Josh, it’s late and I have just come across this. I haven’t been getting heads up reminders when you reference me.
No, I am not convinced. I see no distinction between Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, but then I am not looking for a point by point match in the texts. Just as I don’t look for a point by point match in the details of the Gospels. I see no evidence for a community in Genesis 1. That seems to me to be reading into the text what you want to be there.
I can find no reason in scripture or science to think your model is true. It’s a bit like multiverses. Would you say that theory was thought up to avoid the big bang and the fine-tuning of the universe?
It also doesn’t seem like something God would do. I know, it’s always risky to make that statement. But why would he do it? You use the argument that not accepting common descent makes God out to be a deceiver. Well, what about this? Two populations, and one not recorded except by implication? The great body of humankind gets no mention? Did God intend to deceive us into thinking we were specially created?
I know, I know. George will say, “But it was all the story of of the lineage from Adam to Jesus. Everybody else was unnecessary.” But there were a lot of everybody elses. And it seems a really big oversight to not mention 10,000 plus neighbors already in existence (more like millions) just outside the garden. Somebody should be able to make a really good cartoon out of that.
My chief complaint is that you require two classes of human, one from within the garden, specially created, and one from outside, evolved. One with original sin, and one without. It’s much more profound than the Jew/ Gentile distinction.
If God’s going to use evolution to make the greatest number of humans, why would he specially create, de novo, two humans, and place them in a garden? Is it a set up? Obviously it’s not for racial purity if they emerge and immediately mingle. All I can say is, it seems remarkable circular. We postulate this pair in the garden so we can explain Genesis, and Genesis is how we know this pair existed.