengeance. In the ancient culture, and consistent with
evolutionary psychology, Abel is the one humiliated because he is unable to
have a meaningful life characterized in the blessed phrase, be fruitful
and multiply. We also learn that God does not necessarily protect righteous
people—something Christians still find shocking. Perhaps, God is not in control?
7.
Blood
God
returns to the story as a judge. In a few verses, we learn a lot about human
nature and ancient cultures. Again, like a modern narcissist, Cain denies
responsibility for Abel’s absence. But God confronts Cain with forensic
evidence as the anthropomorphic sacred life blood accuses Cain of murder. Now
we get that infamous unempathetic, egocentric line: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Such a pithy yet poignant moral phrase.
8.
Punishment?
Cain
accepts God’s judgment. Although judged guilty, there is no evidence of guilty
feelings—no empathy, no remorse. Cain does have the self-centered tenacity to
ask the Judge about his punishment, which changes his vocation from living off
the land to life as a wanderer. Cain is a marked man. Unlike protecting Abel,
God actually protects Cain. Ancient hearers must wonder, “What kind of God
let’s a man get away with murder?” We may wonder why wasn’t Cain punished in
the ancient equivalent of capital punishment like the execution of Brian
Dorsey? And, moreover, why does Cain get such a legacy? Check it out. The
ancient storyteller seems to delight in telling us about Cain’s descendants and
their reputations.
9.
The Imago Adamus
Meanwhile,
back to Adam and Eve, who have another child. This one, Seth, is created in the
image of Adam—Seth is the imago Adamus!
Post
Notes
God. God is YHWH in the Cain
story. Read more about YHWH and Elohim in the early narratives in an article by
Wolde (1991).
God
and Cain.
When I reread the story, I decided to rename this post because Abel has such a
minor role. Later, I saw this idea mentioned by Vermeulen (2014).
Image
of God. The
notion of sons being born in the image of their father is of great importance
when it comes to inheriting wealth and managing the family estate. This image
theme continues in the New Testament (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15). I’ve
written about the image of God and psychology elsewhere (e.g., Sutton, 2024).
Firstborn
Sons. In
many cultures, firstborn sons are precious people entitled to a place of honor
in their father’s household. Of course, we know in later Bible stories that God
upends this cultural entitlement. Biblical conflicts also include sisters.
Farmers
vs. Shepherds.
Farming isn’t a feature of the wandering Israelites. They identify as shepherds
and their God is the Good Shepherd. Perhaps they were looking back in time, and
observed, “Cain was not one of us.” Then there’s the bloody personification. Abel’s
blood cries out. As we know, for Israelites, life is in the blood (Leviticus
17:11). Blood, the sacred life force, is ever so precious. Later, blood will
protect them when God kills Egypt’s firstborns, but I don’t want to get ahead
of the story. Read more about farmers and shepherds in Vermeulen (2014).
The intense rivalry in the Sumerian story of the farmer and the shepherd does not result in death; however, the shepherd is the one who wins the divine favor of the goddess Inanna. See Oxford link for the text.
Blood. The sacredness of blood is
a common feature of ancient tribal religions whose members sought the blessings
of their gods by offering blood sacrifices of animals and humans. You can read
more in Britannica. Sacred blood is also a recurring theme throughout
the Bible and of course in the bloody hymns of the church. It appears that
Israelites linked blood to life. Scientifically, blood formation appears in the
developing fetus about week five, which has been mentioned in battles over
abortion (See embryology for more about blood
formation).
Shame
and Guilt. The
story nicely illustrates the important difference between shame and guilt.
Shame is a powerful destructive emotional state. Provoking shame is dangerous. In
contrast to shame, guilt can be a pathway to redemption when empathy is present.
Learn
more about shame, guilt, and crime in Tangney et al. (2011).
See
Elison et al. (2014) for a review of research on the link between shame and
aggression. And see Kjaervik and Bushman (2021) regarding narcissism and
aggression.
Olson
(2012) presents a summary of related psychological research and links concepts
of shame and revenge to biblical stories, including Cain and Abel.
Note the change in context for the three stories. In the creation story, the first couple were naked but not ashamed. In the eating of the forbidden fruit story, Adam and Eve realized they were naked and hid themselves as if ashamed. In this God and Cain story, Cain experiences shame. The writer appears to be linking sex and shame as well as sin and shame in the context of God's presence.
Jealousy. Many writers and preachers
speak of Cain’s jealousy. I get it. Jealousy is human and it’s easy to see this
powerful emotion in the story, but I think the storyteller is concerned with
other issues such as morality and how God deals with people.
Death
Penalty. The
threat of revenge killing served an evolutionary purpose. We know from the later
commandments that the death penalty was a common consequence for a variety of
wrongful acts. Also, given God’s acts of destruction, we can reasonably be
shocked that God spared Cain’s life. What options were available? Clearly there
were no prisons or maximum-security tents for these nomads. For more about
revenge, forgiveness, and sibling rivalry, see Olsen (2012) and McCullough (2008).
Image credit
The images were created by Designer from prompts entered by the author in April 2024.
References
Allen, J. J. (2011). The mixed economies
of Cain and Abel: an historical and cultural approach. Conversations
with the Biblical World, 31, 33–52.
Associated Press News. (2024, April 9).
Missouri executes Brian Dorsey for 2006 killings of his cousin and her husband.
Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/missouri-to-reduce-risk-of-suffering-if-man-requires-surgical-procedure-at-execution/ar-BB1lhbdh
Kjærvik, S. L., & Bushman, B. J.
(2021). The link between narcissism and aggression: A meta-analytic
review. Psychological Bulletin. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000323
McCullough, M. (2008). Beyond
revenge: the evolution of the forgiveness instinct. San Francisco: Jossey
Bass. AMAZON
Olson, D. T. (2012). Revenge,
forgiveness, and sibling rivalry: a theological dialogue between scripture and
science. Ex Auditu, 28, 94–119.
Sutton, G. W. (2024). Irreconcilable
differences? Apes, Adam and an ark: Relating Christianity and psychology.
Springfield, MO: Sunflower AMAZON
Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J., &
Hafez, L. (2011). Shame, Guilt and Remorse: Implications for Offender
Populations. The journal of forensic psychiatry & psychology, 22(5),
706–723. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2011.617541
Vermeulen, K. (2014). Mind the gap:
ambiguity in the story of Cain and Abel. Journal of Biblical Literature, 133(1),
29–42.
Wolde, E. J. van. (1991). The story of
Cain and Abel: a narrative study. Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 16(52), 25–41.
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