When Cain kills Abel

Timothy Elder
February 2, 2012

A Facebook friend wrote me to ask a few questions. My thoughts are as follows:

Question: Kook Jin Nim said Cain could kill Abel because Abel was weak. He was implying that Abel was physically weak, and therefore he was killed. He was saying that it is our theology. We all know the importance of strength of course. However, we were taught that because Abel had a judgmental attitude towards Cain, he was killed.

Answer: There are two aspects here. One is the reason Cain killed Abel, and the other is how it was possible for Cain to kill Abel. The first question is addressed in detail in our Divine Principle lectures on the Cain Abel story, but not the second. The second is also important, and deserves our close attention.

If Cain killed Abel, it stands to reason that Cain must have had the physical ability to carry out such an act, whereas Abel must not have had the ability to defend himself against Cain. But what if Abel had developed the means to defend himself? What if he somehow avoided being killed? If Cain and Abel both remained alive, they would have had more time to work out their differences and establish unity. If the foundation of substance between Cain and Abel had been established, completing the foundation to receive the Messiah, humanity could have avoided a long and painful history of restoration.

Furthermore, Jacob wasn't killed by Esau, because he was physically or militarily strong enough, but because he was wise and send presents ahead.

After Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, in to giving him the blessing, he ran away from home at the urging of his mother. Rebecca realized that Esau was stronger than Jacob, and if Jacob remained at home he would be killed. It didn't matter how humble Jacob was going to be toward Esau. If he stayed at home, he was a dead man. By running away, Jacob took away Esau's ability to kill him.

Jacob went to Haran and built up his wealth. He managed to stay alive long enough to accumulate the means to stand up to his Cain-figure. Also, don't forget the fight with the angel shortly before he met his brother. Jacob overcame the angel with brute force, setting an important foundation for his meeting with Esau.

Question: Does the real weakness of the democratic countries not have something to do with excessive materialism, individualism and sexual immorality, and can people (or nations) therefore not become strong by overcoming those weak points?

Answer: The weakness of democracies is that they tend to slide toward populism and put more emphasis on social welfare and less on keeping the nation militarily strong. The United States today is a good example. China, a dictatorship, has little social welfare and is building up its military rapidly. Abel grows weak, while Cain grows stronger.

This is a formula for disaster in God's providence, because the Providence only moves forward when Abel is strong enough to deter Cain from committing sin, or subdue Cain once he starts to commit sin. World War I and World War II are examples of how the Cain side started wars when they thought Abel was weak, but it turned out that Abel -- through much sacrifice -- was able to subdue Cain. Cain might not have started these destructive wars in the first place if the Abel side had maintained a posture of strength.

Question: Is it that we are beyond that in this time and that China's threat is now too imminent so that only military strength can deter threats from China?

Answer: The world of peace will be realized when Abel remains strong eternally and never becomes weak.

Question: Kook Jin Nim was implying that it is good for all people to have guns at home, like in Israel and Switzerland -- why was this not propagated many years ago, so lives could've been spared? Is it only now, that it is OK?

Answer: When Father started Tongil Industries, one of the first products they made was an air rifle. Later they made guns for hunting, and then they made military weapons, such as the M-1 rifle and Vulcan Canon. Father put a lot of effort into making South Korea militarily strong so that it could withstand the threat from North Korea.

Father also supported President Ronald Reagan in his military buildup against the Soviet Union. When the U.S. Congress cut off funds to the anti-Communist Contra fighters in Nicaragua, Father stood up to support them instead.

Question: Kook Jin Nim didn't mention the dangers of Muslim terrorism in Europe and Africa. Are they less important? People in Nigeria wouldn't worry much about China.

Answer: Korea is God's fatherland, and Korea is being threatened by China. There is concern over what will happen to God's providence if Korea gets taken over by China, a communist dictatorship that does not recognize religious freedom. This may be why he does not talk about Muslim terrorism directly. If God's fatherland is lost, the whole world will suffer, including Nigeria. I hope people in Nigeria can understand this on some level.

Question: Kook Jin Nim said that the Arab hostile world is 500 times as strong, population wise? This must be a mistake, since Koreans and westerners have always misunderstandings about numbers, because in Korea they use the 10.000 unit.

Answer: Did he say "population"? If he did, I think he meant to say 500 times in geographic area, not population.