Cain's Wife = [The Trial]

[Jayne]

No, I'm not looking for a discussion on who she was but would like to interject a discussion starter about the answers we give non-believers using the singularly most famous debate over this unnamed woman - the interrogation of Clarence Darrow of William Jennings Bryan.
In 1925 during the Scopes "Monkey" Trials, the ACLU defense attorney, Clarence Darrow pulled an odd stunt and actually put the lead prosecuting attorney and notable Christian, William Jennings Bryan, on the witness stand.

What happened next (and I've read the entire transcript last year getting ready for a Genesis 1-3 Bible study), was nothing short of an attack on Byran's Christian beliefs. Here's the whole transcript: http://www.beliefnet.com/news/scienc...pes-trial.aspx

Darrow went through the Old Testament and asked a lot of questions about Jonah, Adam/Eve, Cain's wife, and more asking him if he believed these things to be true and could be explain ANY of it.  Bryan said he believed it, but could not rationally explain any of it. Here is the small portion of the transcripted question and answer between Darrow and Bryan concerning Cain's wife:

Quote

Q—Did you ever discover where Cain got his wife?     A—No, sir; I leave the agnostics to hunt for her.

Q—You have never found out?  A—I have never tried to find.

Q—You have never tried to find? A—No.

Q—The Bible says he got one doesn’t it? Were there other people on the earth at that time? A—I cannot say.

Q—You cannot say. Did that ever enter your consideration? A—Never bothered me.

Q—There were no others recorded, but Cain got a wife. A—That is what the Bible says.

Q—Where she came from you do not know.

 

Here's my whole sad take on this.

Why COULDN'T and WOULDN'T William Jennings Bryan answer these questions? Yes, he was mad that a pagan was mocking God and Biblical beliefs, but all the more reason he SHOULD HAVE answered them - the very marrow of these questions was what was ON TRIAL!  Just saying "I don't know" and "I let you agnostics figure that out" is no testimony. The Bible says clearly in Proverbs (two separate passages) that there is a time TO answer a fool and and time NOT to answer a fool.

If ANY time there was to answer a fool trying to make a fool out of Christians and their belief in God's Word (as Darrow confesses at the end of the transcript), THIS WAS THE TIME!! Bryan, the Christian, came off looking condescending, ignorant, angry, and belligerent.

Questions like these have been used by non-believers forever in trying to discredit the Bible, God, and Christians. And some Christians today - not a lot, but enough to bring this up - are just like William Jennings Bryan. They don't want to explore, reason, or tackle tough questions.

Sometimes, "I don't know" is a good answer.  Sometimes a fool HAS to be ignored or else we wallow in his folly with him - like trolls on message boards, they should be ignored and dismissed.

But sometimes, "I don't know" coupled with "I don't care - you figure it out" is a terrible answer.

When time came for closing arguments, Darrow - as any good ACLU attorney today would know - he "won" the interrogation of Bryan and this was no time to allow Bryan a chance to give a closing argument. 

So Darrow asked the judge to find his client, Mr. Scopes, guilty and give him the fine.  He knew quite well he would win on appeal and he did.

William Jennings Bryan - the great statesman - died 5 days after the trial was over.  His wife later had his closing arguments put into print.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Jayne

[FresnoJoe]

IMO The Urgency Of Those Evolutionary Tall Tail Spinners Of Scientism

And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. Jeremiah 18:12 (American King James Version)

Is Directly Related To Their Deep Hatred

But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death." Proverbs 8:36 (New Heart English Bible)

Of The LORD Jesus Christ

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created,and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5 (New Living Translation)

But

And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:6 (English Standard Version)

It Will Do Them No Good

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. Jude 1:14-16 (New International Version)

Maranatha~!

[ayin jade]

5 hours ago, Jayne said:

Why COULDN'T and WOULDN'T William Jennings Bryan answer these questions?

(snip)

William Jennings Bryan - the great statesman - died 5 days after the trial was over.  His wife later had his closing arguments put into print.

He died 5 days later. It is possible, in fact quite likely, that he was feeling ill on the day he was interrogated. His cause of death was not listed in anything I could find, but since he died during a nap, perhaps it was as simple as cardiac related. He was 65, and known to eat large lavish meals. Cholesterol? Whatever. Anyone who feels poorly can be short in responses and temper. Especially if he was exhausted from a lengthy trial.