Tom

Are you sure that the Genesis account of the creation of man, and woman; Adam and Eve, can be clearly shown to be a case of "genetic engineering?"

I would like to see if you can support your remarks with a good Biblical/scientific basis if you are willing.

I would like to respectufully suggest that "genetic engineering" of any kind - even the most advanced ever attained unto, or that will be reached in the future; is very neanderthal technology to The Lord God Almighty.

Why would God need something so behind the times, compared to His knowledge, and wisdom, and power?

Is it reasonable for us to expect that God was limited to genetic engineering to create Eve? That could make Him susceptible to the same mistakes that may have already ocurred, or that will ocurr as a result of this little megabyte of technology. (God has Gigabytes of technology).

Tom, the comparison you made between cloning and Eve being made out of Adam's rib is very insightful. Even the fact that God made Adam out of soil, instead of speaking him into existence out of nothing, is noteworthy. And then that all of us are a mixture of our parents' DNA is more than interesting.

So what if we as humans figure out a way to borrow upon God's original design and creation to produce people out of people. Of course we need to wait until the procedure can be done safely before we start cloning humans.

The question is, how will we ever know when it is actually 100% safe to do so?

Look at the mutant births that have taken place as a result of the wrong use of other things such as chemicals, drugs, etc.

In medicine nothing is ever 100% safe. Medicine balances the treatment risk with the harm that will come if there is no treatment.

Does cloning humans come under medical research?

If so, then what is the purpose of cloning humans?

To provide us with an organ bank?

I should hope not!

That would be like taking my life so that one of my organs can be used to save somebody else's life.

Cloning humans is medical research because it creates [Folks, don't get theological with my wording here. I do not intend it as such.] a new human being. That human being will require medical care, and will carry during it's life the effect of potential genetic conditions caused by that cloning process.

No reputable person has ever suggested that humans should be cloned to serve as an organ bank.

What would be achieved by this cloning of a new human being?

Genetic information?

DNA information?

What?

This is obviously way beyond me field of understanding.

Daryl:

None of your specifics would be acomplished by human cloning. All of those could be studied by other methods. As I have said, ethically it is inappropriate to clone humans at this time.

I have nothing against cloning animals. [NOTE: If you raise esoteric issues such as attempting to clone a dinasaur, we are dealing with an aspect of cloning that I do not discuss here, which would raise ethical issues. So, I do not give approval to all animal cloning.] In animal cloning we can learn everything that our present level of knowledge will allow us to appropriately use.

The philosophical drive behind much discussion of human cloning, from the non-scientist, is simply a desire to obtain immortality. Please note I do not attribute that to all scientists. But, it is the reason for much of the non-scientist interest.

Of course we cannot achieve immortality without access to the tree of life, but if cloning can someday enable us to live to a healthy 200 plus that would be awesome. I can appreciate spending 100 years in retirement!

No, Mike, you would be expected to work untilyou were 150.