Some people have studied this subject before. Some people have not. For instance:
CTD writes:
I consider it a mistake to think of the human race having been composed of purely static units. Seafaring is as old as history, and there have been plenty of nomads and traders also. Hermit kingdoms like Korea are the exception. And in the old days, war often resulted in enslavement. There was plenty of opportunity for mixing, although the majority of the people may well have stayed put during peacetime.
Over time, familial traits have emerged to give the different peoples their own looks.
The first paragraph here does not lead to the assertion in the second paragraph. Mixing of genes produces
homogeneity, or the lack of variation, not the distinct, ethnic looks here asserted.
Of all the world religions, the Bible is the most plausible. If the Bible isn't true, then I'd have to face up to the cold and harsh reality of death. I'm not strong enough for that.
I don't think I'd agree with this. I haven't read much of the
Analects or the
Ramayana or the
Bhagavadgita, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing in there that wouldn't slide right past a casual bible-reader's eye if it was stuck in the middle of Isaiah somewhere.
The pre adamite theories have no leg to stand on whatsoever (because such people would have perished in the flood), so I won't go into them.
This is also assuming that the flood
was a Global phenomenon. Genesis 7
does say the flood was over the whole earth, but Luke 2 also says the whole earth was taxed by Caesar Augustus. This did not include Mesoamerica, China, Australia or most of Africa. So, maybe Genesis didn't include these regions, either.
However, by the large, the best information given to us is the genetic markers (as you've mentioned). Stick with those, because they're not really open to much interpretation, whereas every word written in the Bible is.
Keep in mind here, I'm a practicing Christian. I'm also Mormon, and the current genetic studies (done here at BYU by Mormon scientists) utterly and completely refute our stated beliefs that the Native Americans are descendants of a side branch of the Jews. Therefore, all references in our Church history to the Native Americans as "Lamanites" is flawed.
But, there are a preponderance of Book of Mormon scholars who can argue subtle semantics to make the whole thing still 100% perfectly true. That's how open to interpretation the factual details of scripture are.
Good luck to you, and welcome to the forum!
Signed,
Nobody Important (just Bluejay)
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