Tabitha

“I don’t believe in proofs of God. Proofs are human things based in the logic of materiality. But it seems to me what we know as beauty must be the expression of God’s very nature. Unlike the arts we make, which are always open to interpretation, this sort of loveliness is purified of anything like thought. It is what it is—and isn’t that the name

“Cain does not believe that God is just. He responds in a fury by murdering his brother. It is as if he is shouting at heaven, ‘Oh, so my offering is not good enough for you? Try this one on for size!’

Abel is an offering of infinite value. Cain is sacrificing the image of God to God.

That is what murder is. It is the killing of the imago Dei. It is

“Genesis can hardly be said to end. In it certain things are established—the nature of Creation and the spirit in which it was made; the nature of humankind; how in what spirit the Creator God enters into relation with His human creatures. The whole great literature of Scripture, unfolding over centuries, will proceed on the terms established in

“Eighty percent of any meeting or gathering might be stupid and beneath you, but the other twenty percent will save you: it will open up your brain and expand your life and give you connection, a place in the family of man.”

— Anne Lamott, Somehow (121)