Does cloning threaten religion?

Most religions like to tell us all what "sinners" we are. So, what the hey, we may as well be what we are. Stop using that birth control and get abortions. Drink, swear, step on heads, for the leaders they have failed - mightily.

As I already asked, what business is it of religion, cloning?
The common people have more sense, so let the people speak.

On the upside, an army of Jerry Falwell clones appears unlikely.




timber

It depends whether you mean religion as in spirituality, or the institutions of religion, e.g. the anglican church...

1.spirituality:
I'd say not really. As a matter of word sophistry one can argue that if god created everything, then cloning and giving birth fall in the same category, re-arranging pre-created items(existing cells) to form new objects(humans). God will also know of a way to inject the soul into the newly 'created' human (through the mustache dip, the hyper-dimensional soulsender, or test-tube flashcard or whatever)The gnostic argument can be all encompassing assuming you accept the premise "god created everything".

2.Religion business units:
Wether or not cloning threatens the institutions of (western) religion is a matter of how literal they are.

For some institutions(of religion), this will undoubtedly be blasphemy, and they'd do their best to prevent it from happening, to save consistency for their literal interpretations. Unfortunately (for them), this will not be a tenable position in the long-term, since as was said, it is a matter of time before this will be routine.

For some institutions(of religion), this will mark a point where they can participate in the moral/ethical perils involved, assuming they can participate as opposed to dictate.

It is clear though, that direction on ethical issues of cloning(or others) will not come from the scientific world, since they're in a "proof-of-concept" frenzy that precludes them from it (as it did with the A-bomb). So in a roundabout way, cloning may actually serve as validator of some of these institutions...

gravy, Bush, evidently, disagrees with your concepts. He's also trying to control DNA studies, and many liberals are afraid he may outlaw Roe vs Wade. c.i.

The current administration represents some of those institutions that try to prevent the inevitable, i.e. scientific advancement. (Bush is a near-fundamentalist christian, no?)

As I hear it is in parenting, you can protect those in your care by isolating them from challenges, or you can guide them through these challenges.

Cloning and Religion
I believe that cloned babies will not have souls and therefore be in violation of God's purpose.

Re: Cloning and Religion

We begin to mess with a science that we don't fully understand yet and cannot possibly comprehend. The simple fact is the beggining of cloning signals the end of us all.

frog, What really signals the end of us all is religious extremism. Wars and starvation kills many, but so does religious fanatics and natural disasters. How cloning will end humans takes more imagination than I am capable of. However, I do see some benefits for humans coming out of the study of cloning. Maybe man will find ways to regenerate limbs, and help those with burns to replace their skins with "new" ones. Who knows? c.i.

frogflyer
If we didn't as you say mess with science we would be back in the stone age.

How do you know what Gods purpose is? In fact what makes you so sure there is a God or a soul?

Did it ever occur to you that God has given man the ability and the knowledge to clone so that he may find ways to cure ills and eliminate suffering.

Cloning
We never have had the ability to mess with the science of creation. Perhaps this is man's tool to create our own extinction. We may not see it in our lifetimes, however, what is the limit after replicating a human? The simplicity of it would tend to follow our imagination to produce the East German style athletes for the Olympics, the warrior, the genius, and finally AI. Eventually our conscience would be eliminated.

actually anything that threatens religion can't be all bad

dys, Thanks for the laugh for today. c.i.

Well, as we become closer to perfection, or are perfect (who knows what that is?) our spirit soars to the heavens to sit on the right side of God, and become co-creators with Him.

Maybe we got a rank amateur to create this planet? Or, some one sitting the left side?


Tex-Star

bib, Why stop at twins? How about triplets and quads? c.i.

Why would human cloning threaten religion?

The resultant clones won't survive long enough to threaten religion.