How Did the Different Races Come to Be from One Man and One Woman?

It is important to emphasize for a start that “different races” in this context has to do with skin colour variations in the world today.

Now this reality is being used as a premise by certain skeptics to question the verity of biblical accounts, especially that of creation (creationism). Christians are outright creationists. We believe that there was no “Big Bang” but that the origin of things that exist is via a deliberate process of creation by a sovereign God.

Evolutionists today are in opposition to the story of creation as heralded by the Bible, not recognizing that evolutionism and creationism, when properly analysed, are not meant to contradict in the first place. The biggest error of evolutionists is regarding the “origin” of things.

Evolution is a concept that is so apparent and that cannot be denied today. What we are saying is that the origin of things is found in creation by God and then, over time, from generation to generation, evolution has helped humans and other organisms to adapt better to their environment.

So while we agree that evolution is really an indubitable concept, we do not subscribe to everything evolutionists push forward. For example, we human beings didn't evolve from apes or monkeys, or, simply put, we are not monkeys with tails rubbed off.

A good understanding of genetics helps us recognize that a generation of humans that exhibit diverse traits (variation) can truly all come from TWO ultimate parents. This is possible as long as, for each character, both first parents do not have homogeneous gene pairs that are the same (e.g., AA x AA or aa x aa).

Furthermore, the story of the tower of Babel shows us the origin of diverse ethnicities, based first on diversity in language. Only eight people survived the great flood—Noah, his wife, his three sons and their respective wives (Genesis 6–8). After the flood, those who descended from these three sons (Shem, Ham and Japheth) were the ones from which different nations came to be, right from the tower of Babel incident.

Genesis 10:5,20,31–32(NKJV)

5 - From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

20 - These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.

31 - These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.

32 - These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11:1,8–9(NKJV)

1 - Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.

8 - So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.

9 - Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

The confusion of language at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11 was how and when the separation started. People began to locate and team up with those who could understand them, and they began to disperse to different locations to form their own territories. So these people began to interbreed among themselves. As closer interbreeding took place, certain features were emphasized in each unique group in light of their environment, making each group consist of people who shared similar features. This was the origin of tribes and, ultimately, nations.

(For a better understanding on why God intercepted the building of the tower, read Why Did God Confuse the Language of Men?)

The theory of natural selection makes us understand how a change in the genetic composition of a population comes to be over successive generations. As organisms begin to develop characteristics, either structurally or behaviourally, that help them to adapt better to their environment (for survival), with time, they pass down these traits from generation to generation. Hence, offsprings with these unique features are produced.

Distinct skin colours as well as other features came to be primarily as a result of the factors in the distinct locations. As a group of people journeyed to a location to form their own territory, due to the kind of environment, the weather conditions and so forth, as a natural biological process of survival, these people began to develop structural and behavioural characteristics to help them adapt to their environment. Skin colour was one of these characteristics.

Those who migrated to locations closest to the Equator were the closest to the sun and resultantly to its ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Consequently, as a process of adaptation for survival, more melanin was produced on their skin, that is, very dark skin pigmentations were developed as protection from the sun's harmful rays.

Song of Solomon 1:6

Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me (NKJV).

Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun (NIV).

Don't look down on me because I'm dark, darkened by the sun's harsh rays (MSG).

More melanin production results in darker skin.

This was the origin of the black people of sub-Saharan Africa, believed to be descendants of Ham. People found here are naturally dark-skinned. More melanin in the skin causes it to be darker. Sub-Saharan Africa is a hot place. More melanin protects against the deleterious effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun, which is carcinogenic when high. This helps the body against folate depletion and damage to DNA.

The farther a tribe is from the Equator, the less dark the people are. Those farthest away from the Equator and closest to the North Pole are the typically light-skinned whites. They have the least exposure to the sun's rays and hence do not produce much melanin. Because of this less barrier on their skin, they are able to absorb Vitamin D more easily from the sun despite the low exposure to its rays. The North and South Poles get very little direct sunlight throughout the year.

There are also those found in intermediate regions who are more typically brown-skinned. The closer a region to the Equator, the darker the skin of its people; the farther away a region from the Equator, the lighter the skin of its people. This factor is also responsible for other features like hair texture, hair colour, skeletal differences, and so forth.

Now this is a reality in line with natural selection that took thousands of years to be what it is today. This is why even if a black couple migrates closer to the North Pole (for example, North America), they cannot naturally produce a white child between them. This is the same with a white couple migrating to sub-Saharan Africa.

In the end, every human being was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26–28, 5:1–2; James 3:9) and all are one before Him. Racism is far away from God's original idea. God loves unity in diversity.

In truth, there is only one race—the human race.

Victor Ibosiola © 2024