Are the children of sinners cursed?

[Omyo12]

So what does this mean…?

Exodus 20:5
… I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me

This seems even more extreme in:

Wisdom 3
16 But children of adulterers will not come to maturity, and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish. 17 Even if they live long they will be held of no account, and finally their old age will be without honor. 18 If they die young, they will have no hope and no consolation in the day of decision. 19 For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous.

Someone told me this question arose in:

John 9
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.

I don’t quite see the connection though… little help?

 

[ljubim]

It’s sometimes referred to as a generational curse. And it’s not like you might think… all it means is that habits of sin are passed on through the generations. Such as how alcoholism runs in your blood AND is learned by habit. And how the daughter of a single-mother prostitute is developmentally scarred based on the lack of a father, and becomes just like her mother without even realizing it. Certain tendencies to sin are nearly always passed on by either imitational learning or by genetics/blood etc. This is accepted in modern psychology, and was accepted in biblical times as well, albeit by another name.

I hope this helps! Kind of an amateur response but I also stumbled over these ideas and was basically weirded out, and I didn’t believe it. Then I saw how I’m stubborn like every single other person on my dad’s side, and how every one of my great grandfathers had problems with alcohol and that I should be careful and trust in God to not succumb to these ‘family sins’

 

[Roman_Army]

**Ijubim explained it well. I think I read somewhere about that. The reason why in Exodus 20:5 it is up to the fourth generation of offspring is because back then people married early in life, so it was possible for one to be alive to be a bad influence to one’s great, great, great grandchildren. Also, after a while one’s memory can be lost to subsequent generations, and therefore one ceases to be an influence.

In regards to the quote from Wisdom, it appears that the Sacred Author was describing personal experience about watching the children of adulterers being raised, growing up, and getting old. Miscarriages, defects, mental disabilities, pre-mature death, etc. was believed to be a consequence of the sin. We do know that diseases and defects are consequence of Original Sin and it is possible that other grave sins can also contribute to disorders. But, the indirect affects of sin are a mystery. We don’t know how it is transmitted and how it affects nature itself. Sin does have an affect on the natural order. But, just because we unfortunately get hurt by the collateral damage caused by the sins of our ancestors, it is not that we incur personal guilt from them. It’s just how this world was designed to have consequences for both good and bad actions. There is more good than bad.

In regards to the quote from John, it has to do with the fact that God had specifically chosen the blind man to be healed by Jesus. It has to do with God’s mysterious plan of salvation. He is able to know things before they occur and is able to turn bad things around and make good from it.**

 

[trogiah]

So what does this mean…?

It means that the influence of flawed people is a powerful force on their children. But I recommend that you consider the very next sentence in scripture which says God bestows blessings to the thousandth generation on those who love him and keep his commandments. The love of God is an even greater force than the failure to love God.

Jim