Re: Racism & the Bible

Paul Arveson (arveson@oasys.dt.navy.mil)
Mon, 1 Apr 96 10:48:27 EST

In message <15fd59b0@pwinet.upj.com> writes:
> Paul Arveson wrote:
>
> >Mankind is ONE species, ONE original family, ONE genetic stock. Both the
> >Bible and modern science agree on this.
>
> I'm just wondering how the Science article I mentioned recently
> would jibe with this statement.
> To refresh your memory here is the brief summary I posted about the
> article:
> On page 1364 on the March 8, 1996 (Vol. 271, No. 5254) issue is a
> report on some research into some specific genetic markers in the human
> genome. The researchers found that of the 24 possible varieties of the
> markers, almost all exist in sub-Saharan Africa, a few exist in northeast
> Africa, yet only _one_ exists throughout the rest of the world. The
> tentative conclusion drawn is that humanity started in Africa but only a
> select population of humans came out of northeast Africa to populate the
> rest of the world.
> This might explain the origin of Cain's wife and the people Cain
> was afraid of when God excommunicated him. Of course racists could use
> these findings to say, "So, Africans really are soulless subhumans."
>
> Mike Jaqua

Dear Mike:

Your summary is too brief for me to comprehend; I will try to look it up.
But from what you describe, there is nothing really new here. We have known for
decades that humanity probably came from Africa, so that is where there is like
to be more diversity. We also learned, based on the mitochondrial DNA studies,
that there have been some genetic bottlenecks that have restricted the diversity
in some groups. But genetically we are still one interbreeding species.

Laguage is tricky. Your phrase "only a select population" sounds like the
non-africans are special. I have heard africans who say that because they were
the original stock, they are special. I guess everyone is special.

Paul Arveson, Research Physicist
73367.1236@compuserve.com arveson@oasys.dt.navy.mil
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