How Did All the Different Races Arise?
The Bible teaches that every human being that ever existed is a descendant of the original couple, Adam and Eve. This means we are all related to each other. There is no need to postulate an imaginary ape-like ancestor based on an evolutionary scheme.
This close link among humans is supported by the findings of the Human Genome Project, which has discovered that the genetic difference between any two individuals is .2% of human biological variation. More amazing is that the physical traits that differentiate the so-called “races” account for only .012% of genetic variation. That tiny percentage accounts for all of the “vast” differences in ethnic groups, including skin color and eye shape. The thin and tall Masai warrior from Africa is made of the “same stuff” as the stocky Mayan farmer in Central America.
According to the biblical creationist model, the variety of human traits found in the world is due to genetic isolation that occurred after the Flood. The “middle-brown” descendants of Noah had the genetic information for all human “racial” groups, including Australoid, Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucasoid. As they dispersed and congregated within certain family and tribal groups, there occurred a natural loss of genetic information due to inbreeding. Differences, which arose among the various groups, further isolated them into population pockets with limited genetic variation. The tribal traits eventually defined those groups according to various skin tones, height, girth and even the shape of the eyelid.
For example, skin color plays a significant role in human social interaction. Yet biologically, human skin is the same among all people groups except for the amount of melanin it contains. Darker skinned people have more melanin; lighter skinned people have less. The existence of various “racial” groups can be easily traced back to the “middle-brown” descendants of Noah, who became geographically isolated after the Tower of Babel dispersion (Genesis 10). This loss in genetic variability meant that the genes which determined a particular skin color, would become dominant in a certain group, with diminished possibility for another skin color. In other words, a dark skinned couple lost the genetic capacity to produce a light skinned offspring. Only the “middle-brown” people group would have the genetic variability necessary to produce different skin color within its own population.
In the same way, we can explain the variety of facial features, including the appearance of the eye. The biology of eyes is the same all over the world. The only difference that we find among “racial” groups is the amount of fat found in the eyelid, differentiating the Oriental from the European.
The wide variety of physical human traits can be traced to the genetic isolation of Noah’s descendants. That means that the concept of different “races” is a misunderstanding. There is only one race, the human race. We are all part of the human race with only slight genetic variations (Homo sapiens). Every ethnic group is made up of human individuals made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This divine uniqueness differentiates us from the rest of the animal kingdom and should bind us together as privileged representatives of God. No matter what skin tone, eye shape, hair color or ethnic origins, we are all human and possess God-given dignity as a result (Colossians 3:11; Galatians 3:28).
