"I Praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139 :14
There are at least two familiar biblical principle which should guide us here.
First as Pascal reminds us our reach is limited. "fearfully and wonderfully made. " yet, there is knowledge which is "too wonderful" for us too lofty for us to attain. "At the genetic level, as at any other physiological, psychological, or social level, Goethe's maxim holds: Individuum est ineffabike"(individuality is mysteriously irrepressible). As far as the research progresses mapping the genetic DNA sequences, we will not be able to map the soul. It is simply too lofty to diagram, dissect, dilute, or dilinish.
Second, as Psalm 8 remind us, man is made of God's image, ans such, we are bestowed with dignitty and value. As image bearers, we are more than a mere reductionistic sum of our physical parts. When research discounts the existence of a soul, the mapping becomes a prelude to disaster in its application.
The Scriptures give us a workdwide adequate fir modern life. Paul could not have envisioned stemcell research or pre-natal diagnosis of disabilities. But he would have us ask how we exalt God and honor man in His image with this new research or with the application of the new knowledge.
Ethics dedcribes what we ought to do. At the end of the day, what we can do and what we ought to do are more and more often two dangerously different things. May God grant His peoole wisdom as the world sings it siren song wooing us to knowledge and practices that glorify God. The Lord of heaven and earth.
Psalm 139 :14
There are at least two familiar biblical principle which should guide us here.
First as Pascal reminds us our reach is limited. "fearfully and wonderfully made. " yet, there is knowledge which is "too wonderful" for us too lofty for us to attain. "At the genetic level, as at any other physiological, psychological, or social level, Goethe's maxim holds: Individuum est ineffabike"(individuality is mysteriously irrepressible). As far as the research progresses mapping the genetic DNA sequences, we will not be able to map the soul. It is simply too lofty to diagram, dissect, dilute, or dilinish.
Second, as Psalm 8 remind us, man is made of God's image, ans such, we are bestowed with dignitty and value. As image bearers, we are more than a mere reductionistic sum of our physical parts. When research discounts the existence of a soul, the mapping becomes a prelude to disaster in its application.
The Scriptures give us a workdwide adequate fir modern life. Paul could not have envisioned stemcell research or pre-natal diagnosis of disabilities. But he would have us ask how we exalt God and honor man in His image with this new research or with the application of the new knowledge.
Ethics dedcribes what we ought to do. At the end of the day, what we can do and what we ought to do are more and more often two dangerously different things. May God grant His peoole wisdom as the world sings it siren song wooing us to knowledge and practices that glorify God. The Lord of heaven and earth.
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