Was Adam and Eve’s DNA changed when they sinned?

This thread is the result of another post. Which got me thinking, when Adam had his rib removed to have Eve created, that wasn’t passed onto his entire male off spring. E.g. males don’t have one rib less then females. However, when they sinned, sin and death were passed on to their offspring. So does that mean that their genetic makeup was changed when they sinned in order for imperfection to be passed on, just like children inherit certain traits of their parents?

sin and death were passed on to their offspring.

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I disbelieve genetical changes took place. In my own opinion, it was a "curse"
(so to speak) that God inflicted upon them.

ThisShouldMakeSense said:

So does that mean that their genetic makeup was changed when they sinned in order for imperfection to be passed on, just like children inherit certain traits of their parents?

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This is an interesting topic and question that I have pondered for a number of years. It seems to me that death passed upon all men because they were kept from the tree of life not from a genetic change.

Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Verse 23 says that man cannot have the knowledge of good and evil and live for ever. Verse 24 satisfies this by driving man from the garden.

Now the question becomes whether there was a genetic change that allowed offspring to carry the knowledge of good and evil. This way death would have passed upon all men.

Maybe we are just different from Adam and Eve because their children had children with eachother and we are the result of genetic mutation due to incest. So, Adam and Eve's genetics didn't change, but their offspring did have significantly different DNA so to speak. ...I'm no scientist ;-)

How would you go about gaining evidence for the notion that death came into the world with Adam and Eve? It seems to me problematic even to provide evidence for the existence of Adam and Eve, so on what evidence would you base a notion that death came into the world with them?

Sunstone said:

How would you go about gaining evidence for the notion that death came into the world with Adam and Eve? It seems to me problematic even to provide evidence for the existence of Adam and Eve, so on what evidence would you base a notion that death came into the world with them?

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I assume you're asking me.... Well, let's assume they did exist. Various bible writers refer to them, as did Jesus, as real people, and I know you may dispute the existence of Jesus too. The book of chronicles refers to him, and chronicles are viewed by Jews as authentic and were used to identify royal lines etc, etc.

Onto your other question, Adam and Eve, had they not sinned, would have lived forever. God created them with no suggestion of death, however, once they sinned and decided to choose for themselves what moral code, 'the knowledge of good and bad', they should follow, they became imperfect and that is when the plug was pulled. Just like a fan keep spinning when you remove it source of power, so man slowed down and died in the end. We inherited it form them that way.

ThisShouldMakeSense said:

Well, let's assume they did exist. Various bible writers refer to them, as did Jesus, as real people,

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The fact that they might have been "real" people does not also mean that the Genesis account (including your question about Adam's rib) is anything other than a story.

Scott1 said:

The fact that they might have been "real" people does not also mean that the Genesis account (including your question about Adam's rib) is anything other than a story.

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Yes, it's a story of how God created the world, including Adam and Eve, and how they fell from innocence (among other things).

ThisShouldMakeSense said:

This thread is the result of another post. Which got me thinking, when Adam had his rib removed to have Eve created, that wasn’t passed onto his entire male off spring. E.g. males don’t have one rib less then females. However, when they sinned, sin and death were passed on to their offspring. So does that mean that their genetic makeup was changed when they sinned in order for imperfection to be passed on, just like children inherit certain traits of their parents?

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If anything this would mean God follows Lamarcks version of evolution. However, we already know that if someone has a limb amputed it does not pass onto their offspring. The best inference is that Adam went through his life sans one rib. The Bible also makes no mention as to whether or not Eve could conceive before they were kicked out of the Garden. Which leads me to believe the Tree of Knowledge taught them about the birds and the bees and God just did not want a bunch of kids playing in his garden.