Stem Cell Research: The Religious Term Paper

In this sense technology turns human life into just another product that can be created in a laboratory and which has no intrinsic or deeper religious value or meaning. As John Paul II stated during a visit to America, "A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage from conception until natural death" (Dart, 2001, p. 11).

This also refers to the religious view that human life is sacred from there moment of conception and that stem cell research should be prevented as it in fact destroys the fetus in order to obtain the stem cells, This view is reiterated from different perspectives by theologians from various faiths. "God formed man from the dust of the ground; then, God breathed into the man's nostrils...the breath of life; and man became a living soul...life begins in a mother's womb, not in a scientist's laboratory." (Dart, 2001, p. 11)

This view is also expressed by number medical practitioners. A British physician, Richard H. Nicholson, states that while as much as ten percent of the world's population might benefit from stem cell research, one should not forget the wider and possibly more important moral and ethical dimensions of this technology. One should, he states, be aware of... The wider risks to societal beliefs about the value of human life, if one devalues the embryo..." (Callahan, 2003, p. 178)

In conclusion, there is little doubt that stem cell research is a technology that should be prevented for achieving its ends. While the medical benefits that this technology offers are enticing, yet the price that might have to be paid for these results would be too high. Stem cell research has the potential to destabilize and even eradiate some of the most essential aspects of conventional religious beliefs. The relationship between man and God is terms of the Biblical view of creation are threatened, as well as the sanctity and the meaning of human life. While one welcomes any technology that can heal the sick and repair the wounded yet this cannot be condoned if the price that we have to pay is the destruction of human culture and religious values.Works Cited www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105876208

Callahan, D. (2003). What Price Better Health? Hazards of the Research Imperative. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105876211

Darnovsky M. (2002) Embryo Cloning and Beyond. Retrieved may 9, 2007, at http://www.genetics-and-society.org/resources/cgs/200207_tikkun_darnovsky.html www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000859609

Dart, J. (2001, August 1). Advice on Stem Cells. The Christian Century, 118, 11. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000859609 www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97673410

Kass, L.R., & Wilson, J.Q. (1998). The Ethics of Human Cloning. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97673412

Bibliography www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5015009983

Cahill, L.S. (2006). Bioethics. Theological Studies, 67(1), 120+. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5015009983 www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105876208

Callahan, D. (2003). What Price Better Health? Hazards of the Research Imperative. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105876211

Darnovsky M. (2002) Embryo Cloning and Beyond. Retrieved may 9, 2007, at http://www.genetics-and-society.org/resources/cgs/200207_tikkun_darnovsky.html www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000859609

Dart, J. (2001, August 1). Advice on Stem Cells. The Christian Century, 118, 11. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000859609 www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97673410

Kass, L.R., & Wilson, J.Q. (1998). The Ethics of Human Cloning. Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97673412 www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006185884

Kemp, T. (2004). The Stem Cell Debate: A Veblenian Perspective. Journal of Economic Issues, 38(2), 421+. Retrieved May 13, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5006185884

Stem cell research.....