Incest

Robbie · Newbie Alert Joined: 01 Nov 2002 Posts: 2

I wanted to hear what you guys think about Adam and Eve having kids and there kids also bearing children with each other. My friend says this is an example of incest which God should be against. Can someone give an opinion?

Van · Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2002 8:41 pm Post subject: Incest

Clearly, if you start with only two (Adam and Eve) then family members must have sexual relations. The Law against incest came much later. Whether the Law was necessary to restrain lust or protect against birth defects or both I do not know.

Robbie · Newbie Alert Joined: 01 Nov 2002 Posts: 2

Thanks Van, one thing tho...

If God made a law against incest why did he allow it to happen at the beginning. Was it perhaps for protection that was then needed?

changeup2010 · Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2002 8:52 pm Post subject: Incest

quote:
Originally posted by Robbie:
I wanted to hear what you guys think about Adam and Eve having kids and there kids also bearing children with each other. My friend says this is an example of incest which God should be against. Can someone give an opinion?

Here is an interesting view point. Remember Cain killed Abel. Those two boys were Adam and Eve's first children. Well, when God punishes Cain and banishes him from the land Cain says in Gen. 4:14 - "Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Now to me that says that there are other people out there, besides Adam and Eve. Maybe Adam and Eve were just the first among many to be created. Just an opinion I heard. Tell me what you think.

admin · Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2002 9:22 pm Post subject: Incest

Their were five originally. You hear a lot about Adam and Eve but not so much about Ralph, Agnes and Bubba.

Van · Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2002 4:36 am Post subject: Incest

Robbie, I am not sure I understand your last post. The Bible teaches that all of humankind came from Adam (by the sin of one man.) It does appear that Adam and Eve gave birth to others not specifically mentioned because at the time that Cain was sent away, others existed.

As I said before, incestuous relationships often begin as a lustful abuse of children, and now result in a higher probability of defects. It appears that in accordance with God's plan, neither of these concerns were significant initially; instead their job was to create a population.

Magnum PI · Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2002 9:06 pm Post subject: Incest

quote:
Originally posted by admin:
Their were five originally. You hear a lot about Adam and Eve but not so much about Ralph, Agnes and Bubba.

I'm 'shocked' to see such a blantant (and common) typo/word usage error(?) from you admin! Just 'shocked'!

Zathrus · Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2002 2:01 pm Post subject: Incest

quote:
Originally posted by changeup2010:
Maybe Adam and Eve were just the first among many to be created. Just an opinion I heard. Tell me what you think.

I lean toward that view too. Genesis says the Lord put Adam and Eve in the garden He had created. It does not say there weren't others living outside the garden. In fact it hints at that very possibility in chapt 1:27 when it says "male and female created he them." Let alone the passage about Cain going to another land and marrying a woman there, and other passages.

It makes much more sense to me that Adam and Eve were the first people God created to have relationship with Him, which I kinda think is really what is meant by their being in the garden. But there was an entire human race besides them.

The idea of humanity propagating through incest in the first several generations of its existence seems farfetched and not Biblically supported to me.

Van · Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2002 4:24 pm Post subject: Incest

1 Cor 15:22 indicates we are all "in Adam". I think this indicates we are all decendents of Adam. Otherwise how did all men come to be "in Adam"?

Tiger75 · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2002 1:46 am Post subject: Incest

I agree with Van on this one.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:12"

This verse would indicate that Sin was imputed through 'descendancy' i.e. 'one man' - 'passed upon all' From a 'genetic' point of view in early stages 'incest' would not be inhibitive to a population but several generations down the line definitely!

Zathrus · Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2002 11:37 am Post subject: Incest

quote:
Originally posted by Van:
1 Cor 15:22 indicates we are all "in Adam". I think this indicates we are all decendents of Adam. Otherwise how did all men come to be "in Adam"?

Very good point. However I don't think our coming under sin or "in Adam" was necessarily genetically inherited, anymore than our rightstanding with God through Jesus Christ was.

Once Adam introduced sin into the world, mankind as a whole came under it. I think Romans 5:12 could be understood as describing exactly that.

I'm not saying I take a hard and fast position on this, I'm just considering this a possibility. The point you're bringing up, Van and Tiger, is really good. I've never before given thought to how the question of whether there were other people at the beginning besides Adam and Eve affects our understanding of how humanity fell.

Tiger75 · Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2002 1:19 am Post subject: Incest

Here's something to get the minds thinking. Lets say Adam and Eve obeyed God immediately and started reproducing ('go forth and multiply') so we have descendants before the fall prior to Cain and Abel. After the 'fall' we have two groups of people: one in the garden, one without (those without having inherited sin.)

Let's call those 'within' 'Sons of God' and those 'without' 'Daughters of Men'. Hypothesis: is this the sloution to the Genesis 6:2 mystery when finally all of mankind 'fell'

quote:

"1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. " Genesis 6:1-7

[This message has been edited by Tiger75 (edited 11-07-2002).]

ChristysHeart · Posted: Tue Nov 12, 2002 7:20 pm Post subject: Incest

In Genesis, before it is ever mentioned that Adam and Eve were created it says:

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds fo the air, and over the cattle, and over all the widl animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen: 1:26-28)

Then it goes on "Be fruitful and multiply..."

Just in case anyone is wondering (smile) my bible is the NRSV Catholic Edition.

Blessings,
Christy

not named · Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2002 3:27 pm Post subject: Incest

Now to me that says that there are other people out there, besides Adam and Eve. Maybe Adam and Eve were just the first among many to be created. Just an opinion I heard. Tell me what you think.

Adam lived 930 years which means that cain could be killed by his brothers or sisters that were born later.

[This message has been edited by not named (edited 11-15-2002).]

not named · Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2002 3:34 pm Post subject: Incest

quote:

Now to me that says that there are other people out there, besides Adam and Eve. Maybe Adam and Eve were just the first among many to be created. Just an opinion I heard. Tell me what you think.[/B]

adam lived 930 years so cain could be killed by his brothers or sisters.