Playing God or The Greater Good?

Stem cell research: a very sensitive subject. Is it wrong or right? Do the motives and benefits outweigh the cost? Are we “playing God” or saving lives with our research? I don’t claim to know, and, in many ways, I don’t think there is a black and white answer. It is a very difficult topic, but I will outline my own person views on the subject and the moralities behind them.

            First and foremost, I do not and will not ever support embryonic stem cell research. Life is precious and there is great reason that the Bible tells us “thou shalt not kill.”¹ While I do believe that there are specific instances in which it is permissible to take the life of another human being, this is absolutely not it.

            Secondly, I’m not sure where I stand on the use of adult stem cells for research. While this does not take a valuable life, it seems that it is still being used to “play God,” or in other words to manipulate mankind in ways God did not intend. I have concluded for the time being that, when being used to heal diseases of injuries, this type of research is personally acceptable to me. A good deal of this opinion rests in the known fact that adult stem cells have less plasticity than embryonic cells², making it more difficult to use them to “tweak” other things designed into the human body, such as gradual aging and death.

            God gave us all the technology we have for a purpose, and should we chose to use it for the wrong purposes, He chooses to give us that freedom. “The ultimate expression of love is freedom.”³ While, yes, He has given us all of our amazing medical technology, I do not believe that He gave this to us for the purposes we are using it for.  Tampering with things that God set in motion several thousand years ago in a way that does not bring Him glory is inherently sinful. Thus, attempting to remove “death” from the human life cycle or to create “enhanced” humans is wrong.

            I am of the mindset that tampering with human life for any other purpose than saving that life is an area probably best left alone. And regardless, it is certainly not an area to become comfortable in. This said, I recognize that there are other areas of research connected to this topic that I have not yet touched upon, such as invetro-fertilization, the practice of implanting a fertilized embryo into a woman’s body. I object to this because of the hundreds of thousands living embryos that are never permitted to reach adulthood, preserved for possible future use in scientific freezers across the globe.⁴ Adoption is perhaps a safer method with which to gain children, and has more blessings in the long run. God speaks over and over again of His love for the fatherless. They are the apple of His eye⁵ and one of the best ways we can show our love for Him is to love those dearest to Him.