Parallel Passages Summarized

Let us summarize: The result of the breaking down of the marriage institution, and particularly the intermarriage between the children of God and the heathen, was to “deface the image of God in man.” Further, “Unhallowed marriages of the sons of God with the daughters of men” carried mankind irresistibly forward in increasing iniquity “which ended in the destruction of the world by a flood.” Substituting the word “amalgamation” for marriage in the above quotations, note the striking parallel to the following statements in the disputed passage: “The base crime of amalgamation ... defaced the image of God“: and, “God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him.”EGWC 311.8

In none of the parallel passages we have quoted, or in any others that might be cited, does Mrs. White speak of the cohabitation of man with beast as being a feature of the gross and dismal picture of antediluvian wickedness that precipitated the Flood. On the contrary it would appear that she speaks of intermarriage of the race of Cain and the race of Seth, with its inevitable train of idolatry, polygamy, and kindred evils, as the cause of the Flood. And all this harmonizes with the earlier quoted statement in the opening paragraph of the chapter that contains the disputed passage:EGWC 312.1

“As the sons of GOD mingled with the sons of men, they became corrupt, and by intermarriage with them, lost, through the influence of their wives, their peculiar, holy character, and united with the sons of Cain in their idolatry.”—Spiritual Gifts 3:60, 61.EGWC 312.2

As already stated, this introduction to the chapter “Crime Before the Flood” is followed by a recital of the idolatry that grew rampant, the denial of God, the theft, the polygamy, the murder of men, and the destruction of animal life. Then comes immediately the disputed passage, as though summarizing: “But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of GOD, and caused confusion everywhere.” ^{*Some might contend that the construction of this sentence indicates that the writer is listing a new crime to the series, something in addition to the unholy marriages, idolatry, murder, etc. We do not believe that such a conclusion is required. It is no unusual thing for a writer to list a series of items, and then, in conclusion, focus upon one of them, with some such introductory phrase as, “If there is one item above another....” Nor do we believe that any special weight should he placed on the fact that in thus recapitulating, the winter amplifies on the particular point under discussion, as though the very focusing on it seems to draw the writer’s mind to a related thought. This, we believe, is a wholly reasonable way to view the construction before us. Mrs. White returns, in the last paragraph of the chapter, to focus on the main cause of the Flood, as earlier set forth in the chapter. In so doing she expands a little to include the related “confusion” in the animal kingdom that had resulted from the entrance of sin into the world.}EGWC 312.3

One apparent stumbling block in the way of accepting this interpretation of the passage as an intermarriage of races of men and a crossing of different species of animals is the construction of the statement: “amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God.” And how could the crossing of species of animals do this?EGWC 313.1

But let us look more closely at what she says. Two results follow from the “amalgamation of [1] man and [2] beast“: It (1) “defaced the image of God,” and (2) “caused confusion everywhere.” We have seen how the marriage, the amalgamation, of the races of men produced the first of the results. Why could we not properly consider that the amalgamation of the races, or species, of animals produced the second, that is, “caused confusion everywhere”? When two related things are described in one sentence, it does not follow that we must understand that all the results listed flow from each of the two.EGWC 313.2