Religion and science: historical perspectives and contemporary debates

Religion vs. Science: the issue of cloning and stem cell research

The debate about religion vs. science is one that has been ongoing since the start of the industrial revolution and the inception of modern science. In the late Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries as science began to advance, many of the accepted religious issues and beliefs about reality were put into question.

This meant that many the fundamental beliefs and worldviews of religion were also questioned and doubt began to creep into Western civilization about the validity of religious perceptions of reality and life. This questioning attitude and doubt was accelerated in the Twentieth Century. The two World Wars that occurred during this century also caused people to question traditional religious views.

However this decline in religion was balanced in second half of the last century by a questioning of the views and assumptions of science. Many artists and thinkers began to state that the scientific view of reality was flawed and limited. Therefore the contemporary situation generally in the world is characterized by a continuing debate and conflict between those who support the scientific world view and those who view life from a more religious context. On the one hand many scientists view religion as "unproven" and more of a myth than a reality. "...religious experiences are mere delusions and... God might be nothing more than a hallucination..." (McGillion) On the other hand many religious people and theologians view scientific thought as ignoring the higher ethical and religious values which they consider to be the essence of what it means to be human. "They believe that the naturalistic bias of science is in fact atheistic, and that if we don't change science, we can't believe in God." (Goldenberg S.)

This debate affects many issues and especially socially contentious scientific discoveries and theories. One issue that has caused a great amount of debate and contention in recent years is the issue of cloning and stem cell research. Cloning techniques represent one of the most innovative scientific developments of this century. At the same time this new technology clashes on many levels with the religious views and established perceptions that are still a strong part of modern society.

One the one hand and from a scientific viewpoint, cloning and stem cell research is viewed as a very positive development for humanity in general.

Scientists and those who support the scientific view, see stem cell research as a possible cure for many diseases that has to date been incurable. This includes diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's diseases. Parkinson's disease is a "...very common neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 2% of the population over 65 years of age. (Stem Cell basics) The lack of Dopamine in the brain is considered a central cause of Parkinson's disease. New methods are being used by scientists to produce dopamine neurons form human stem cells. This has led to the possibility that "...the successful generation of an unlimited supply of dopamine neurons could make neurotransplantation widely available for Parkinson's patients at some point in the future." (Stem Cell basics)

There is even the scientific suggestion that stem cell research may be a means of preventing aging in humans. "Many biomedical gerontologists and life extensions believe that future breakthroughs in tissue rejuvenation with stem cells,... will eliminate all aging and disease as well as allow for complete rejuvenation to a youthful condition." (Antiaging)

On the other side of the argument is the view that cloning technology and stem cell research will destroy family and religious institutions. More importantly, stem cell research is seen by many as a direct threat to religious perceptions and challenges the very meaning of what it is to be a human being. "Embryo cloning is the technology that would make the creation of eugenically engineered 'designer babies' commercially feasible." (Darnovsky M. 2002) This also relates to the growing concern in some quarters that technologies such as stem cell manipulation can be subject to abuse. "Many disability rights activists argue that it is being used in a misguided search for 'perfect' babies, and many feminists voice concern about its use to satisfy 'gender preference'." (Darnovsky M. 2002)

There is therefore, from a religious point-of-view, strong objection to this new technology from many large churches, particularly the Catholic Church. From a conservative religious perspective stem cell research and the cloning of body parts are seen to be tantamount to saying that man can create himself instead of God. This means that man and not God becomes the creator; which obviously undermines the foundations of many of the world's prominent theologies.

Therefore many who are opposed to the scientific worldview based only on reason see the implications of cloning technology as being in direct conflict with ethics and theology. Many of these critics are of the opinion that cloning will reduce the intrinsic worth of what it means to be a human being.

Experts like Jeremy Rifkin, the author of The Biotech Century: Harnessing the Gene and Remaking the World, states that, "... we are shocked and dismayed that clonal human embryos have been patented and declared to be human 'inventions'. We oppose efforts to reduce human life and its various parts and processes to the status of mere research tools, manufactured products, and utilities." (Rifkin 23)