"Sacrifices" - Short Story Now Available

A short read (about 2300 words), available for free if you're a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited, otherwise it's .99¢ - cheap!

From the Amazon description: "The Bible tells us that after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, they had two sons, Cain and Abel, and that Cain killed his brother out of jealousy. But what if the first murder was committed for another reason? "Sacrifices" offers an alternate look at the first family, one that suggests a very different motive for Cain's act.

If you've ever read Genesis and asked yourself "why?" then this story is for you."

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The story was inspired when I was rereading Genesis (as one does), and came across a couple of details that don't match up about who gets to eat what at the beginning of time, as I have written about previously. That got me to thinking about the whole Cain/Abel story and seeking an alternate explanation for why Cain kills his brother. This also gave me the opportunity to rethink Adam and Eve's relationship and present it in (I hope) a more sympathetic light.

Mysteries in Genesis

So, Gen 1:29-30, God tells the man & the woman that he's given them all the green plants to eat, and furthermore that to every beast, bird, and creeping thing, "I have given every green plant for food."  So absolutely every animal is vegetarian by divine fiat at creation.¹ It's not until after the Flood that people (and animals, presumably) are allowed to eat meat: "[J]ust as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything" (Gen 9:3).²

But!  What the hell is Abel up to?  Abel is a shepherd, while his older brother Cain is a farmer.  They each bring offerings to God, "Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions" (Gen 4:3-4).  People aren't eating meat yet, so what's Abel doing herding sheep in the first place?  Maybe it's just for the wool, but then, he kills some of them and cuts off the fatty bits to burn on an altar to God.  How does he know how to slaughter and prepare them?

I guess, at the beginning of time, only God eats flesh. 

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¹ Vegetarian or vegan? Probably no eggs, of course - they aren't green plants - but what about honey? Are the bees at least allowed to eat their own honey?

² Everything?  So there's no kosher laws yet, even though God tells Noah to take "seven pairs of all clean animals . . . and a pair of the animals that are not clean" (Gen 7:2).