What do you think the God's mark on Cain was?

Question

(or was it more of a curse?like some theories suggest?)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%204:15;&version=9;

The Mormon's also say that God punished My people( Native Americans) and he turned their skin red as a punishment.
I don't beleive God's mark was changing skin colour.

Answer 1

The bible does not tell us what the mark was. One can only guess and speculate. But one thing is for sure, it wasn't a change of color as some may suggest. Nor is it a CURSE to be a different color. No where does it even suggest that in the bible.

Answer 2

Syriac Christianity held that the Mark of Cain was black skin in the 5th century. Various protestant groups claimed that the curse was black skin including baptists, methodist, etc.. Medieval artwork shows Cain as black and Abel as white.

Various poetry by famous authors often discusses blackness of skin as the curse of Cain. Phyllis Wheatley, herself a black slave, who wrote in 1773, "Remember Christians, Negroes black as Cain, May be refined and joined the angelic train".

In the Bible, descendants of Cain such as Egyptus were named after the word for "black" and were located in Africa in places considered predominantly black.

Despite this, God has stated clearly that He is no respecter of persons. White and black. Jews and Gentiles are all alike in the eyes of God.

Mormons are not unique in the belief that the Mark of Cain was skin color. Perhaps they adopted this belief from the protestants of the time. If anything the early mormons were more friendly to blacks than the protestant religions of the time. In fact, mormons were beaten, raped, and murdered for their beliefs (the desire to abolish slavery was particularly disliked by Missouri who made it legal to kill mormons). Mormons voted in blocks which greatly threatened the legality of slavery in Missouri.

Nearly all Protestant groups in America had supported the notion that black slavery, oppression, and African colonization was the result of God's curse on people with black skin or of African descent through Cain or through the curse of Ham, and some churches practiced racial segregation as late as the 1990s, including Pentecostalism

Certainly God does not care about skin color but it would certainly be the easiest way to mark someone that was to be avoided.

Mormons certainly consider all men to be children of God without regard to skin color. Gladys Knight is mormon as are thousands of members in Africa.

Another idea is that the curse of Cain was horns.

Answer 3

As a mormon (latter-day saint) I can say that we believe that the "curse" was being shut out of the presence of God (those who don't feel the Holy Spirit are in a sense 'shut out from His presence'). The mark is a skin of blackness, but that does NOT mean that anyone with the mark is in any way inferior. That was simply to divide the people of God from those that still carried the "curse". Today that curse can be had by children of God of any color that refuse to open their hearts and believe Christ. Being of a different color in no way means that you are 'cursed'. God loves you and His hand is outstreched to you.
The following is from the Title page of The Book of Mormon (for more info visit lds.org or mormon.org)

(native americans are decendants of the Lamanites)

THE
BOOK OF MORMON
AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY

THE HAND OF MORMON

UPON PLATES

TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI
Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.
An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.
TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH SMITH, Jun.
First English edition published in 1830

Answer 4

God punished Cain by leaving him to be a lonely wanderer and to be left untouched by others. Sort of a solitary confinement. No man was to harm him, therefore he was put into a living H**L.

Answer 5

I read somewhere that it was an "X" . Maybe that explains our generation facinacination with everything like x-box, x-generation, etc.

Actually, that might make sense if the "X" is like a foretells the cross

Answer 6

valid is correct. the mark was not defined in the bible. cain was to be a wanderer hence the solitary confinement.

Answer 7

The mormons are retarded. (no offense though). I used to be one. Yak. ANYWAYS> we may never know what the mark was. he may have been marked where he killed his bro..like a permanant bruise?

Answer 8

because god knew that cain wasnt right that he didnt have a good and pure heart and he was jealous of his brother abel

Answer 9

older versions said it was a mark on his forehead, sort of like a brand

Answer 10

Who's cain?