What Lies Ahead?

Today's future is obsessed with the future. Millions of people read their horoscopes daily, hoping for insight into their future. Financial analysts make predictions of the financial markets. Film directors create sci-fi films depicting what the future might be. David Brook's article, Looking Back on Tomorrow," discusses his vision of what the future might look like. Brook predicts that the future will have extensive medical technology, globalization of power, economic inequality and democracy. Having observed these trends, I agree that the future will be heavily influenced by the issues Brook discusses. Having witnessed the poverty in Kenya in comparison to the opulence in the United States of America, it is evident that the economic divide between the rich and poor will continuer to grow. However, beyond the medical and economic what moral issues will arise in the future resulting from these topics? I would like to further explore the public's potential response to future medical breakthroughs specifically cloning in relation to Christian ethics, making a prediction of the moral struggles future generations will face.

Lee Silver's article "Reprogenetics: A Glimpse of things to Come" explores the future possibility of human cloning. Silver describes a theoretical situation of an expectant mother who is carrying her own clone. This 'sci-fi' plot is a looming possibility with the numerous medical advancements. As the Bible does not directly condemn human cloning Christians must infer whether this is right or wrong. Wayne Joseph's, an author for the Christian Courier, wrote "The Ethics of Human Cloning" he describes a series of the moral implications of cloning. He asks why scientists want to clone human beings. He answers this question by writing, "...they are anxious to create a brand of create a brand of humans with whom they can experiment." He compares their actions as being similar to Adolf Hitler during the cold war. He describes scientists' actions as being similar to slavery. That clones would be destroyed in the misguided notion, that is purportedly to improve the quality of life.

The cloning of human beings could be perceived as "playing God". Christians perceive God to be the giver of life. Human cloning however goes against this Christian belief. Joseph describes scientists as making "an assault upon the Creator himself."

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