What is the "Mark of Cain" in the Book of Mormon?

[Joleen]

Well, as far as the topic is concerned, as with any topic, any information which will shed light on the subject/topic is helpful in finding the answer. IF, in these lost scriptures, as well as other sources, more information is given, and we gain more of an understanding from said information, what can it hurt to read it. I'm all for gaining more knowledge. When you hear/discover why these scriptures/books were not included in the Bible, it gives even more to ponder. So, if we've gone off topic for a bit to gain more knowledge or understanding about ALL of it, I'm sorry, but I'm fine with it.

[Miles]

Yeah, I'm fine with it as well. Even though what we are sharing has nothing to do with The Book of Mormon, I appreciate the discussion. I too, of course, am all for gaining new understanding, so thanks for the discourse.

Joleen wrote: "When you hear/discover why these scriptures/books were not included in the Bible, it gives even more to ponder."

That is why I suggested that particular book. The author hits the nail on the head so to speak.

[Joleen]

Thanks for sharing. I'll check it out.

[Johnathan]

I am not LDS but have recently started studying the Book of Mormom along with other texts comparing it to the Bible. I also happen to be black/African American (or whatever). However, I am having a hard time distinguishing between the descendants of Cain vs Laman. Can anyone clear this up for me?

[Joleen]

http://amazingbibletimeline.com/timel...
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&... (I hope this timeline works for you)
First, Cain is from Adam and Eve. Cast out when he killed Abel. He did have descendents, but you can tell from the timeline, not much is known.
http://www.bookofmormontimeline.com/
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/09/bo...
Lamen and Lemeul are from Lehi. Born Hundreds of years later. Lehi is from the tribe of Manasseh. If you check out the time line, you can see that the lineage goes: Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Joseph, Manasseh and Lehi is a descendent of Manesseh. Maybe this will shed some light for you. http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewto...
I'm NOT sure if this is helping you or confusing you. I hope it's helping you.

[Gayerexmo]

The Church Itself has confirmed that the "Mark of Cain" was black skin: (From LDS.org)

http://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-th...

Quotes from the article:

"In 1852, President Brigham Young publicly announced that men of black African descent could no longer be ordained to the priesthood, though thereafter blacks continued to join the Church through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Following the death of Brigham Young, subsequent Church presidents restricted blacks from receiving the temple endowment or being married in the temple."

"...for much of its history—from the mid-1800s until 1978—the Church did not ordain men of black African descent to its priesthood or allow black men or women to participate in temple endowment or sealing ordinances."

[Gayerexmo]

How long until the LDS caves to the pressure, has another chat with god (or stones in a hat), and allows gay people to be ordained to the priesthood?

The over/under is 2020. Place all bets in BitCoin, please....

[Joleen]

I will say that Christ will return before that happens. Just a thought on the way the world is headed....

[Joleen]

NOT that there is a hatred towards them; we are taught to love everyone and I do. That's just my feelings in general over the situations in the world, from scriptures I've studied about the second coming.

[Catherine]

There are many posts, so I'm not sure if someone did actually bring this up. I just wanted to point out that God spared Cain's life by marking him. He could've had Cain's life end right then and there, after he killed Able. In this day and age, he would've been put in prison for a very long time, at the very least. However, God spared him. Why? I dunno. However, I don't see the mark as being a bad thing. Everyone with a mark was not to be harmed or killed. It was a form of protection for life. HOW is that a bad thing???

[Joleen]

Thank you Angela. No, that wasn't brought up, but it's a VERY good point. Thanks!!!

[MormonSuperstition]

Debbie wrote: "The change is based upon the reality that language changes. What means something at one point in time does not mean that later. As a non-religious example, in my generation, "hustle" meant "hurry"...."

Alma 3:6 And the skins of the Lamanites were dark.

[Opywang]

According to Genesis 5:

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father[b] of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
If we continue reading, we see that we are descendants of Seth as his genealogy leads to the birth of Noah. God destroyed other families and spared only the house of Noah (8 people), from whom the earth was repopulated.

Adam->Seth-> ... ->Methuselah->Lamech->Noah->(Noah's Sons)-> .... ->Us

Genesis 7:23- Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark
Cain's descendants and Seth's siblings' descendants were therefore wiped out.

[Tialappa]

The struggle to explain past racism in legalistic terms is funny.

[Gary]

Here is what the church says now about the blacks and the priesthood.

https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-t...

Sounds good to me, but just to stir up the pot a little, I just want to talk about how prior to this declaration, I thought it all fit together.

I am writting a couple of near future sci-fi novels set before the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. I am sure I will probably be wrong about almost everything, but I am hoping to be able to create something entertaining that also touches your heart.

First I want to use this story

The idea that Cain lived on and roams the earth today is folklore based on a claim by David W. Patten

A story is sometimes circulated that Cain—son of Adam and Eve and the first murderer—still walks the earth today. The notion that Cain somehow lived on, survived the Flood, and roams the earth today, is familiar to modern members mostly based on a single claim of David W. Patten supposedly meeting an unusual person assumed to be Cain:

As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me. ... His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men. About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight.[1]

This account was published in a biography of Patten written by Lycurgus Wilson in 1900. Wilson had a letter from Abraham Smoot giving his recollection of what Patten said.

**A member of the church told me this was just a demon pretending to be Cain. I guess that is possible too. The only thing that makes the story credible at all is that it was published in The Miracle of Forgiveness which was written by Spencer W Kimball who later became the Prophet of the church.

[Beetero]

Why did Moses 5:40 claim that black skin came from Cain descendants, they did not believe Noah that he was the only one with his family who are saved from the flood? Mormon wrong to claim that black people came from Cain, Cain descendants are all disappear after the flood, Only Noah descendants who fill the world but no more descendants of Cain after the flood Genesis chapter 7,8 and 9

[Voyajer]

The mark of Cain was being dark skinned.

Read Black people and Mormonism on Wikipedia for all references.

Brigham Young began teaching that slavery was ordained of God and that equality efforts were misguided. Under his direction, Utah passed laws supporting slavery and making it illegal for blacks to vote, hold public office, join the Nauvoo Legion, or marry whites.