Are Adam and Eve *Both* Dogma?

[Neil_Anthony]

If Catholic dogma includes
The first man was created by God. (De fide.)

The whole human race stems from one single human pair. (Sent. certa.)

Then suppose Eve conceiving children with Adam, Cane, Able, other sons, as well as daughters of Eve conceiving with Adam and brothers and so on and so forth…all of the possible myriad combinations.

This could, satisfy dogma (albeit distastefully) in addition to providing a hypothetical possibility that the human race stems from one single human pair.

Hi ForMary,
I suppose thats one way to look at it. But I’m looking for other ways because:

1. scientifically, we know its impossible for a species to survive without more genetic diversity than that. Homo sapiens would be plagued with much more disease and genetic problems if we were all descended from two people through incest, and we would all look a lot more similar. Of course, you could say that God worked some miracles and gave genetic diversity to the descendants… but that just is difficult for me to accept, it seems very forced.
2. it seems from the scientific evidence that we evoloved like the other animals. And other animals evolved in populations - they didn’t start with just 2 members of the species. They slowly branched off from another species.

 

[ForMary]

Hi ForMary,
I suppose thats one way to look at it. But I’m looking for other ways because:

1. scientifically, we know its impossible for a species to survive without more genetic diversity than that. Homo sapiens would be plagued with much more disease and genetic problems if we were all descended from two people through incest, and we would all look a lot more similar. Of course, you could say that God worked some miracles and gave genetic diversity to the descendants… but that just is difficult for me to accept, it seems very forced.
2. it seems from the scientific evidence that we evoloved like the other animals. And other animals evolved in populations - they didn’t start with just 2 members of the species. They slowly branched off from another species.

Hello Neil_Anthony,

I agree with you on both counts; with caveats.

1. The genetic diversity may have come through centuries, thus generations to filter out some of the genetic issues. As people traveled and became separated, perhaps due to one of the floods, (not talking about the Noah flood here), the traits, characteristics evolutionary factors such as diet, climate, etc. would have also played a part. I’m thinking of a case, can’t remember the details of the black plague that spared a particular village because they had a genetic marker that predisposed them to immunitity (austensibly via human flesh consumption many generations prior).
2. Yes, it would ***seem ***so.

Having said that, let me say this:

Catholic dogma derived from a biblical source that pretends the text to be literal as a basis for that dogma is a contradiction of Catholic teaching; that the Bible, while a source of divine revelation, is divinely ***inspired ***and NOT to be read literally, so as far as the dogma goes, I nod and pay it its due respect, but do not dwell on it.

To add another muddle to the mix…if we were to interpret the Noah Flood literally, are we to then add to the list of doctrinal dogma that the human race was then **re-**populated by a few pairs?

 

[Ruthie]

1. scientifically, we know its impossible for a species to survive without more genetic diversity than that. Homo sapiens would be plagued with much more disease and genetic problems if we were all descended from two people through incest, and we would all look a lot more similar.

Hi, Neil,

Remember that God, the “inventor” of DNA, created them perfect.

After the fall, people were subject to corruption, physical as well as moral. So genetic mutations would gradually creep in - but it would be many generations before brother-sister marriages would have enough bad results to prohibit them.

That’s how I see it, anyway.

God bless, and happy new year,

Ruthie