Peace, Love, & Understanding

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 2:1c . . Lay aside all hypocrisy

The Greek word for "hypocrisy" is hupokrisis (hoop-ok'-ree-sis) which is a mite
ambiguous. It basically refers to acting under a feigned part.

Not all hypocrisy is bad; quite a few people earn an honest living by accepting parts
in movies and plays. That we can live with.

But hypocrisy in religion is insufferable; for example Mark 12:13-15, which reads
like this:

"Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his
words. They came to him and said: Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.
You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you
teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar
or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we? But Jesus knew their hypocrisy."

Their inquiry was reasonable; but it was based upon a hidden agenda. They didn't
care one whit about the taxes; they were only looking for a legitimate excuse to
have Jesus arrested and put away where he could no longer influence public
opinion.

Hypocrisy is also exemplified in double standards, viz; hypocrites don't practice
what they preach, for example Luke 6:41-42 and Matt 23:2-4

"And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice
the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: Brother, let
me take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the log
that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."

"The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their
deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. And they tie up heavy loads, and
lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with
so much as a finger."
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 2:1d. . Lay aside all envy

Webster's defines envy as painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed
by another, coupled with a desire to possess the same advantage

There are musicians that I greatly admire for their talent and their creativity. But I
don't hate them for it; no, I truly love their work, i.e. I'm a fan rather than a rival.
For example; famed sessions musician Carol Kaye can lay down smooth jazz lines
with an electric bass using nothing more than a flat guitar pick. I wish I could do
what Carol does; at the same time wish her all the best and would sincerely like for
her to continue playing and teaching forever.

But when admiration is mixed with pain and resentment, it can become ugly and
extremely dangerous.

For example, it was the ugly kind of envy that motivated Cain to murder his kid
brother, and it was the ugly kind of envy that motivated Joseph's brothers to sell
him into slavery, and it was the ugly kind of envy that motivated Jesus' opponents
to have him arrested and put to death.

People prone to envy share a very common denominator: they simply must be
either equal to, or better than, others. It's that simple. And if they cannot be equal
to, or better than others, then nothing would make them happier than to see those
others failed, maimed, silenced, disfigured, dishonored, disgraced, humiliated,
handicapped for life and/or deceased.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 2:1e . . Lay aside all evil speaking

The Greek word for "evil speaking" is katalalia (kat-al-al-ee'-ah) which basically
means defamation; defined by Webster's as the act of communicating false
statements about a person that injures their reputation.

Talking about someone behind their back counts as defamation only when the
statements are untrue; especially if the statements are deliberately untrue and
calculated to assassinate someone's character and/or question their good name.

"As newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby."
(1Pet 2:2)

When Christians neglect to study Peter's epistles to learn what is, and what is not,
appropriate behavior for Christ's followers, they are certain to end up stunting their
spiritual growth; and quite naturally retain and practice all five of the ugly
behaviors listed above; viz: malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 2:17a . . Honor all men.

The Greek word translated "honor" is timao (tim-ah'-o) which basically means to
prize, i.e. fix a valuation upon and/or to revere

The first place that timao shows up in the New Testament is Matt 15:4 which reads:

"God said: Honor your father and mother."

Right after the Flood, God outlawed murder; and the reason given for the ban was
not because murder is necessarily wrong, but because people are made in the
likeness of God. (Gen 9:5-6)

James criticizes the use of language that expresses a wish that someone be sent to
Hell. The reason given is not because that sort of language is necessarily wrong,
but because people were made in the likeness of God. (Jas 3:8-9)

I gather that failure to treat everyone with dignity-- regardless of age, race, or
gender --not only dishonors men but by extension also dishonors God in whose
likeness all men were made.

FAQ: Does that mean even serial killers, mass murderers, and monsters like Osama
Bin Laden, Robert Mugabe, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, and crooks
like Al Capone and Bernie Madoff have to be treated humanely and with dignity the
same as everyone else?

A: Yes, absolutely because the honor that Peter is talking about doesn't have to be
earned, merited or otherwise deserved, i.e. it's divine.

Take for example Lev 19:32 which reads like this:

"Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your
God. I am The Lord"

Senior citizens don't have earn your respect, i.e. it's neither merited nor otherwise
deserved. The only requirement is age; and failure to dignify senior citizens fails to
satisfy God's expectations.

NOTE: I've seen young Christians in Sunday school treat senior citizens as equals,
and sometimes even as children. That kind of conduct is not only disturbing, but it's
also very unbecoming for Christian people.
_

 

[pinacled]

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• 1Pet 2:17a . . Honor all men.

The Greek word translated "honor" is timao (tim-ah'-o) which basically means to
prize, i.e. fix a valuation upon and/or to revere

The first place that timao shows up in the New Testament is Matt 15:4 which reads:

"God said: Honor your father and mother."

Right after the Flood, God outlawed murder; and the reason given for the ban was
not because murder is necessarily wrong, but because people are made in the
likeness of God. (Gen 9:5-6)

James criticizes the use of language that expresses a wish that someone be sent to
Hell. The reason given is not because that sort of language is necessarily wrong,
but because people were made in the likeness of God. (Jas 3:8-9)

I gather that failure to treat everyone with dignity-- regardless of age, race, or
gender --not only dishonors men but by extension also dishonors God in whose
likeness all men were made.

FAQ: Does that mean even serial killers, mass murderers, and monsters like Osama
Bin Laden, Robert Mugabe, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, and crooks
like Al Capone and Bernie Madoff have to be treated humanely and with dignity the
same as everyone else?

A: Yes, absolutely because the honor that Peter is talking about doesn't have to be
earned, merited or otherwise deserved, i.e. it's divine.

Take for example Lev 19:32 which reads like this:

"Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your
God. I am The Lord"

Senior citizens don't have earn your respect, i.e. it's neither merited nor otherwise
deserved. The only requirement is age; and failure to dignify senior citizens fails to
satisfy God's expectations.

NOTE: I've seen young Christians in Sunday school treat senior citizens as equals,
and sometimes even as children. That kind of conduct is not only disturbing, but it's
also very unbecoming for Christian people.
_

Galatians 1:8

Honoring/revering the children of a murderer and liar is anathema to the good news and Truth.

Kefa(peter) speaks of torah where love is concerned.

[ When he was insulted, he didn’t retaliate with insults; when he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but handed them over to him who judges justly. ]

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 2:17b . . love the brotherhood

The Greek word translated "brotherhood" is adelphotes (ad-el-fot'-ace) which
appears in only two places in the entire New Testament; both are in the apostle
Peter's epistles: one here and the other in 1Pet 5:9.

It's a curious word because it doesn't specifically refer to "the church which is his
body". Adelphotes basically means a fraternity; defined by Webster's as a group of
people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or
pleasure; i.e. persons of the same class, profession, character, or tastes: for
example leagues, guilds, societies, and trade unions.

Just to be on the safe side, assume that Peter's instructions apply to anyone and
everyone identifying themselves as a Christian regardless of their denominational
affiliation.

One thing to our advantage is that the Greek word for "love" in 1Pet 2:17 is
impersonal, viz: it requires neither fondness nor affection; it only requires that we
be humane, e.g. civil, courteous, friendly, peaceable, hospitable, sympathetic,
tolerant, lenient, forgiving, charitable, and generous. In other words; we don't
especially have to like everyone identifying themselves as Christians; we just have
to be friendly.
_

 

[pinacled]

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• 1Pet 2:17b . . love the brotherhood

The Greek word translated "brotherhood" is adelphotes (ad-el-fot'-ace) which
appears in only two places in the entire New Testament; both are in the apostle
Peter's epistles: one here and the other in 1Pet 5:9.

It's a curious word because it doesn't specifically refer to "the church which is his
body". Adelphotes basically means a fraternity; defined by Webster's as a group of
people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or
pleasure; i.e. persons of the same class, profession, character, or tastes: for
example leagues, guilds, societies, and trade unions.

Just to be on the safe side, assume that Peter's instructions apply to anyone and
everyone identifying themselves as a Christian regardless of their denominational
affiliation.

One thing to our advantage is that the Greek word for "love" in 1Pet 2:17 is
impersonal, viz: it requires neither fondness nor affection; it only requires that we
be humane, e.g. civil, courteous, friendly, peaceable, hospitable, sympathetic,
tolerant, lenient, forgiving, charitable, and generous. In other words; we don't
especially have to like everyone identifying themselves as Christians; we just have
to be friendly.
_

Loving God and neighbor is very much personal.
Galatians 6:2

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 3:7a . . You husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge

The Greek word for "knowledge" is gnosis (gno'-sis) which means knowing (as
information) in other words: facts and/or ideas acquired by study, investigation,
observation, or experience.

Gnosis is different than "intuition" which Webster's defines as: the power, or
faculty, of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational
thought and inference.

Gnosis is different than "instinct" too, which Webster's defines as: (1) a natural or
inherent aptitude, impulse, or capacity, (2) a largely inheritable and unalterable
tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental
stimuli without involving reason, and (3) behavior that is mediated by reactions
below the conscious level; viz: a mental and/or emotional knee-jerk reflex.

So then, Peter is talking about husbands applying instructed knowledge of Christian
social skills to their marriages.

There are young boys being brought up by macho (a.k.a. toxic) fathers teaching
their sons to "control their women". Well, that might be an acceptable marriage
philosophy in the home of a Muslim fundamentalist and/or a club-toting
Neanderthal, but not in the home of a man passing himself off as one of Christ's
followers. In a pious home, Christian husbands are neither required nor expected to
tame their Christian wives seeing as how the onus is upon the wives themselves to
exercise self control.

NOTE: It's required of Christ's followers to love their enemies, but it's not required
to like their enemies nor is it required to always have a good opinion about them. If
a man's enemies include his wife, then of course Jesus' instructions apply.

However, though a Christian husband's love for his wife need not include the
elements of affection and/or fondness; the love he extends to his wife does need to
include the element of benevolence, along with diplomacy; which Webster's defines
as skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility, viz: tact. Benevolence is
defined as the disposition to do good, i.e. kindness.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 3:7b . . Give honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,

The Greek word for "honor" is time (tee-may') which means: a value, i.e. money
paid.

The word for "weaker" is asthenes (as-then-ace') which means: having no strength,
i.e. fragile.

And the word for "vessel" is skeuos (skyoo'-os) which can indicate anything from a
soup bowl to a cardboard box; in other words: a container.

Peter isn't saying women are physically weaker than men; but that Christian
husbands should exercise the same care with their wives as they would a fragile
antique worth thousands of dollars like, say, a Ming vase. Nobody in their right
mind handles a Ming vase like a farmer handles a 5-gallon bucket. Not that some
women couldn't take that kind of handling; it's just that its unbecoming for a
Christian man to lack sensitivity for his wife's feelings.

This particular assessed value isn't an intrinsic value, nor is it a deserved value
either; but rather, it's a gratuitous value. In other words: Christ commands
Christian husbands to categorize their wives up there with Dresden china even if
she's as tough as a female cop and/or a UFC mixed martial artist the likes of
Rhonda Rousey-- and this is not a choice; no, it's not a choice; it's an order.

Christian husbands who treat their Skil saws and their tomato plants with more
care and concern than they treat their wives can just forget about associating with
God on any meaningful level.

"as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered."
(1Pet 3:7c)

Note the word "together" which is quite the opposite of autonomy and/or
independence.

Couples sometimes assert themselves with words like "What I do is between me
and The Lord." No; not when you're married. Marriage changes everything between
one's self and The Lord because people become one flesh in marriage: no longer
two.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 3:8a . . Finally, all of you be of one mind,

Peter’s not talking about the nerve center of a Borg-hive collective. The Greek word
for "one mind" is homophron (hom-of'-rone) which means: harmonious; and this is
the only place in the entire New Testament where that word appears.

Webster’s defines "harmonious" as: 1) musically concordant, 2) having the parts
agreeably related; viz: congruous, and 3) marked by accord in sentiment or action.

Peter's instructions emphasize the third element-- "marked by accord in sentiment
or action". Head-strong Christians, domineering Christians, and those for whom
every disagreement is either an affront or an act of war to win at any cost-- those
for whom the words diplomacy and tact have no meaning --of course have trouble
complying with 1Pet 3:8a; that is: if they even consider it worthy of their notice.

Anyway; Peter's instructions relate to a timeless complaint that goes something like
this: Why can't we all just get along?
_

 

[pinacled]

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• 1Pet 3:8a . . Finally, all of you be of one mind,

Peter’s not talking about the nerve center of a Borg-hive collective. The Greek word
for "one mind" is homophron (hom-of'-rone) which means: harmonious; and this is
the only place in the entire New Testament where that word appears.

Webster’s defines "harmonious" as: 1) musically concordant, 2) having the parts
agreeably related; viz: congruous, and 3) marked by accord in sentiment or action.

Peter's instructions emphasize the third element-- "marked by accord in sentiment
or action". Head-strong Christians, domineering Christians, and those for whom
every disagreement is either an affront or an act of war to win at any cost-- those
for whom the words diplomacy and tact have no meaning --of course have trouble
complying with 1Pet 3:8a; that is: if they even consider it worthy of their notice.

Anyway; Peter's instructions relate to a timeless complaint that goes something like
this: Why can't we all just get along?
_

1 Corinthians 2:16
1 Corinthians 11:3

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 3:8b-9 . . Have compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be
courteous; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise
blessing.

"compassion" is from the Greek word sumpathes (soom-path-ace') which means:
having a fellow-feeling; viz: sympathetic, i.e. (by implication) mutually
commiserative: empathetic.

One of the meanings of commiserate is condole: like when we share someone's
grief at the passing of a loved one, or their job has been outsourced to cheap labor
in a foreign country, or they've lost their entire retirement fund to an unscrupulous
corporation like ENRON, or their life savings to a crooked Ponzi schemer like Bernie
Madoff, or when there's news from their doctor they have to begin chemo-therapy
for a recently detected advanced cancer, or when the car of a single mom with
limited income needs expensive repairs.

People in those predicaments are in sore need of condolences, and they are in no
mood for philosophical platitudes.

The Greek word for "railing" is loidoria (loy-dor-ee'-ah) which means slander or
vituperation; which Webster's defines as 1) to abuse or censure severely or
abusively; viz: berate, and 2) to use harsh condemnatory language.

Rejoinders fall into that category; which are defined as a usually rude or angry
reply to something written or said; viz: insensitive retorts deliberately meant to
hurt people's feelings; viz: tit for tat. That kind of behavior doesn't go unnoticed.

"I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render
account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and
by your words you shall be condemned." (Matt 12:36-37)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 3:10-11 . . Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his
tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. And let him turn away from evil
and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Webster's defines "guile" as duplicity which is defined as: contradictory doubleness
of thought, speech, or action; especially in the belying of one's true intentions by
deceptive words or action; in other words, speaking with a forked tongue and/or
saying one thing while meaning another.

Quite a bit is said in the Bible about the words people speak, whereas little to
nothing is said about the words they write. That could be because so many people
back in the day were illiterate. But surely one's written words have just as much
voice as one's spoken words; else we couldn't justify calling the Bible the word of
God.

Good and evil are here juxtaposed as benevolence vs malevolence, i.e. good will vs
ill will.

To "seek peace and pursue it" is blessing-worthy.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matt
5:9)

If it's true that only peaceable kinds of people qualify to wear the label "children of
God" then the opposite is just as true: difficult Christians are unworthy of the
distinction.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 4:8 . . Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love
hides a large number of sins.

A person easily provoked is not a loving person.

One Saturday morning I and another man at church were moving some furniture
from one place to another inside the main building where, completely unknown to
us, a wedding rehearsal was being conducted.

The woman in charge of organizing the wedding came out into the hall and began
scolding us for talking and making noise. When I pointed out that there were no
posted signs in the hallway indicating a function in progress on the other side of the
door, she became sullen, and tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes in anger.

Had that lady exemplified the love about which Peter wrote, she would have
handled her inconvenience with a little more tact and sensitivity, i.e. diplomacy.

BTW: That same lady was also in the choir, and sang doxologies in front of about
2,000 people every Sunday morning. She was good at musical harmony, but
obviously in sore need of some training in the civil kind.
_

 

[pinacled]

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• 1Pet 4:8 . . Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love
hides a large number of sins.

A person easily provoked is not a loving person.

One Saturday morning I and another man at church were moving some furniture
from one place to another inside the main building where, completely unknown to
us, a wedding rehearsal was being conducted.

The woman in charge of organizing the wedding came out into the hall and began
scolding us for talking and making noise. When I pointed out that there were no
posted signs in the hallway indicating a function in progress on the other side of the
door, she became sullen, and tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes in anger.

Had that lady exemplified the love about which Peter wrote, she would have
handled her inconvenience with a little more tact and sensitivity, i.e. diplomacy.

BTW: That same lady was also in the choir, and sang doxologies in front of about
2,000 people every Sunday morning. She was good at musical harmony, but
obviously in sore need of some training in the civil kind.
_

Was the woman organizing a wedding your wife,

 

[Lamb]

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• 1Pet 4:8 . . Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love
hides a large number of sins.

A person easily provoked is not a loving person.

One Saturday morning I and another man at church were moving some furniture
from one place to another inside the main building where, completely unknown to
us, a wedding rehearsal was being conducted.

The woman in charge of organizing the wedding came out into the hall and began
scolding us for talking and making noise. When I pointed out that there were no
posted signs in the hallway indicating a function in progress on the other side of the
door, she became sullen, and tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes in anger.

Had that lady exemplified the love about which Peter wrote, she would have
handled her inconvenience with a little more tact and sensitivity, i.e. diplomacy.

BTW: That same lady was also in the choir, and sang doxologies in front of about
2,000 people every Sunday morning. She was good at musical harmony, but
obviously in sore need of some training in the civil kind.
_

You could also look at it this way...you and another fellow were making noise and just assumed that no one was there at the church doing anything important. You are at fault for not inquiring beforehand.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1Pet 5:5b . . and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another,
for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

The Greek word for "humble" is tapeinophrosune (tap-i-nof-ros-oo'-nay) which
means lowliness of mind; viz: modesty, which Webster's defines as freedom from
conceit or vanity. Lowliness of mind is to be greatly desired for its blessing.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:3)

Humility is very rare on internet forums. Active members are typically easily
insulted and infected with vanity; plus imperious, domineering, despotic, assertive,
confrontational, arrogant, conceited, reactive, thin-skinned, self-righteous,
emotional, critical, and defensive. Those are not what I would call good Christian
attributes. They also have a propensity to jump to conclusions, get the wrong
impression, and fly off the handle. Those aren't good Christian attributes either; in
point of fact; none of those attributes are blessing-worthy.

"Grace" is one of those ambiguous abstract nouns that nobody seems to agree
upon. Noah found grace in God's eyes (Gen 6:8) which in his case, regarded
providence; which can be defined as kindly patronage. It was by God's providence
that Noah and his family survived the Flood while the sons of God and their harems
didn't. Let that sink in. Just because people label themselves a Christian, and
profess a belief in Christ, is no guarantee they'll escape the horrors of the book of
Revelation. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generation; too many of
today's card-carrying Christians are neither.

The Greek word for "proud" is huperephanos (hoop-er-ay'-fan-os) which means
appearing above others, viz: haughty. Those kinds of people typically regard others
with contempt, i.e. undeserving of respect or even so much as common courtesy.
Haughty people are typically cruel, thoughtless, insensitive, and badly infected with
a superiority complex, which goes hand in hand with arrogance: defined as an
exaggerated sense of one's importance, sometimes manifested in an overbearing
manner.

Arrogant people can be intolerably pushy and assertive at times; standing up to
them usually always provokes an indignant reaction and a call to arms, so to speak,
because these folk regard any and all disagreements with their way of thinking as
demeaning attacks upon their core values and their distorted sense of self worth.
These people have very little interest in harmony; they're stand-up fighters whose
primary interest is winning and/or suppressing the opposition.

Seeing as how Heaven is reputed a place of peace, then the arrogant, the haughty,
and the proud cannot be allowed to go there with their impious personalities. For
sure they'd just end up making things very uncomfortable for Heaven's normally
mild-mannered, affable society.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 2Pet 1:5-7 . . Make every effort to add to your faith . . . . brotherly kindness and

The Greek word translated "brotherly kindness" is philadelphia (fil-ad-el-fee'-ah)
which means fraternal affection; i.e. fondness. In these days of dysfunctional
homes in the USA, fraternal affection has no point of reference in the thinking of
some people because they've never seen it, nor ever experienced it. Is it any
wonder then that so many homes in America are producing sociopaths, and kids
with Reactive Attachment Disorder?

The word for "love" is agape (ag-ah'-pay) which may or may not contain the
elements of affection and fondness; but always contains the element of
benevolence.

Benevolent people are good folk; they're typically helpful, kind, generous, cordial,
hospitable, courteous, tolerant, sympathetic, loyal, and civil.

Agape was a sorely-missing element in my three years of service in the US Army
from 1961 to 1964. The men disliked each other; and the men disliked the officers
and non-coms; and they in turn disliked the men. Everybody mistrusted each other
and each man had at the most only a couple of guys in my whole 200-man unit he
could lean on. That lack of agape had an impact on unit cohesiveness and made
America's enemies seem more like friends than foes.

I really appreciate Charlie Sheen's line towards the end of the Hollywood movie
"PLATOON". It goes something like this: "I think now, looking back, we did not fight
the enemy-- we fought ourselves . . . and the enemy was in us."

That line is profound; and an excellent companion to a line in "TERMINATOR 2,
JUDGEMENT DAY" wherein Arnold Schwarzenegger's character commented to the young
John Connor: "It is in your nature to destroy yourselves."
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 2Pet 3:14 . .Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be
found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless

Christians involved in political activism and civil disobedience really need to stop
what they're doing because those pursuits are not conducive to peace, rather, they
foment conflict.

"The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of
peace." (Ps 37:11)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1John 3:11-12 . . For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another-- not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered
his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his
brother's righteous.

The curious thing about Cain is that he was religious, but he wasn't pious. In other
words: Cain's association with God seems to have been based entirely upon ritual
with apparently little thought given to personal conduct. Cain couldn't even keep a
civil tongue in his head when speaking to the object of his worship. Now that's really
messed up.
_