Some Christians believe in generational curses;
that some bad things have spiritual roots that go back generations - like if my
great great great grandfather was into the Freemasons, it might negatively
affect me. The idea is that the spiritual consequences of the sins or practices
of your ancestors (like idolatry, occult involvement, or secret societies like
Freemasonry) can somehow "pass down" through bloodlines, affecting
future generations with things like recurring patterns of sin, illness, or
misfortune. This idea comes from verses like Exodus 20:5, "I, the Lord your
God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to
the third and fourth generation..." and Lamentations 5:7, "Our
ancestors sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment."
As you might expect, Christians interpret these verses differently. I know quite a few Christians who believe very strongly in ancestral curses, and some even have ministries devoted to praying against generational curses and breaking the link, so those currently affected by the curse can be set free.
Consequently, I thought I’d devote a blog post to considering whether I think there are generational curses inherited spiritually, or whether it’s an over-interpretation (or even just plain wrong). I have my doubts about the efficacy of the ‘generational curses’ hypothesis, and I’ll explain why. The best way to start an enquiry like this is to start with what we know for sure and try to work outwards from that. We know for sure that genetics influences heritability by passing down traits from parents to offspring through DNA, with certain genes increasing the likelihood of inheriting physical, behavioural, or health-related characteristics. We also know that adverse family legacies exist - such as poverty, substance abuse, unemployment, and limited access to education - and that these can be transmitted across generations through social and cultural mechanisms. Behavioural norms, expectations, and environmental limitations – both positive and negative ones - shape young people’s opportunities and life trajectories. This much we know for sure.
The burning question is, are the adverse social, cultural and family legacies sufficient to explain what is meant in Exodus 20:5 and Lamentations 5:7, or is there an extra level of spiritual inheritance that occurs on top of the genetic, social, cultural and family – one that presumably belongs in the realms of spiritual warfare that Paul talks about in Ephesians 6:12?:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
The issue I have is that I can’t make much sense of the notion of these spiritual inheritances that need breaking – why would God not simply institute a system whereby every individual starts with a spiritually clean slate, where they are born with sin already forgiven (because of the cross) and get judged on their own life choices, not through some proxy that extends back way before they were born, and in which they had no say? Consequently, I can make more sense of “Our ancestors sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment” in that my ancestors social, cultural and family legacies might go on to impact my life in terms of my own raw material and life opportunities (although I think these are generally overstated too), than I can “Our ancestors sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment” meaning that because Jack’s great great grandfather was into the occult that Jack still bears some of the spiritual punishment, and needs to break free from the curse.
Ezekiel 18:20 says that "The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.", and we know from 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” If "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” as per Galatians 3:13, then I would have thought each individual is redeemed from the curses of their forebears. The cross surely nullifies any notion that we would carry spiritual curses due to our ancestors' actions – otherwise we start getting into tricky territory where we attempt to determine what the cross covers and what it doesn’t – when I believe it covers everything. If “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”, as per Romans 8:1, then condemnation due to the sins of our forebears makes no sense to me.
Hebrews 10:14 confirms that "For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." My faith is centred on the belief that Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to break all chains of sin and spiritual inheritance, where the focus is on the power of Christ’s sacrifice rather than the persistence of generational issues. And in one of the most famous instances in John’s gospel, Jesus saw a man blind from birth, and His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' and Jesus replied 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him’.
At this stage, I’m finding it hard to accept the idea of generational spiritual curses - it seems like an example of over-interpretation, where extra meaning is added to scripture to create a belief system or ministry that uses the concept of spiritual bondage as a tool for fostering dependency or creating a sense of ongoing spiritual struggle, on which they can capitalise - either, in many cases, through the innocent desire to feel needed, or, in worse cases, as a tool for outright manipulation.
To be fair to the other side of the argument, if those who believe in generational spiritual curses are onto something, we should not want to overlook any profound Biblical truths and be on the wrong side of this matter. Perhaps it’s the case that while the cross does cover every human sin for the individual who accepts grace, the spiritual warfare that’s going on is powerful enough to impute curses on generations, and that some of these need breaking, as per Ephesians 6:12. Perhaps in true Screwtape style, Satan wants us to not believe in spiritual generational curses so we remain enchained in their bondage. Sinful strongholds or patterns may still exist as a consequence of spiritual oppression or the ongoing influence of demonic forces. I suppose this would mean that ancestral involvement in things like Freemasonry or the occult could open doors for demonic influence, and therefore need to be specifically addressed through spiritual warfare – and this may be what Paul warns against in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 when he says;
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
But being as balanced as I can, does "generational curse" theology truly hold up in light of the New Testament's message of individual responsibility and freedom in Christ? I have severe doubts, and I’ve heard no argument that convinces me they are anything other than an over-interpretation of scripture. I’m aware that spiritual realities are often subtle, mysterious, and not easily reducible to logic or observation – and that just because this kind of behaviour is rife, and just because something has been misused or overstated, doesn’t automatically mean there’s no truth in it. But whenever I face situations like this, I tend to apply a speculative probability-estimate to see which history shows is more likely. In this case, we know when we look at common human behaviour and incentives that people repeatedly behave in this way – they make a kind of tiny subset universe out of some doctrinal or theological element and make it part of their ‘thing’ - and are found wanting when called to justify their beliefs.
Readers are welcome to have a crack at a counter-argument – but thus far, I see no reason to accept ‘generational curses’ as anything other than an embroidered myth or narrative distortion that overlooks the complete way in which Jesus has broken all curses already on the cross. And you’re going to need to present a compelling argument to convince me otherwise.
