How the Christian Faith Contends with Genetic Engineering
Religion-what does that mean to me? Do I believe in my religion, what has religion done for me lately? I would have to say religion has brought me hope for a better life and knowing that I can bring a better life to my family. I believe in God, I believe that god created humans and created the earth the water the moon and stars, and all creatures that exist on earth. What have I given back to religion? Generation after generation the emphasis on worshipping God in church has been on the decline in my family. My faith has not declined I just believe that God is everywhere and I feel that I can worship Him anywhere and at anytime. Does my faith in Him come into question when I look into the advancement of technology in science? Science of genetic engineering can sometimes heal and cure the ill. Genetic engineering can reproduce foods and recreate species of any kind. Makes me wonder if my faith can handle the concept that mankind can alter what God has created, and whether or not I want to be apart of a world that is not original but fake. I will contend with these two subjects and try to find if I want to belong to a society that is engineering a new world.
Genetic engineering of any organisms, is it possible? The scientists have genetically engineered some of the following:
· The superpig engineered with human growth hormone gene …
· The supersalmon engineered with grow-faster genes from another fish…
· Clones of Dolly the Sheep 'the big success story'…
· A soybean with a Brazil nut gene…
It is possible to clone or reproduce organism, but what about the sick or the people dying from deceases can genetic engineering help those in ...
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...d whether or not to justify science as a tool for the greater of mankind or to keep the faith as it was meant to be. I would like to think that genetic engineering can help the sick and the diseased but will the science stop there? Will my children fell the repercussions of today's actions? God will find ways to take life and faith followers will succeed where scientists have failed. I will take my religion and destiny will determine my fate, not science.
Bibliography:
1. Keith Parkins, Animal-to-Human Transplants.
"The Creation of Frankenstein's Monster". July 1999
2. Keith Parkins, Animal-to-Human Transplants.
"The Creation of Frankenstein's Monster". July 1999
3. Ted Perry, Speech Commonly Known Attributed to Chief Seattle, 1970.
4. Old Testament, Genesis 1:11-12, 20-21, 24-25
5. Leviticus 19:19
6. Deuteronomy 28:15-18
Abstract: Religion has played a key part in the battle for embryonic rights. Pope John Paul II has spoken out against stem cell research; however, Buddhist leaders and the Episcopal Church have taken a stand for stem cell research. Different religions have different opinions about stem cell research. However the controversy can never really be solved because it is so hard to define the line of morality when talking about stem cells and embryos.
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" --- From a Song by REM
Genetic engineering or “genetic enhancement refers to the transfer of genetic material intended to modify nonpathological human traits” (Hanna 1). These enhancements are used to modify human embryos and during gene therapy. There are currently two different approaches to gene manipulation, embryo elimination or genetic alteration. The point being, there is a choice of either disposing of an embryo because it has a genetic defect or genetic alteration of a gene which results in removing traits or enhancing them. There are birth defects and fatal incurable diseases that need to be eliminated. Genetic engineering could pave the way to discover ways to eliminate or at least reduce them. Genetic engineering to eliminate incurable diseases and birth defects should be used because it will reduce suffering and pain for both children and their parents.
This paper goes over genetic engineering and how it is used today in the medical field as two types on humans, disabled genetic engineering and trait genetic engineering. This two types of genetic engineering are still debatable since they have to surpass many obstacles and laws. The sources gave statements from professionals and experts on genetic engineering, biomedical science, biomedical engineering, and human anatomy and physiology. The individuals gave their inputs on how they view genetic engineering on human beings.
Walton, Harry. “What Theological Reservations Might Be Raised concerning Genetic Engineering in Humans? How Might Those Reservations Be Countered?” Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Imagine how it would feel walking into the hospital with a failing heart and being able to get a transplant of your own organ. Humans are born with only one copy of the organs for each function required by the body. Despite the ability to recover certain cells, not everything within the body is able to regenerate itself. With the now never-ending possibilities of our advancing technology, genetic engineering has entered the lives of humans in ways that were never before expected. Genetic engineering is a modern topic that should be implemented at a greater rate because it helps us fight problems that are beyond basic medicine, it prolongs life, and increases the quality of it by adding techniques to treatment rather then more medication.
For example, genetic engineering can be used to combat cystic fibrosis, which is a disease that damages the lungs and digestive system. Moreover, genetic engineering can be used to treat disorders such as diabetes as well. These two diseases, as well as much more, are one reason why people around the world are pushing for an increase in the research of genetic engineering. With the help of genetic engineering, people around the world who are suffering from incurable diseases have a hope to live pain and disease free. Furthermore, genetic engineers can look for mutated genes with preimplantation genetic diagnosis to tell if an embryo might have a mutation for trisomy 21 or Duchenne muscular dystrophy. If found, a scientist can potentially fix the mutation within the genetic code and therefore allow this embryo to grow to be a healthy child with no major health
Genetic engineering is now being used to create new medicines and therapies for many disorders and diseases, and also to improve agricultural plants and animals to produce bigger yields or enhanced nutrient composition and food quality. In Gene therapy, copies of healthy human genes produced in bacteria can be inserted into human cells with defective or missing genes, to fix the problem. Gene therapy is promising because it can use to treat genetic
In recent discussions of genetic engineering, a controversial issue has been whether genetic engineering is ethical or not. In “The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering,” JC Polkinghorne discusses about the moral status of the very early embryo and therapeutic cloning. J. H. Brooke’s article “Commentary on: The Person, the Soul, and Genetic Engineering” comments and state opinions that counter Polkinghorne’s article. On the other hand John Harris’s ““Goodbye Dolly?” The Ethics of Human Cloning” examines “the possible uses and abuses of human cloning and draw out the principal ethical dimensions, both of what might be done and its meaning, and of public and official response” (353). While in C. Cameron and R. Williamson’s article, “In the World of Dolly, When Does a Human Embryo Acquire Respect?” discusses about the debate of genetic engineering, the authors also look at several religious views of when life begins according to fertilization. Also Cameron and Williamson discuss when life begins in a “Dolly embryo” (Cameron and Williamson 218). Cameron and Williamson go into depth on when an embryo or a “Dolly embryo” acquire respect. I will argue when dealing with genetic engineering a human embryo is entitled to dignity/respect, this topic needs to be dealt with informative people, and religious groups are biased in the genetic engineering debate.
Genetic engineering gives the power to change many aspects of nature and could result in a lot of life-saving and preventative treatments. Today, scientists have a greater understanding of genetics and its role in living organisms. However, if this power is misused, the damage could be very great. Therefore, although genetic engineering is a field that should be explored, it needs to be strictly regulated and tested before being put into widespread use. Genetic engineering has also, opened the door way to biological solutions for world problems, as well as aid for body malfunctions. I think that scientists should indeed stop making genetic engineering for humans, because it will soon prove to be devastating to the human race. It would cause rivalries and tension among different kinds of genetically engineered humans for dominance and power.
As the rate of advancements in technology and science continue to grow, ideas that were once viewed as science fiction are now becoming reality. As we collectively advance as a society, ethical dilemmas arise pertaining to scientific advancement, specifically concerning the controversial topic of genetic engineering in humans. Human genetic engineering increasingly causes dissonance between various groups of scientific and religious groups of people in regards to if we should or should not ‘play god’ and attempt to modify humans for the better of the race. First, let’s take a look at what exactly genetic engineering is; according to, yourgenome.org, “Genetic engineering refers to the direct manipulation of DNA to alter an organism’s
Wouldn't it be great to improve health care, improve agriculture, and improve our quality of life? Genetic engineering is already accomplishing those things, and has the potential to accomplish much more.
The Problem Genetic engineering has been around since the 1960’s, although major experiments have not been really noticed until the 1990’s. Science comes in different forms, the two major being cloning and genetic reconstruction. Cloning is the duplicating of one organism and making an exact copy. For example, in 1996 the creation of the clone sheep named Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned, which was a great achievement. The other form, genetic reconstruction, is used to replace genes within humans to help or enhance the life of an unborn child for a medical reason or just for the preference of a parent.
Scientists and the general population favor genetic engineering because of the effects it has for the future generation; the advanced technology has helped our society to freely perform any improvements. Genetic engineering is currently an effective yet dangerous way to make this statement tangible. Though it may sound easy and harmless to change one’s genetic code, the conflicts do not only involve the scientific possibilities but also the human morals and ethics. When the scientists first used mice to practice this experiment, they “improved learning and memory” but showed an “increased sensitivity to pain.” The experiment has proven that while the result are favorable, there is a low percentage of success rate. Therefore, scientists have concluded that the resources they currently own will not allow an approval from the society to continually code new genes. While coding a new set of genes for people may be a benefitting idea, some people oppose this idea.
Great medical discoveries pertaining to genetic modification are being made regularly and scientists are discovering new ways in which genetic engineering could be used to update certain medical procedures in the future. Complicated procedures such as organ transplantation have been made more successful with the use of genetic modification. Lab-grown bladders, windpipes, blood vessels and skin are some examples of organic matter that have been successfully grown with human cells and transplanted into human patients. The demand that the human population has on donor organs far exceeds the number of organs available for transplant. Genetic modification is the solution to this problem, in that, the advances being made in therapeutic medicine will save millions of lives in the future. Now that it is possible to alter the genes of an organis...