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the same species, Homo sapiens, and, further that all are probably
derived from the same common stock.12 While there are obvious
hereditary differences between certain groups of men, these differences
are “always few when compared to the whole genetic constitution of
man and to the vast number of genes common to all human beings
regardless of the population to which they belong. This means that
the likenesses among men are far greater than their differences.”1-'1
There is no authentic evidence so far as science is concerned that
the three major racial groups—Mongoloid, Negroid, and Caucasoid—
differ either in the average or in the range of their innate mental
capacities. Inherited genetic differences do not seem to be a major
factor in producing the differences between the cultural achievements
of different ethnic groups. Rather, it is the history of the cultural ex
periences which varying groups have undergone that constitutes “the
major factor” in explaining differences between cultures.14 Finally,
there is no convincing evidence that miscegenation is biologically
harmful. From the standpoint of science, the term “pure race” is a
meaningless one; for the mixing of racial and ethnic groups has been
going on from earliest times.
It should be noted in this connection, however, that while the
Christian conceptions of the unity of men and of the fundamental
equality of the races are confirmed by science, the former do not
depend for their validity upon such empirical verification. There
is perhaps a closer correlation between the Christian and the scien
tific affirmations of the unity of man than there is between the two
affirmations concerning the essential equality of the races. The
Christian conception of the creation of man by a sovereign and pur
posive God who out of love made man in His own image for fellow
ship with Himself obviously goes far beyond the available scientific
data. Moreover, while biologists, anthropologists, and psychologists
find no basis for affirming the superior moral or intellectual capacity
of any one race over another, they do not necessarily conclude that
all men are essentially equal in worth. Long before the rise of the
modern conception of a superior race, the notion of an aristocracy
12Ashley Montagu,
Statement on Race,
New York, Henry Schuman, 1951,
p. 11. The UNESCO Statement on Race is reprinted in its entirety in this
volume, pp. 11-18.
13
Ibid.
14
Ibid.,
p. 14.
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Biblical Faith and Social Ethics