# The Origin of Man (embracing Woman, of course) \[Did Adam and Eve have navels?\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916 "2009-01-31T21:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![haywiremac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@haywiremac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haywiremac)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/1 "2009-01-31T21:52:45Z")
This question in not original to me by any means. I read it when reviewing the interviews with Martin Gardner of Scientific American’s Recreational Math Dept. on the Cambridge University blog. A blazing genius in his own right, he could have become a leading light in math, but claims to be ‘merely a journalist.’ OK, here goes: if we originated with Adam and Eve, should they be depicted with belly buttons? Surely this means they themselves had umbilical cords that were attached to some human predecessor, right? However, I can’t recall ever seeing a painting or woodcut that showed them with bare tummies. The Creation story is predicated on Man being the image of God, right (perhaps not a material image)? So would he/she also have a navel to contemplate? Help, I’m in danger of losing my religion.😕 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/2 "2009-01-31T21:57:16Z")
Adam & Eve lacked belly buttons. Adam was also covered in scales, of which your fingernails are the vestige. Have you never heard this stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/3 "2009-01-31T22:35:59Z")
The question of whether or not Adam and Eve had navels is a religious question, not a scientific one, and as such is better handled in GD than GQ. I have edited the title to indicate the subject more precisely. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/4 "2009-01-31T22:59:58Z")
This question has animated people from time to time. In his book _Omphalos_, Philip Gosse argued that Adam as the First Man was identical to all subsequent men in appearance down to a navel, and that, an instant after the single catastrophic act of Creation, the Earth presented the appearance of having existed for millions of years. Here are several Cranach paintings of Adam & Eve, all with navels [Garden of Eden (Fine Art) Posters & Wall Art Prints | AllPosters.com](http://www.allposters.com/-st/Garden-of-Eden-Fine-Art-Posters_c104158_.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/5 "2009-01-31T23:13:45Z")
haywiremac writes: \> I read it when reviewing the interviews with Martin Gardner of Scientific \> American’s Recreational Math Dept. on the Cambridge University blog. A blazing \> genius in his own right, he could have become a leading light in math, but \> claims to be ‘merely a journalist.’ There’s no reason to think that Gardner could have become a mathematician. He graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and went into journalism. Eventually he began writing the Mathematical Games columns in _Scientific American_. He’s a wonderful writer, but he’s not a mathematician. Here’s a suggestion: When you want to learn about someone, don’t trust it says in an introduction to an interview. Have you ever read any of Gardner’s books? They would tell you much more about him: > **[Martin Gardner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner)** > > Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914 – May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literature – especially the writings of Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, and G. K. Chesterton. He was also a leading authority on Lewis Carroll. The Annotated Alice, which incorporated the text of Carroll's two Alice books, was his most successful work and sold over a million copies. H Gardner is ... ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/6 "2009-01-31T23:14:19Z")
Of course they had navels. If you go back before navels the species wouldn’t be recognizable as human…wouldn’t even be a mammal. All of the hominid line were mammals…Q.E.D. they had navels. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/7 "2009-02-01T17:20:19Z")
Adam and Eve didn’t have that many children. The garden of Eden had lots of plants and animals, but I don’t know if it had many oceans or navigable rivers. I doubt they had the personnel to staff a full navel vessel. At best, they had a small boat. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/8 "2009-02-01T19:07:05Z")
[feminist hijack] Here’s how you “embrace Eve”: “The origin of **humanity** ”. [/feminist hijack] ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/9 "2009-02-01T21:30:35Z")
Yeah, Adam & Eve had navels if they were the ensouled offspring of pre-souled humans, or if God created them with navels. No, if He didn’t create them with navels. Next question- Innies or outies? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/10 "2009-02-01T22:06:55Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Yeah, Adam & Eve had navels if they were the ensouled offspring of pre-souled humans, or if God created them with navels. No, if He didn’t create them with navels. > > Next question- Innies or outies? Originally both Adam and Eve had innies, which is why Eve had to go to the Serpent to conceive Cain. Afterwards God gave Adam an outie, and also had the seraph in charge of that part of the Human Design project canned. [(Just so you know I’m not making this up.)](http://www.propheticrevelation.net/original_sin/the_serpent_seed_3.htm) [(And here’s a somewhat less insane link.)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_seed) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/11 "2009-02-02T01:32:27Z")
The only reason Adam and Eve would have navels is if god was anal enough to give it to them despite not needing it ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/12 "2009-02-02T04:34:39Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Yeah, Adam & Eve had navels if they were the ensouled offspring of pre-souled humans . . . 😕 What the pre-carnal reproduction mechanism are you talking about?! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/13 "2009-02-02T04:35:54Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > The only reason Adam and Eve would have navels is if god was anal enough to give it to them despite not needing it He gave men nipples, didn’t He? I once had a Unitarian pastor who said he was amazed at the **extravagance** of a God who will put beautiful colors on the insides of seashells, where the odds of their ever being seen is one in a million. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/14 "2009-02-03T16:06:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > He gave men nipples, didn’t He? > > I once had a Unitarian pastor who said he was amazed at the **extravagance** of a God who will put beautiful colors on the insides of seashells, where the odds of their ever being seen is one in a million. What was the Pastor’s reasoning for making so many animals (and quite a few humans as well, for that matter) so butt ugly on the outside? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/15 "2009-02-03T16:09:19Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > What was the Pastor’s reasoning for making so many animals (and quite a few humans as well, for that matter) so butt ugly on the outside? Ugliness is required to fully appreciate beauty. The existence of Ann Coulter, for instance, makes Monica Bellucci all the hotter. Likewise Star Jones & Gabrielle Union, or me and Christian Bale. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/16 "2009-02-03T16:16:11Z")
What I want to know is…why did he make so many that taste like chicken?? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origin-of-man-embracing-woman-of-course-did-adam-and-eve-have-navels/483916/17 "2009-02-03T16:21:38Z")
According to the nuns who taught me, they did. They were the models for all that followed. Since we have them, they had them.