Genesis 4

“Well, I’ll be danged, big brother. This here is a beauty. Hand-cured, steel-reinforced concrete. Man, oh man! This is a lot better than your first altar. I’m sorry that I laughed, but…c’mon…roll a couple of rocks together and throw a limp shock of wheat on it. What the heck is God gonna do with that? Bake bread? Your wheat has got nuttin’ on my mutton! Get it? Nuttin’ on my mutton.

“She’s awfully big, though. Whatcha gonna slaughter on this sucker?”

“Oh, I have a few ideas,” Cain replies.

The foundation of urbane, civilized life is built upon the act of fratricide. Cain murders Abel just like in Roman legend, Romulus kills Remus. Maybe a better word than murder would be…sacrifice. Here we have the practice of sacrifice introduced into human culture and religion…a humanly initiated activity.

©2020 Joel Picard