The Politics of Cain

                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              

"Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.' Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' And he said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?^'  He said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.'..."     --  Genesis 4:5-10

How is it that many American Christians choose to identify themselves with the politics of Cain ?  To make common cause with those whose anger, hatred, violence and murder God puts under His curse...those who lie to God's face...those who deny to God's face that they are "my brother's keeper" toward the poor, and refugees, and the sick ?


                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              

The politics of Cain

I heard a young "conservative" on the radio today, talking about how she chose to identify with that faction.

She said the key to her political thinking was learning about people who drove new cars to the welfare-office to collect government aid: the favorite Reagan anecdote. She was honest enough to admit she hadn't personally seen that; but hearing that it happened convinced her to be a "conservative."

Many anecdotes have a basis in truth, of course. I imagine this is one of them. People who've researched Reagan's anecdote have found some truth in it, as well as some untruth and some exaggeration for political effect. But we'd probably all agree that there are people who game the welfare or Social Security or food-stamp or Medicare or tax systems. An honest view of human nature makes it a given that manipulators...people of high socio-economic status as well as low...take advantage of those and other systems in every way they can devise.

But the thought that came into my mind was that the "conservatism" promoted by Reagan's anecdote is an expression of the politics of Cain: "I am not my brother's keeper !"

Followers of Cain argue that any system which is gamed by the unscrupulous is bad, and should be scrapped: that our highest moral duty is to not let manipulators take advantage of us. It seems a strange argument from those who continually manipulate our political system and our economic system to their own personal ends.

But for those of us who aren't deceived to the political-social thinking of Cain, the question is what we do with the truth in Reagan's anecdote ? What is our attitude toward undeserving people who take advantage of our mercy ?

I don't often quote the hackneyed bumper-sticker, but it definitely applies here: what would Jesus do ?

What was Jesus' attitude and action toward undeserving people ?   That should be Christians' attitude and actions. Amen.