Without evolution, how can Christianity account for the development of distinct human races?

Question

Bible purists believe we're all children of Adam and Eve, going back only a few thousand years. But human beings have developed into distinct races in different areas of the globe, according to climate, vegetation and other factors.

How are the differences in ethnic groups explained by creationist Christians? Do any believe that the Tower of Babel story actually suggests changes in the physical appearance of those involved, along with their languages? I'm just curious as to how purists reconcile the evolution of humans in terms of geographical distinctions.

To the suntan answerer: A pathologist can determine race based on skeletal remains. The skulls of Asian, white and black people are distinctly different. Evolution is more than skin deep.

The Tower of Babel story says **nothing** about races. The idea of this fable was to confuse the people by giving them different languages:
<5 " And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded."
6 " And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."
7 " Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 " So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."
9 " Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." >

From http://www.gotquestions.org/Tower-of-Babel.html
< Some Bible teachers also believe that God created the different races of humanity at the Tower of Babel. This is possible, but it is not taught in the Biblical text. On the origin of the races, please read our article - http://www.gotquestions.org/different-races.html. It seems more likely that the different races existed prior to the Tower of Babel and that God confused the languages at least partially based on the different races. From the Tower of Babel, humanity divided based on language (and possibly race) and settled in various parts of the world.>

Answer 1

There are some Christians that have claimed that the "mark" placed on Cain after he killed Abel was darker skin color. This has been used in the past to rationalize racism, btw.

The other, and more common, answer is the creationists' made-up word "microevolution".

Most creationists accept that changes occur within a species. They don't accept that a long chain of those changes can lead to an entirely different species - which they have named "macroevolution".

Answer 2

I hate to answer questions like this one, because first I get pegged an fanatic, and second most are just for argument sake, and the askers really only want to bash Christians, and get answers that agree with themselves.
so although this does not mean that, this is the was that i believe, because I will be the first to admit that i do not have all the answers, and I am not locked into the literal Bible stories, perhaps that is a simplistic was of explaining where we came from.

so here is what the Church has taught on the subject, because these question came up a long time before that arguments about evolution.

when NOAH cursed Hamm for looking on his nakedness, and said that Hamm and his offspring would become the slaves of his brothers, and their off spring, Hamm "which mean dark one" this caused the color of pigmentation.
and the separation of the races, the tower of Babel was to explain the differences in language, and to answer another post in your answers the migration to Americas was by crossing the Bering strait from Asia, it did connect at certain times of the year.
for the one that has not been asked yet, the polynesian Islands were descendants from the pheonecians, who were the earliest ship builders, and were known to sail into the far reaches of the seas.
Also, the Bible does not say that Adam and Eve were the ONLY humans that God created. Cain went to another land, and did not marry his sister.

Answer 3

God has made of ONE blood ALL Nations of Men -

Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation (Gen.11:8-9 below):

My view is that when the Lord confounded the language at the Tower of Babel (Gen.11:1-9 below), what also accompanied the confounding of the language was that with the many languages that were given, the skin pigmentation and features of the people changed according to the languages given, so that when the people were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth (Gen.11:8-9 below), the skin pigmentation/features went with them to their respective regions of the earth?

Gen.11:1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Gen.11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

Gen.11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Gen.11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Gen.11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

Gen.11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Gen.11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language (Gen.11:9 below), that they may not understand one another's speech.

Gen.11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of ALL the earth (Gen.11:9 below): and they left off to build the city.

Gen.11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth (Gen.11:7 above): and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of ALL the earth (Acts 17:26 above).



Pat (ndbpsa ©)

Answer 4

Well what I see is a bunch of individuals that haven't even read the Bible and trying hard to find reasons they should do the stupid things they probably will do anyway. In the Bible if you can read , Read about the tower of Babel! After they started to build that GOD split us all into different races and yes colors too.

Answer 5

The tower of Babel is theorized to have played a part in the development of the races.

How does evolution account for it?

Adaptation is a better word.

Also, while I am on my soap box, how did non living matter become living and in the process, develop to such a state that it needed a survival mechanism when none was needed before?

Sounds like we are straining at a Nat and swallowing a camel- to borrow the colloquialism.

I hope that helped!

Answer 6

it ain't evolution if I get a suntan, but gaurantee it has something
to do with my lifestyle and where I'm living -- the tower of Babel
scrabbled everything around and cause all the races (if there
really is such a thing) and languages

Answer 7

This is pretty offensive, but I saw a video from the 60s of a Southern Baptist preacher explaining to his congregation that black people had the "mark of cain".

Answer 8

Don't you know that our skin, simply adapts to our surroundings, for instance those in warmer hotter climates, tend to be darker than those that are in, cooler less humid climates, like northern Europe VS. South Africa for instance, yet the same God made all, I believe he likes that were, not all the same, but we all are loved, just the same... not that we are deserving of his love always, nor at all anyways he still loves us, we account for the gift of life, much more accurately though the words of God, in the bible than, though the words of scientist, that have been unsuccessfully trying to disprove the bible for years !!

Answer 9

Ever heard of continental drift, all the scientist's(well most) preach it, southern drawl, boston pops, cali..swing, all different , distinct (yet same english),evolution produced different ,distinct races(yeaaaa, right) not evolution, just enviroment, same story/different chapter.

Answer 10

How did Native Americans and the Incas make it to this continent?

I can't wait to see the "intelligent" answers you get!