CLONING OR CLOWNING: RUSHING WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD?
(This is the original article on cloning/bioethics that I wrote for the my chruch magazine Uphill. I don't know how much they've edited it, but here's my version, uncut. The views expressed herein are my own, tempered slighty cos it's written on behalf of a moderately conservative chruch. Self-censorship it's not--not quite anyway.)
On 2 August, our Bishop Dr Robert Solomon gave a talk on bioethics titled “Cloning or Clowning?” The event was well-attended by many people, with the audience ranging from students to retirees. The bishop started off by outlining the basics of cloning and also gave a brief timeline of cloning developments. He then proceeded to give a wide-ranging yet in-depth talk on the implications of cloning.
Cloning, he said, is a breakthrough unlike any other before it, in that it challenges many deep-rooted Christian ideas and concepts. These include the myth of creation as outlined in Genesis and the linking of love and procreation. Cloning challenges the former (so is God still the Creator of all life?) and threatens to dissolve the later (by making clones a product, instead of a sacred gift). Of course, cloning has its beneficial uses, especially for childless couples. But given that Mankind has, more often than not, proved irresponsible in the use (or abuse) of his discoveries, it is entirely possible that any gains made in cloning will be overshadowed by a far larger ethical cost. Also, technical possibility does not equate divine will—just because we can do it doesn’t mean we should. In concluding, the bishop noted that cloning is a real Pandora’s Box in the quandaries it introduces to our Christian beliefs.
During the Q&A session that followed, the attendees showed they had been thoroughly engaged by the bishop’s talk. They asked several pertinent questions, and thought-provoking issues were raised. Where does life begin? What about the soul of the clone? How about cloning animals? How is cloning different from the many other ways in which Man manipulates God’s natural order? There was also a general realization that cloning might be the 21st century equivalent of the Tower of l, built by Man in order to bask in his own glory. Once again, is Mankind beginning to encroach upon territories best left uncharted?
Unfortunately, there were more questions than there was time for answers. But it is safe to say that in the end, all of us went home with a better sense of the magnitude of the implications that arise from cloning. The myriad of complex and nigh-insoluble issues only served to drive home the stark realities of living in this modern age of amorphous value systems. How fundamental is fundamental Christianity? Where is the razor-edged line between religious conviction and ossified rigidity? Is there a razor-edged line?
Humankind may have conquered the earth and reached unprecedented heights of progress, but it seems we remain as helpless and ignorant as ever without a higher authority. Ultimately, I guess, in our search for answers and understanding, we must face this issue as Christians always do—openly, open-mindedly, compassionately and–of course–with His guidance.
(This is the original article on cloning/bioethics that I wrote for the my chruch magazine Uphill. I don't know how much they've edited it, but here's my version, uncut. The views expressed herein are my own, tempered slighty cos it's written on behalf of a moderately conservative chruch. Self-censorship it's not--not quite anyway.)
On 2 August, our Bishop Dr Robert Solomon gave a talk on bioethics titled “Cloning or Clowning?” The event was well-attended by many people, with the audience ranging from students to retirees. The bishop started off by outlining the basics of cloning and also gave a brief timeline of cloning developments. He then proceeded to give a wide-ranging yet in-depth talk on the implications of cloning.
Cloning, he said, is a breakthrough unlike any other before it, in that it challenges many deep-rooted Christian ideas and concepts. These include the myth of creation as outlined in Genesis and the linking of love and procreation. Cloning challenges the former (so is God still the Creator of all life?) and threatens to dissolve the later (by making clones a product, instead of a sacred gift). Of course, cloning has its beneficial uses, especially for childless couples. But given that Mankind has, more often than not, proved irresponsible in the use (or abuse) of his discoveries, it is entirely possible that any gains made in cloning will be overshadowed by a far larger ethical cost. Also, technical possibility does not equate divine will—just because we can do it doesn’t mean we should. In concluding, the bishop noted that cloning is a real Pandora’s Box in the quandaries it introduces to our Christian beliefs.
During the Q&A session that followed, the attendees showed they had been thoroughly engaged by the bishop’s talk. They asked several pertinent questions, and thought-provoking issues were raised. Where does life begin? What about the soul of the clone? How about cloning animals? How is cloning different from the many other ways in which Man manipulates God’s natural order? There was also a general realization that cloning might be the 21st century equivalent of the Tower of l, built by Man in order to bask in his own glory. Once again, is Mankind beginning to encroach upon territories best left uncharted?
Unfortunately, there were more questions than there was time for answers. But it is safe to say that in the end, all of us went home with a better sense of the magnitude of the implications that arise from cloning. The myriad of complex and nigh-insoluble issues only served to drive home the stark realities of living in this modern age of amorphous value systems. How fundamental is fundamental Christianity? Where is the razor-edged line between religious conviction and ossified rigidity? Is there a razor-edged line?
Humankind may have conquered the earth and reached unprecedented heights of progress, but it seems we remain as helpless and ignorant as ever without a higher authority. Ultimately, I guess, in our search for answers and understanding, we must face this issue as Christians always do—openly, open-mindedly, compassionately and–of course–with His guidance.
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