Help! Adam and Eve Story

[James1234]

I need clarification from one of the apologetics. When it comes to Adam and Eve in the Bible, what do Catholics believe? Is it Catholic teaching that we as a society came from Adam and Eve? Are we saying that Adam and Eve had children and then had sex with the mother to produce more children? Many scientists believe we came from one mother and one father genetically. Is it true Adam and Eve had more than two children? Did God make more humans on earth besides Adam and Eve? Please help. Thanks.

 

[Maria3m]

Search the Ask an Apologist form for the thread titled. “Did God create more “parents” than Adam & Eve so that Cain could have a wife?”

I hope that helps.

 

[steveandersen]

James1234:

… Many scientists believe we came from one mother and one father genetically. …

We “believe” no such thing

We know that populations evolve, not individuals.

We do have evidence for a mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosome Adam which are the oldest common ancestors of all people currently living. But they did have contemporaries.

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

steveandersen:

We “believe” no such thing

But they did have contemporaries.

Not true my friend. The Catholic Church teaches that we came from ONE set of parents.

 

[BillP]

Dandelion_Wine:

Not true my friend. The Catholic Church teaches that we came from ONE set of parents.

Uh, I think the “we” that Steve was taking exception to was “scientists” not “Catholics”.

 

[buffalo]

It’s Catholic dogma that all humans came from a single pair.

 

[Madia]

When it comes to Adam and Eve in the Bible, what do Catholics believe?

For the question “what do Catholics believe about ______?”, I suggest always looking in the Catechism first:
scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc.htm

As for your specific question these sections might help:
scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c1p6.htm
scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c1p7.htm

it true Adam and Eve had more than two children?

Yes. The Bible explicitly mentions Cain, Abel and Seth. You might have forgotten about Seth. Did you mean did Adam and Eve have any other children than those mentioned in the Bible?

You might want to search ETWN.com’s messageboard under philosophy for topics such as those linked below to help you with your question:
ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=450693&Forums=13&Experts=0&Days=2005&Author=&Keyword=Adam&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=15&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=
ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=430512&Forums=13&Experts=0&Days=2005&Author=&Keyword=Adam&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=31&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

 

[steveandersen]

Dandelion_Wine:

Not true my friend. The Catholic Church teaches that we came from ONE set of parents.

I was referring to the aforementioned scientists, not the Church

 

[itsjustdave1988]

James1234:

I need clarification from one of the apologetics. When it comes to Adam and Eve in the Bible, what do Catholics believe? Is it Catholic teaching that we as a society came from Adam and Eve?

Yes. The alternative, polygenism, was rejected by the Church. See Humani Generis.

Are we saying that Adam and Eve had children and then had sex with the mother to produce more children?

I don’t believe the teaching gets that explicit, and I’ve never hear that siblings had sex with the mother. But the only way two can become many is by relatives having sex with relatives.

Is it true Adam and Eve had more than two children?

Could be, but the details are not that important.

Did God make more humans on earth besides Adam and Eve?

None that were not the progeny of Adam and Eve.

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

steveandersen:

I was referring to the aforementioned scientists, not the Church

Sorry Steve!

 

[buffalo]

Are we saying that Adam and Eve had children and then had sex with the mother to produce more children?

It is thought that Adam and Eve had more children than is mentioned in the Bible.

Some theorize that God permitted brother and sister this early on as it was necessary for procreation. It was revoked after a time. I have never heard that they had relations with the mother though.