Augustine’s doctrine of original sin “can be summarized in two basic concepts: (1) original sin is the very first sin committed by the very first man created, whom the Bible identifies as Adam; and (2) original sin includes the belief that all humans have descended from Adam, and that Adam’s sin has been passed on to everyone as their own through natural reproduction.” (Denis Lamoureux , “Beyond Original Sin: Is a Theological Paradigm Shift Inevitable?”, in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 67,1, p. 35) ,http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2015/PSCF3-15Lamoureux.pdf
Mitochrondrial Eve and Y-chromosomal Adam are one way that some Christians have suggested that Adam and Eve could be everyone’s ancestors.
Okay but mt-Eve and Y-Chromosome Adam were millennium apart when they lived and very far apart where they lived. You okay with that? You know that there were many other ancestors to all of us besides mt-Eve and Y-chromo Adam. For example you have 32 great, great, great grandparents. Your mt-eve is great,great great grandmother on your great great grandmother’s side and your y-chromo Adam is your great great great grandfather on your great great grandfather’s side. But you still have 30 other great great great grandparents.
Of course, I’m okay with that. I was merely attempting to answer the question about why they were theologically important to some Christians, not to me personally.
Personally, I tend to prefer the views of Denis Lamoureux (e.g.,Evolutionary Creation: A Christian Approach to Evolution) and Peter Enns (The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins) in that God’s purpose in inspiring the book of Genesis was to teach theology, not history or science, and that an historical Adam is not necessary for Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 because Paul was teaching about Christ, not Adam. Christian theologians still have a lot of work to do.
Hi Patrick, I’m afraid that your education on physics is so different from mine that there is no common ground left for communication.
“East is East, and West is West, and the twain shall never meet” said Rudyard Kipling.
I’m afraid that this applies also for us.
Sorry. Jan.
I believe that there was an historical Adam and Eve; however, more people were created than just Adam and Eve. That is why Cain was able to find his wife in the land of Nod. I am a Southern Baptist theologian; however, I can say with certainty that the Roman Church, which accepts Theistic Evolution, does believe in an historical Adam and Eve. The question now is: how could original sin pass from Adam and Eve to other colonies of human beings? There are two possible answers that I can think of: Adam and Eve were used by God as Federal Representatives of all mankind to see if mankind would sin. If Adam and Eve did, then all people were cursed with original sin. Another concept was suggested by Ted. Adam and Eve sinned and Cain was their son. Therefore, when he went into the land of Nod, he met an earlier form of the human species. By marrying into them, original sin spread like a disease among other groups as they intermarried. Ted, you could explain your view a bit better. Perhaps you will be kind enough to do so. God bless, your friend, Henry