How Do Christians View Human Cloning?

How should Christians feel about human cloning?

What is Cloning?

In short, cloning is the process of producing similar genetic populations of identical individuals. Scientists argue that this is a process that takes place in nature, so why not in human beings? By creating copies of DNA fragments, scientists have said that they are only doing what naturally occurs in nature’s organisms, and that this “reproduction” has allowed life forms to spread throughout the earth, but they are mistaken. They are inferring that this happens in nature, as in evolution, and evolutionists try to associate natural selection with the evolutionary processes, and compare that process to cloning, but that’s absolutely false. Natural selection is a process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its environment by means of selectively reproducing changes in its genotype, but natural selection doesn’t create a new species…it makes species more adaptable to their environment. So when you hear that cloning already takes place in nature, remind them that they are only reproducing their own cells in order to survive, not in order to become a new form of life. The Bible clearly teaches that vegetable or fruit are “each according to its kind” (Gen 1:12), and not into a new kind, just as “God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind” (Gen 1:25). These “kinds” didn’t become creeping things or beasts or evolve out of them…they reproduce only after their own kind, just like humans do!

The Creator of Life

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, but then He created every living thing that exists, including mankind (Gen 1:27). He didn’t need any help or anyone’s counsel. He created life to be eternal in the beginning, at least in man, but of course we know the fall took place and mankind has been falling ever since. We have decided as a species, to do what seems right in our own eyes, and that’s a huge problem, because God’s ways are not our ways, and our ways are not God’s ways, and our ways lead to ruin and destruction. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8), and that’s the problem. We want to do what we think is best in our own eyes, but these ways are often in direct opposition to what God says in His Word. God alone is the Creator of life. Humans have never been able to create life. At best, they can create mutations, but like the famous fruit fly experiment, they began to accumulate mutations, and in the end, became sterile. Only God is the Author of Life (Acts 3:15).

Fallen Humanity

When we begin to put too much stock into what scientists say, we might give them too much power to work with. There is always a danger that when we begin to decide for ourselves what is ethical and what is not, we start compromising on values in the name of science. If we are responsible, we’ll make informed decisions, but if we try to take matters entirely into our own hands, apart from God, then that’s where we begin to get in trouble. The Bible has enough teaching in it to eliminate any so-called “grey areas.” Somethings in the Bible, like lying and stealing are clearly wrong, and taught as such in the Bible, but what about human cloning where there is no direct command against it or a law that forbids it? Does this mean we are free to clone human beings? We’ve already been cloning plants and animals, so why not human beings? In the first place, we can’t compare apples with oranges. Human beings are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27), and God has declared, we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), so why try to mess with what God has already created? Why mess with what is not broken for the sake of scientific advancement?

Tinkering with Life

When we begin to tinker with the delicate intricacies of life, aren’t we asking for trouble? Just look what splitting the atom brought; the risk of nuclear annihilation. Could this lead to “pick your child” sites where everyone wants a blue-eyed, blond hair boy or girl, or just fill in the blank for what you desire? If we get to pick and choose what our children will look like, then what type of human race will we end up with? Is there a risk to reverting to the ideas behind the Third Reich and trying to select only the Arian race like the Nazi’s tried to do, but isn’t that “playing God?” There is only one Creator, and we’re not Him. Let things stand as they are, I say, because God did a marvelous job in creating us. The human body is such an amazing organism. No scientist will ever be able to do what God has done…but they can surely manage to mess it up.

Conclusion

Human history is littered with historical accounts where we’ve messed with nature and it’s back fired on us, and there is a risk to cloning human beings that could very well present similar risks if we’re not careful. In my opinion, any time we try to manipulate human genes, we’re entering into forbidden territory. Sometimes science outstrips the ethics of the science and what is right and what is wrong becomes blurred in the process. Human cloning is such an example where we need to be careful, especially since we don’t yet know all of the implications or all of the risks. To me, it is not a grey area; it is black and white. God is the Creator. Only He can create life.

This might also interest you: The Importance of the Creation Versus Evolution Discussion

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Christian Answers, Creation, DNA, Human cloning, Natural selection, Science