Branham taught an unorthodox doctrine of the source of original sin. He believed the story of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden is allegorical and interpreted it to mean the serpent had sexual intercourse with Eve and that their offspring was Cain. Branham taught that Cain's modern descendants were masquerading as educated people and scientists, and that Cain's descendants were "a big religious bunch of illegitimate bastard children" who comprised the majority of society's criminals. He believed the serpent was the missing link between the chimpanzee and man, and speculated that the serpent was possibly a human-like giant. Branham held the belief that the serpent was transformed into a reptile after it was cursed by God. Weaver commented on Branham's interpretation of the story; "Consequently every woman potentially carried the literal seed of the devil".