Moses 5 is not a terribly happy chapter. Cain and Abel are
born, Cain rebels and becomes Perdition, murder and wickedness spread, and the
gospel is preached.
I want to point out that one useful thing about this chapter,
however, is that it describes some behaviors and reactions that are
psychopathic and sociopathic.
1)
Rejection of authority. “Cain hearkened
not, saying: Who is the Lord that I should know him?” (Moses 5:16) The only other people in scripture who say “Who
is the Lord?” in this dismissive way are Pharaoh in Egypt who is forced to let
Israel go out of slavery, and King Noah in the Book of Mormon. The rejection of
authority sets the stage for rebellion.
2)
Disregard of rules, commandments, boundaries. Cain
knew that the required offering was supposed to be a sheep, but he chose to offer
the fruit of the ground instead. (Moses 5:18-29)
3)
Emotional dysregulation. “But unto Cain, and to
his offering,
he had not respect….And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” (Moses 5:21) Cain’s anger at his incorrect offering not receiving
divine acceptance is out of all proportion to what happened.
4)
Rejection of correction. In Moses 5:22-26, the
Lord goes to the trouble of counseling Cain that if he does good he will be
accepted and warns him what will happen if he persists. Here is Cain’s
reaction: “Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord,
neither to Abel, his brother” (Moses 5:26)
5)
Pathological lying. The Lord warns Cain, “For
from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies” (Moses
5:24).
6)
Power-hunger, grandiosity, and excessive pride. “Truly
I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and
get gain.
Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan,
and he gloried in his wickedness.” (Moses 5:31)
He thinks he is more powerful than anyone else. He also boasts in what
he’s doing, even though it is pretty awful. And not only is he boasting about
it, we see he is also lying to himself.
7)
Brutality. “Cain talked with Abel, his brother.
And it came to pass that while they were in the field, Cain rose up against
Abel, his brother, and slew him.” (Moses 5:32)
8)
Callousness and lack of remorse. “And the Lord
said unto Cain: Where is Abel, thy brother? And he said: I know not. Am I my
brother’s keeper?”
(Moses 5:34). This is as if people are
asking Cain where his Abel is because Abel has disappeared, and not only does
Cain lie about not knowing, but he doesn’t care.
9)
Manipulatively trying to make a play on others pity
after horrible behavior. “And the Lord said… now thou shalt be cursed from
the earth… And Cain said unto the Lord: Satan tempted me because of my brother’s
flocks. And I was wroth also; for his offering thou didst accept and not mine; my
punishment
is greater than I can bear.” (Moses
5:35,36,38) Notice that he’s trying to provoke pity even when he himself showed
no pity. He’s trying to manipulate his way out of the consequences of his
actions.
These characteristics are all part of “Cluster B” personality disorder traits of psychopathy and
sociopathy. It almost as if the Lord
wanted us to notice these characteristics as a pattern of behavior and 1)
beware that we do not fall into them, and 2) beware of those we meet who
exhibit these traits.
Instead cultivate:
1)
Respect for authority
2)
Regard for the commandments and boundaries
3)
Healthy emotional regulation
4)
Ability to accept correction
5)
Love for the truth
6)
Humility and a sense of equality
7)
Tenderness and gentleness
8)
Consideration for others and remorse for wrong-doing
or offenses
9)
Ability to take responsibility for our actions
Another happier lesson we see from this chapter is that the
Lord was still reaching out to Cain to try to help him, by trying to correct
him after a wrong offering and trying to bring him to a sense of accountability
for his actions after the murder of Abel with the question, “What hast thou
done?” He’s also trying to show Cain he’d been lied to with Satan’s promise
that no one would know what he’d done. He was still trying to reclaim Cain,
even after Cain’s heinous act.
We see just how long-suffering and patient the Lord is, and
we can trust that if he reached out to Cain, He will surely reach out to us.
