God Gave us Minds to Use to Improve Life
When we have had discussions about stem cell research and use of pre-embryos in the UK in recent years, it has been heartening to hear the voices of Jews across the spectrum from orthodoxy to the most liberal, as well as Christians and Muslims and Sikhs and Hindus, argue that God gave us minds and hearts and heads, and that it is for us to use that God given intelligence to conduct research that could improve human wellbeing and human life expectancy.
Unless you come from that sector of Christianity which regards the earliest stage of human life as so sacred that it must not be interfered with- despite nature's frequent spontaneous abortion of pre-embryos and indeed far further developed foetuses - the duty is to improve the human condition and to improve the lives of those who suffer.
Of course there are unethical experiments, but a blanket ban on types of experiments is not what we should be looking at. It is unethical to experiment, say, on prisoners who are captive and are not allowed to say no. it is unethical to do research that has no hope of being of value. It is unethical to conduct research without explaining to the research participants/subjects what the research is for. But it is not unethical, per se, to conduct research using human stem cells, nor indeed is it unethical to speak of helping those who suffer greatly by using the skin or even the blood of close relatives, or to have a child precisely because that child's bone marrow or whatever might save the life of a child already born. Science is knowledge. The debate lies in the use of that knowledge, not in blanket bans
By
Julia Neuberger
|
March 10, 2009; 12:05 AM ET
| Category:
Morality
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Posted by: CCNL | March 16, 2009 11:19 AM
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come on, not only to children! but also to row-boats or ride-sledges too! we are on Earth, the Ship! but is there a Railway? is there a predefined route of Planets in Space? lets watch Polar Express, especially the Lake with Ice!
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 1:03 PM
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did any body give carrots to deers in christmas time?
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:58 PM
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we are already gifted. we shall be gift-givers. we shall be gift-takers.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:57 PM
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how shall we fill? that is the ignation. how shall we fill? that is the love. how shall we fill? there shall be worths on the words. how shall we fill? we shall be open and aware and wise. this is God and Christ. this is education, this is Unity and Connection and Comperhension.
this is NAture. this is the Gift.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:56 PM
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so there should not be empty gifts to people. they must be full.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:53 PM
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shall people learn from the diseases that realize to be illnesses? shall we be able to see what we do? shall there be discontinual steps that we shall have to come and take?
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:51 PM
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in stem cells and genetics, do children cheer up and thank and go on with wisdom? shall people learn from the diseases that realize to be illnesses?
so education and awareness should go on with further advances. this shall accompany the advances in humanity. this should not be against faith, but to amend and heal, this should give birth to love and inspiration, like a fountain, endless and sourcefully.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:49 PM
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so shall the children approach to God? this is the problem. shall they be Children of God? Children of Christ? Members of Community and Unity? Blessed and Wise?
Ahmet and Jesus are Christ. so all are Christed or Christian, better word "Christiam".
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:45 PM
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so You may go on with the searches, but not with such an "reproach" or "will" but guidance and inspiration. the start and intent are important in the result and procedure and process.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:38 PM
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i think, i have completely verbalized. in case of more worths on words and arrangement of letters, i shall say in case more is granted by the source of the words, whom i greet to.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:37 PM
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in arabic, "murdar" similar to "murder" is "not applicable", "not benefit".
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:35 PM
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so this means, because of reproach to God, stem cells before children is a murder.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:32 PM
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"vorwurf" : before infants.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:31 PM
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"sells in order to heal reproach is a murder"
in stock exchange market, i mean.
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:30 PM
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"Möhren für die Kaninchen"?
rabbits? israelians? teachers? english? das pudel? the dogs? deers? car rod? crazy? homosexuality? mender? the road? to go? safety? healthy?
mu reader? muslim andreas? lemuria? atlanta? genetics? cyprus? enoch? cube of abraham? pilgrimage? to cancel? break down? compensation?
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:26 PM
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in case You know German, Baroness, would You help me in this volunteering attempt of mine to transverbalize the address from VAtican about stemm cells?
"stemm cells is a murder"
bestimmt, möhren, carrot
prearranged selves are carrots of .
Posted by: congratulations | March 11, 2009 12:10 PM
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From Charles Krauthammer who writes for the Washington Post:
"President George W. Bush had restricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to cells derived from embryos that had already been destroyed (as of his speech of Aug. 9, 2001). While I favor moving that moral line to additionally permit the use of spare fertility-clinic embryos, President Obama replaced it with no line at all. He pointedly left open the creation of cloned - and noncloned sperm-and-egg-derived - human embryos solely for the purpose of dismemberment and use for parts.
I am not religious. I do not believe that personhood is conferred upon conception. But I also do not believe that a human embryo is the moral equivalent of a hangnail and deserves no more respect than an appendix. Moreover, given the protean power of embryonic manipulation, the temptation it presents to science, and the well-recorded human propensity for evil even in the pursuit of good, lines must be drawn.
I suggested the bright line prohibiting the deliberate creation of human embryos solely for the instrumental purpose of research - a clear violation of the categorical imperative not to make a human life (even if only a potential human life) a means rather than an end.
On this, Obama has nothing to say. He leaves it entirely to the scientists. This is more than moral abdication. It is acquiescence to the mystique of "science" and its inherent moral benevolence. How anyone as sophisticated as Obama can believe this within living memory of Mengele and Tuskegee and the fake (and coercive) South Korean stem cell research is hard to fathom."