3 ms·
I don't think Christians (theism is just a code word for this, true lower-case theists are rare) feel this way, since they acknowledge the world is not pristine
by Noos 8y ago
I don't think Christians (theism is just a code word for this, true lower-case theists are rare) feel this way, since they acknowledge the world is not pristine due to the fall of man, and suffering and pain exist. Usually the argument on that is that man is made in the image of God, and has special value due to this. They act as stewards of creation and reflections of God himself, and shouldn't be treated like animals.
I'd also argue that non-natural selection can be worse. We have crude forms of it through pet breeding, and cats come to mind. The Scottish Fold in particular:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold
I worry non-natural selection could follow the path of the fold and various toy breeds.
- nathan_f77 8y agoThat's a good point. I'm sure there are many Christians who would be comfortable with gene-editing to prevent disease. And people hold a wide variety of beliefs, so I shouldn't have made such a broad generalization. Also pet breeding is a great example. But I think that's one of the advantage of CRISPR over selective breeding. Selective breeding results in lots of genetic problems like hip dysplasia, arthritis, etc. because the gene pool is too small. But I think CRISPR could probably fix most of these issues by splicing in the healthy genes from other dog breeds. Although I just found this article: https://splinternews.com/meet-the-guy-biohacking-puppies-to-make-them-glow-in-th-1793862258 https://splinternews.com/meet-the-guy-biohacking-puppies-to-... I didn't realize there was a DIY bio-hacking community just playing around with CRISPR in their backyard shed. This is concerning.