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American Scientists Create First Synthetic Living Cell - Vatican Warns them to Not Play God

MSizer

MSizer
Church warns cell scientists not to play God - WorldWide Religious News

The Vatican has stated that the creation of synthetic life by scientists in the U.S can be a breakthrough if used properly, but advised that only God can create life. Is the Vatican's ignorance boundless? Seriously, they talking out of their butts, and they need to mind their own business. The Catholic church's sex abuse scandals have exposed it as a morally vacuuous establishment, and they need to butt out of the way of scientific development. They are not qualified to act in any form of authority over scientific advancement nor of moral guidance. Period.
 

Just_me_Mike

Well-Known Member
Some people will always follow blindly, and as long as that is available to the Vatican to take advantage of, the Vatican will always have a home here on earth.
 

DeitySlayer

President of Chindia
Is it me or are they running scared? They're obviously crapping themselves after a few centuries of telling everyone that only God can create life.
 

Willamena

Just me
Premium Member
The Vatican has stated that the creation of synthetic life by scientists in the U.S can be a breakthrough if used properly, but advised that only God can create life.
And you take that as a warning? :D They're not mafia.
 

BucephalusBB

ABACABB
reading the text, it's actually not that bad.
they look with great interest, and they say if it's used for good it's not bad and if used for bad...it is.. Wel ofcourse it is!
It's only the last bisshop that thinks it's a crime vs God.
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
How does one "play" God?
Wouldn't the scientists have to create life with just a spoken word to "play God".

Do we have the transcripts from the experiments? Did anyone say "Let there be artificial life"?
And if they did, did they declare it was good?
 

MSizer

MSizer
If only god can create life, then why does it need to be said?

Exactly what I was thinking. If it's true, then there's no need to warn anyone of anything. It just goes to show you how utterly out of their field of expertise they are, despite not knowing it themselves.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
I think that it's cool.

What I don't like is the "ownership" or "patent" on new life forms or genes.

We're already seeing bad effects of this in genetically modified seeds... farmers in neighboring fields are being sued by companies that say they are illegally using their seeds - simply because of natural causes.
 

MSizer

MSizer
I think that it's cool.

What I don't like is the "ownership" or "patent" on new life forms or genes.

We're already seeing bad effects of this in genetically modified seeds... farmers in neighboring fields are being sued by companies that say they are illegally using their seeds - simply because of natural causes.

Ture, but IMO that's not a problem wiht gentic engineering per se, but with unjustifiable legal permissions.
 

The_Evelyonian

Old-School Member
Church warns cell scientists not to play God - WorldWide Religious News

The Vatican has stated that the creation of synthetic life by scientists in the U.S can be a breakthrough if used properly, but advised that only God can create life. Is the Vatican's ignorance boundless? Seriously, they talking out of their butts, and they need to mind their own business. The Catholic church's sex abuse scandals have exposed it as a morally vacuuous establishment, and they need to butt out of the way of scientific development. They are not qualified to act in any form of authority over scientific advancement nor of moral guidance. Period.

They're gonna cover up the sex abuse scandal and then tell us what's right and what's wrong? Yeah, right. :rolleyes:

The creation of synthetic life is an incredible achievement. The Vatican needs to mind its own business and leave the science to the scientists.
 

nomadchild

Gone Sailing
I think this is an amazing discovery, and the Vatican should not minimize this discovery by saying that it is only god who can create life, as obviously a cell is life xD
 

DeitySlayer

President of Chindia
I think this is an amazing discovery, and the Vatican should not minimize this discovery by saying that it is only god who can create life, as obviously a cell is life xD

Technically, they didn't create the actual 'machinery' of the cell, only the genetic code; but it's still pretty damn impressive, and they got the hardest bit done; which suggests the rest will follow along in a short time.
 
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angellous_evangellous

Guest
Ture, but IMO that's not a problem wiht gentic engineering per se, but with unjustifiable legal permissions.

It goes hand in hand - geneticists are going faster than ethics and law. This particular scientist has already patented over 300 genes, and I suspect that he already "owns" this new life form.

Both ethics and law cannot keep up with scientific progress because ethicists and philosophers can only speculate (and usually they are wrong) about how scientific discoveries will be used and the law cannot addess something that is not there.

But with respect to human cloning, it is illegal according to international law according to the United Nations - Bioética en la Red - United Nations Declaration on Human Cloning.
 

Duck

Well-Known Member
Church warns cell scientists not to play God - WorldWide Religious News

The Vatican has stated that the creation of synthetic life by scientists in the U.S can be a breakthrough if used properly, but advised that only God can create life. Is the Vatican's ignorance boundless? Seriously, they talking out of their butts, and they need to mind their own business. The Catholic church's sex abuse scandals have exposed it as a morally vacuuous establishment, and they need to butt out of the way of scientific development. They are not qualified to act in any form of authority over scientific advancement nor of moral guidance. Period.

I agree. I am surprised that there has not been any 'infallible' ex cathedra type of statements against the genetic engineering field of science, or the ex-communication of genetic engineers etc. in an effort to suppress the field. Granted, perhaps the fact that the pope has a web page has finally caused the vatican to think perhaps they shouldn't willy nilly try to burn scientists at the stake ala their treatment of Galileo.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Church warns cell scientists not to play God - WorldWide Religious News

The Vatican has stated that the creation of synthetic life by scientists in the U.S can be a breakthrough if used properly, but advised that only God can create life. Is the Vatican's ignorance boundless? Seriously, they talking out of their butts, and they need to mind their own business. The Catholic church's sex abuse scandals have exposed it as a morally vacuuous establishment, and they need to butt out of the way of scientific development. They are not qualified to act in any form of authority over scientific advancement nor of moral guidance. Period.
It strikes me as odd that the Catholic Church, an organization that teaches that its clergy can "bind and loose" people from divine judgement, reward and punishment, would criticize someone else for "playing God".
 
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