Why did God create Neanderthals?

[Cmass]

There is evidence that suggests Homosapiens and Neanderthals lived in the same time, region and perhaps even competed for the same food sources. They had some form of culture and a slightly larger brain capacity. Although there is scant evidence of it, it is plausible they even had religion.

So, here is a creature very much like our ancient selves in many ways - yet now considered a distinct species - and God either allowed or ushered in their demise. An entire species of intelligent beings!!! Why?

Did God kill off the Neanderthals? If so, why?

What does the Bible have to offer on this topic?

[Cathar1950]

Before we end up with 40 pages of posts....do a search for Bones of Contention.

Far more about Neanderthal "theories" than you could ever want to read.

As to your question...I am making an assumption that we are talking about the
O.T. God....in fact based on that assumption, the question answers itself.

Although, if I were grasping for something I would go with pre-flood giants.
...and they were created to be made an example of.

Good to hear from you again Chimp.

Yes, my dear Cmass, you may find the Bones of Contention thread, how shall I say, entertaining. Or, simply search through jcrawford's prolific output for more on modern day neanderthals. Neanderthals did not die out; they evolved into anti-Neo-Darwinist Christians.

Or perhaps Adam himself was a Neanderthal.

You see, your first mistake is assuming Neanderthals actually are a separate species from homo sapiens. Any cave man knows all humans are really the same species. Haven't you seen any geico commercials for heavens sake?!

It was a long but funny thread.
I think that one poster even claimed to be a Neanderthal.
After many posts I was ready to agree.

[Cmass]

Micatala wrote:

You see, your first mistake is assuming Neanderthals actually are a separate species from homo sapiens. Any cave man knows all humans are really the same species. Haven't you seen any geico commercials for heavens sake?!

Ah yes, Geico! Those spots have indeed enlightened me as to prehistoric humanoid behavior, physique, culture and communication capabilities. I have also learned to be more sensitive around them.

I also learned much from their earlier ads. For example, when people doubt that animals in the Bible actually spoke, I simply point them to the Geico ads where they can actually SEE a real lizard speaking! This is usually all the evidence they need and they immediately make a leap of faith and believe most anything else I tell them - as well they should since I hold the truth and know things that - if they believe me - will allow them to live forever and ever.



Chimp said:

Before we end up with 40 pages of posts....do a search for Bones of Contention.
Far more about Neanderthal "theories" than you could ever want to read.

Please summarize YOUR own answer to my OP. I am interested in your personal take on this subject. Some 40 page threads are the result of people cutting and pasting huge piles of text on topics they don't really understand very well. They look for an easy way out.....but then it becomes a contest as to who Googles better and who has the most RAM for cutting and pasting. This bores me. I want to hear what you have to say based upon what you have read.
I value what you have to say.

[micatala]

There is evidence that suggests Homosapiens and Neanderthals lived in the same time, region and perhaps even competed for the same food sources. They had some form of culture and a slightly larger brain capacity. Although there is scant evidence of it, it is plausible they even had religion.

So, here is a creature very much like our ancient selves in many ways - yet now considered a distinct species - and God either allowed or ushered in their demise. An entire species of intelligent beings!!! Why?

Did God kill off the Neanderthals? If so, why?

What does the Bible have to offer on this topic?

Well, I do believe Cmass is correct. I have not addressed the OP either.

Did God kill off the Neanderthals?

No, I don't think so. I think homosapiens killed them off, or possibly absorbed them (I confess I forget where the current thinking is on the possibility of the latter).

The Bible, I think, is silent on Neanderthals, principally because they died off long before it was written.

As far as this comment . . .

God either allowed or ushered in their demise. An entire species of intelligent beings!!! Why?

One could say God allowed their demise. However, as part of allowing free will, God allows a lot of things. He has allowed nuclear weapons which, especially in times past, threatened our existence. It is quite possible we will destroy ourselves in the future by this means, or by completely ruining our planets ability to sustain life (other than cockroaches), or perhaps in some more mundane but as yet unimagined way (perhaps we will all get addicted to steroids and kill each other off in a mass fit of roid rage).

I personally don't think, however unwisely we act, that God will intervene in order to prevent us from destroying ourselves, or letting us die off by some more 'natural' evolutionary mechanism.

[Cmass]

Micatala, your comments are a good example of why religion as we now know it, needs an enema. It simply does not address modern knowledge or thinking in any meaningful way and any attempts to fit the Bible into this new thinking usually fails miserably.
Obviously the Bible does not say anything about Neanderthals because they did not know about them. But there are many, many, many things that have huge ramifications in our lives now that the Bible simply cannot address because it was written by superstitious herdsmen thousand of years ago. Thus attempts to reconcile the Bible with science fail. They are two distinct things: One pursues new knowledge while the other is by necessity a dogmatic set of myths.

[Openmind]

The Bible, I think, is silent on Neanderthals, principally because they died off long before it was written.

This is strange. The bible is silent on Neanderthals because they weren't around at the same time as us, I agree.

However, humans weren't around at the time God created the Earth, but that is a part of the bible that is oft-quoted and considered true. How come humans wrote about that, and not Neanderthals?

[Goat]

There is evidence that suggests Homosapiens and Neanderthals lived in the same time, region and perhaps even competed for the same food sources. They had some form of culture and a slightly larger brain capacity. Although there is scant evidence of it, it is plausible they even had religion.

So, here is a creature very much like our ancient selves in many ways - yet now considered a distinct species - and God either allowed or ushered in their demise. An entire species of intelligent beings!!! Why?

Did God kill off the Neanderthals? If so, why?

What does the Bible have to offer on this topic?

Well, I do believe Cmass is correct. I have not addressed the OP either.

Did God kill off the Neanderthals?

No, I don't think so. I think homosapiens killed them off, or possibly absorbed them (I confess I forget where the current thinking is on the possibility of the latter).

The Bible, I think, is silent on Neanderthals, principally because they died off long before it was written.

As far as this comment . . .

God either allowed or ushered in their demise. An entire species of intelligent beings!!! Why?

One could say God allowed their demise. However, as part of allowing free will, God allows a lot of things. He has allowed nuclear weapons which, especially in times past, threatened our existence. It is quite possible we will destroy ourselves in the future by this means, or by completely ruining our planets ability to sustain life (other than cockroaches), or perhaps in some more mundane but as yet unimagined way (perhaps we will all get addicted to steroids and kill each other off in a mass fit of roid rage).

I personally don't think, however unwisely we act, that God will intervene in order to prevent us from destroying ourselves, or letting us die off by some more 'natural' evolutionary mechanism.

While I think there was some minor hybridization, it appears that the main reason the Neanderthals died out is due to an environmental change. The Neanderthal
was built heavy and slow, and was more suited to a forest environment. At the time of the extinction, there was a change in the environment from a forest environment to a grass/plains environment. the more gracile and agile modern man had the technology (long spears), and the ability to run faster on the plains, and therefore were more successful hunters. The Neanderthal couldn't adapt as
well to the new conditions, and therefore died out.

[McCulloch]

The Neanderthals are mentioned in the Bible in the same place as the Ice Ages, the peoples of the Americas and viruses. Instead we get humans with unbelievably long life spans, the universal flood, the entire world of Eurasia and North Africa and demons causing disease.

[micatala]

The Bible, I think, is silent on Neanderthals, principally because they died off long before it was written.

This is strange. The bible is silent on Neanderthals because they weren't around at the same time as us, I agree.

However, humans weren't around at the time God created the Earth, but that is a part of the bible that is oft-quoted and considered true. How come humans wrote about that, and not Neanderthals?

Humans wrote about the creation of the earth because they were curious about how it all came to be. The account in the Bible is based entirely on things that would have been within their experience, embellished by imaginatively combining such aspects in some cases (e.g. talking snakes).

Neanderthals do not make an appearance, nor the Americas, nor viruses, nor automobiles, nor firearms, etc. because the ancient Hebrews had no experience of these.

[QED]

Humans wrote about the creation of the earth because they were curious about how it all came to be.

Ah, yes -- I've always been curious but I've never been able to get anything down on paper that would stand up to the kind of peer review that stands in the way of such publications today.

The account in the Bible is based entirely on things that would have been within their experience, embellished by imaginatively combining such aspects in some cases (e.g. talking snakes).

OK, so are you saying that the Bible is something that could be put together in any age, with any level of knowledge -- because it answers the really big questions essentially with guess-work?

[Cathar1950]

Humans wrote about the creation of the earth because they were curious about how it all came to be.

Ah, yes -- I've always been curious but I've never been able to get anything down on paper that would stand up to the kind of peer review that stands in the way of such publications today.

The account in the Bible is based entirely on things that would have been within their experience, embellished by imaginatively combining such aspects in some cases (e.g. talking snakes).

OK, so are you saying that the Bible is something that could be put together in any age, with any level of knowledge -- because it answers the really big questions essentially with guess-work?

I find this subject interesting because I have a fun interest in the Neanderthals) cave men, gieko?) and a love for anthropology as well as geology and astronomy(rocks and stars). But I do love plants.

The thread topic itself open questions. 'Why did God create Neanderthals?' Is seeming to assume that God created them and this open the door for all possible gods. My non-dualist stance forces or allowss me to see "reality" as true for both believer and non-believer alike. We may have many options for our belifes but still experience and facts should ground us and it seems to me the minimally required of reason and any competent metaphysics.
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