What Species Was Adam & Eve?

[Guest DanielNicholas]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Humanevolutionchart.png"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Humanevolutionchart.png[/url]

(Please look at the chart)

This is a question Im curious about!

I am going to start with the Homo Neanderthalensis. They came before us (Homo Sapiens), We did not evolve from them though, homo sapiens pursued a seperate evolutionary path.

So, Anyways, the Neanderthals that lived side by side with Homo Sapiens for a short time in Europe.

The Neanderthals had tools, religion, culture, language, even constructed musical instruments. They had a larger cranial capacity, however were slowly out-done by homo sapiens in technological achievements.

First of all, Alot of Catholics on here say religion and science go hand in hand. So does the Catholic church have an official statement regarding to what species Adam and Eve were?

Since the Neanderthals weren't humans - were they animals? So did they not have souls?

What species were Adam and Eve?

[Selah]

...why is it important? It's a story, not a historical document.

[Guest DanielNicholas]

[quote name='Selah' date='20 January 2010 - 12:27 AM' timestamp='1263907626' post='2040134']
...why is it important? [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif[/img] It's a story, not a historical document.
[/quote]


Is it too much to ask for a religion that actually happened.

[Selah]

What are you talking about?

[Chestertonian]

If you're genuinely curious as to what the Catholic position is (and you're not just trollin'), check out this link: http://www.catholic.com/library/Adam_Eve_and_Evolution.asp

Edited January 19, 2010 by Chestertonian

[CatherineM]

I've thought about this before, and I think the first to have a soul was the first to take single mates, so maybe Ardi.

[Apotheoun]

Bajoran.

[Socrates]

Homo Sapiens.

[mommas_boy]

Adam and Eve must have been of ancestors of homo sapiens, so neanderthals are clearly out. They also must have had a spiritual soul, which I believe means intellect sufficient enough to believe in God, and will enough to be able to choose to believe in him. I question, however, whether or not the current evidence is really sufficient to prove or disprove religious beliefs of any prehistorical species.

As for Selah's comment, the Church does teach that Adam and Eve were in fact real historical people, although we don't know where or when or how their bodies came to be.

[Socrates]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='19 January 2010 - 11:02 AM' timestamp='1263916965' post='2040154']
I've thought about this before, and I think the first to have a soul was the first to take single mates, so maybe Ardi.
[/quote]
Not sure what an Ardi is, but gibbons take single mates, yet I don't consider them human beings. (So do a lot of bird species, for that matter.)
I don't think human beings change species.

[havok579257]

[quote name='DanielNicholas' date='19 January 2010 - 09:00 AM' timestamp='1263909652' post='2040137']
Is it too much to ask for a religion that actually happened.
[/quote]


is it to much to ask for someone to stop trolling?

[Jaime]

[quote name='havok579257' date='19 January 2010 - 01:00 PM' timestamp='1263924007' post='2040185']
is it to much to ask for someone to stop trolling?
[/quote]

As opposed to what? Am I missing something here? Either this is an insulting OP and I'm missing it, or its genuine and people are reading malice into it.

1. It seems like a genuine question from an atheist

B. Its the debate board so opinions in direct opposition are usually found here

iii. Just because a person is an atheist doesn't make them a troll.

[YMNolan]

Gotta be homo sapiens

[Selah]

[quote]As for Selah's comment, the Church does teach that Adam and Eve were in fact real historical people, although we don't know where or when or how their bodies came to be[/quote]

I would like to see some proof that this is official Church teaching, please.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='Selah' date='19 January 2010 - 01:29 PM' timestamp='1263925787' post='2040203']
I would like to see some proof that this is official Church teaching, please.
[/quote]

Yes, of course.

Pope Pius XII, [i]Humani Generis[/i], paragraph #37:

[indent]
When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains either that after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parents of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now, it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the teaching authority of the Church proposed with regard to original sin which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam in which through generation is passed onto all and is in everyone as his own.
[/indent]

And the Catechism, paragraph #390:

[indent]
The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man. Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents.
[/indent]

Please confer with the following article from Catholic Answers, which has imprimatur:

http://www.catholic.com/library/Adam_Eve_and_Evolution.asp