Hello! Hello! It is another beautiful day in Arizona. I am about to head off to church to worship the Lord Jesus. I love to go in and look upon a sea of faces of many different shapes and colors. I actually feel more comfortable in a group of people of mixed ethnic backgrounds than I do with a group of just one culture. That’s America for you!
So the question of the week is, if humans did not evolve from apes and gradually disperse over the earth with generation after generation adapting to their environment (as genes mutated and produced different skin colors and body features)…how did humans get to look like we do today?
We were taught in public school after all, the above scenario. Now let us take a look at the above sentence and, based on the bible (the only truth), find what is true and what isn’t.
True; There are apes. There are humans. Different genes can produce different results which then can be utilized by the individuals to live better in their environment (adaptation). These then can be passed down to future generations. All true.
False; humans did not evolve from apes or anything else. Nor did humans disperse from these pre-humans, nor did the adaptations occur due to mutations. All false.
So what happened? Well, let’s clear up an issue before we go farther. Mutations are almost always detrimental to the individual(s) that posses the changed genes. For example, Down Syndrome, cancer and genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia and Huntington’s disease are all mutations.
“[Mutations] don’t produce evolutionary changes, but mutation and selection do indeed produce changes. Mutations are no real help in explaining the origin of species, but they are great for explaining the origin of disease, disease organisms, and birth defects. Natural selection is no real help in explaining the origin of really new species, but it’s great for explaining how and where different specialized sub-types of the various created kinds “multiplied and filled the earth” after death corrupted the creation and, again, after the Flood.”[i]
So how did people get to look so different? Because, antediluvian and early post-flood humans contained huge genetic diversity. As long as the human population intermingled, this gene pool remain large. However, after the scrambling of languages and the resulted dispersion of mankind from the city of Babel, the new language groups did not mix. Genetic traits common to each group remain within that culture. Some traits would have even benefited the individuals allowing them to live longer and possibly more productive lives. Traits such as almond shaped eyes, much or little melanin, tall or pygmy would have all played a part in survival and adaptation to the new environments our ancestors encountered as they dispersed.
For example, very little melanin causes skin color to be exceptionally light. At the same time it also allows the skin to absorb greater quantities of vitamin D. Something that is essential in colder climates where people wear clothing over most of their bodies for protection from the cold. A lot of melanin creates a dark skin color which doesn’t tend to burn under harsh sunlight. People that live in hotter climates tend to wear less clothing and would benefit from this trait. The same could be said for the pygmy tribes that live in the Congo. It is much easier to get around the tropical jungles if you are small in stature. The long and the short of it is, everyone has melanin. Some people have more, and others less.
“The Bible does not even use the word race in reference to people, but it does describe all human beings as being of “one blood” (Acts 17:26). This of course emphasizes that we are all related, as all humans are descendants of the first man, Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), who was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27). The Last Adam, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:45) also became a descendant of Adam. Any descendant of Adam can be saved because our mutual relative by blood (Jesus Christ) died and rose again.”[ii] Because of this, it is so important that the gospel be taught to all tribes and nations.
In 1998, the Journal of Counseling and Development released an article which told of researchers stating that the term “race” was so meaningless it should be discarded.
A New York Times web, Aug. 22, 2000 article by N. Angier, “Do races differ? Not Really, DNA Shows” stated, “…they had put together a draft of the entire sequence of the human genome, and the researchers had unanimously declared, there is only one race—the human race.”
We humans are unique in this world…and we should hold dear all our brothers and sisters.
God bless and take care!
C-ya next week,
Willow
PS Earth’s June solstice occurs at 7:09 p.m. EDT on Wednesday June 20th , when the Sun reaches its farthest point north in the sky. The solstice marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and will have more hours of sunlight than any other day of the year. Also Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn can all be seen with the naked eye at different times during the night sky this week
References:
http://www.icr.org/article/creation-selection-variation
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