The idea that all humanity is physically descended from a historical Adam and Eve is not as far-fetched as it may sound. If you accept evolution, and that at some point God breathed spiritual life into an individual within a population of early humans, then it is not unlikeley that all humainty is physically decended from that indivdual. In this scenario it's possible that Adam sinned because of a selfish desire that he yielded to instead of obeying God. This selfishness, working to his benefit from an earthly perspective, would have been a selective advantage, increasing in proportion in future generations. Sinful indivuals would quickly replace all others. In this way we all inherit the sinful nature of Adam.
Just an idea. Please don't call me a heretic.
Brent
--- SteamDoc@aol.com
> wrote:
>In a message dated Fri, 28 Sep 2001 11:03:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, "Mark Hubbard" <HUBBARD@cofo.edu> writes:
>
>> I have been watching the PBS series that last couple of nights and
>> was wondering what Christians think about where Adam came into
>> the picture in the common descent idea. Shortly thereafter Keith
>> Miller came on and, in response to a question, mentioned that God
>> may have chosen an early man to breath life and spirit into (I hope
>> I'm paraphrasing Keith fairly)
>>
>> Are there other thoughts and ideas on how Adam and the garden
>> coincide with current human evolutionary theory? I would be
>> interested in hearing any.
>
>Off the top of my head, I can think of 3 basic scenarios that are consistent with orthodox Christianity and with the evidence for human evolution:
>
>1) God breathed spiritual life into an early human (or hominid ancestor), this was Adam and all humans are descended from him.
>
>2) Same as #1, but Adam is not the physical ancestor of all humans. In this scenario, Adam is the "federal" head of the human race; he was somehow a representative for all other humans, and his choice had consequences for those not physically descended from him.
>
>3) Adam and Eve were not historical individuals; instead this story is in the Bible as a figurative way for God to convey various truths, especially the truth that we are fallen.
>
>Allan Harvey, steamdoc@aol.com
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