A Pro-Christian View on Cloning

Alternative Views in Science

Although many Christians view cloning in terms of being sinful, there are alternative Christian views. It would be uncritical to lump all Christians in to one category of belief concerning cloning because there are some who see it as beneficial if handled in the correct manner. The pro cloning view has evidence in scripture and therefore has merit.

To understand the pro cloning view, one must understand that even Christian do not agree on this topic. According to Bob Sullivan of MSNBC, there are inherent differences between cloning humans and therapeutic cloning.

…in almost every case, the religious debate is still open-ended. Other than opposition to the more sinister possibilities, such as the creation of “spare-parts” humans, there is hardly consensus about the ethics of cloning. In the absence of a central teaching authority, akin to the Roman Catholic Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, many religious scholars are still openly debating the pros and cons of a powerful new science that could bring as much potential for hope as for horror (Sullivan, 2005).

For instance, many Christians would agree that human cloning is wrong because it is playing God, however; using cloning to create organs to help people from dying of chronic diseases such as heart disease finds acceptance with many Christians. There are scriptures that also promote the welfare of life and distinguish man’s role in upholding life per God’s will.

Deuteronomy 30:19 20 “… I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

One could argue that God is stating that man should choose life over death in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This concept is repeated throughout the Bible:

In Proverbs, there is a clear distinction drawn between death and life and that God is presenting a choice for man to make. This choice is found in the acceptance and praise of life “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” This Proverb clearly shows that God is providing a person with a choice of death and life with regard to one’s actions and beliefs. From these scriptures one can clearly see that there is an argument present in which Christians who believe in cloning for the purpose of therapeutic reasons can find evidence of God’s approval.

There are other areas of cloning that can be reconciled in the Bible. For example, the cloning of animals for food and other uses has strong evidence for Christian approval. The following scriptures reflect this evidence:

James 3:7 — For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind.

 

Because God has provided animals for man to reign over, it is arguable that cloning is not a sin due to the fact that man has been provided animals for his use. In this way, animals can be cloned for food and other uses. It cannot be a sin to clone animals if God has provided them for man’s use.

Another argument for cloning which Christians may find acceptance in is in agriculture. Cloning plants in order to stave off starvation is clearly supported by the arguments presented in the prior scriptures. Cloning agriculture is both a means of upholding life as well as using it for the divine purpose that God intended. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29–30)

When one looks at the controversy of cloning it is evident that there are many polarized views of this subject. These views lack critical thought because they assume that there is no diversity of opinion. In reality, there are many aspects of cloning which may be perfectly acceptable to many Christians due to scripture that provides evidence for their use. The cloning of animals, organs, plants are just some examples. There are possibly many other areas of cloning that could find acceptance such as cloning viruses in order to create vaccines and other biological medicines. Like many subjects cloning becomes muddled in extreme views which tend to leave many people frustrated. While human cloning seems to be a clear sin, there are many aspects of cloning that may be perfectly acceptable.

References

King James. (2014). King James Bible Online. Retrieved from King James Bible Online: http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

Sullivan, B. (2005). Religious Views of Cloning Do Not Agree. Retrieved from Hawaii.edu: http://home.honolulu.hawaii.edu/~pine/phil120/phil120web/cloning-religion.html

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