Religious Point of View on Genetic Engineering
Catholics point of view: The biggest question any catholic would ask about this would be whether or not genetic engineering is moral. In the Catholic Church’s document the Dignitas Personae it clearly states that every human being is sacred right from conception and any experimenting or modification of the embryo is unacceptable. However the big thing that you have to ask yourself is what is genetic engineering? And truthfully there are two types of known genetic engineering ‘Genetic Therapy’ and Genetic Enhancement’. When someone is suffering from a life threatening disease they sometimes need some sort of gene modification such as DMD (duchenne muscular dystrophy), so they end up getting some sort of genetic therapy done. This in the eyes of Catholic belief is fine because the person in question is getting treatment for a life threatening thing. Genetic enhancement however is something that Catholics do not support. Genetic enhancement is the enhancement of a human to make them more than human, stronger, better looking, smarter etc. This concept goes against the Catholic beliefs. So the answer to whether Catholics believe in genetic engineering is yes and no.
Buddhists point of view: Before this question is able to be answered you must have a better understanding on the Buddhist religion. In Buddhism, people believe in karma and that what you do in this life will affect you in the next. Buddhists believe that the state of our bodies and nervous system affects our minds. Therefore, this is why karmic-based ethics insist on the purity of our bodies and minds so that we are able to spiritually move forward. So some Buddhists would say that genetic engineering is against their religion because it takes away the aspect of karma and one’s spiritual journey and should not be practiced. However other Buddhists think that genetic engineering is fine with in their religion, the reasoning behind this is because as long as science is helping humans progress without harming them, it is fine. So again, just like the Catholics, Buddhists answer on whether they believe in genetic engineering is yes and no.
Jews point of view: In the Jewish community the topic of genetic engineering as come up often, the reason for this is because the Jewish community has suffered from a genetic disease called Tay Sachs, which targets some Jewish people. Experts have struggled on the question of whether or not genetic engineering can be considered as ethical. It is a very touchy subject for Jews because during the Holocaust they were used as lab rats to test genetic engineering and as a result many Jews were murdered. Experts believe that genetic engineering to help cure a disease such as Tay Sachs is okay with their religion. The reason being for this is because in the Jewish law any processes invisible to the human eye is not forbidden. Also the genetic engineering is the manipulation of the egg, fertilised egg and sperm, thus it is not an actual person that is being manipulated, so it can be considered as ethical. The Jewish community like the Catholics are okay with genetic engineering when the purpose of it is to help cure diseases, they do not believe in the genetic engineering to select eye color or other personal features.
MY POINT OF VIEW: I view genetic engineering as a good and bad thing. In a positive way if someone has a very bad disease they can undergo genetic therapy. The fact that we are able to help others and almost cure their disease is amazing and definitely a good thing. I do not however agree with genetic enhancement, the fact that you can change any characteristic. I believe that God made us in his image and that it is not up to us to enhance ourselves. It’s just not right.
Buddhists point of view: Before this question is able to be answered you must have a better understanding on the Buddhist religion. In Buddhism, people believe in karma and that what you do in this life will affect you in the next. Buddhists believe that the state of our bodies and nervous system affects our minds. Therefore, this is why karmic-based ethics insist on the purity of our bodies and minds so that we are able to spiritually move forward. So some Buddhists would say that genetic engineering is against their religion because it takes away the aspect of karma and one’s spiritual journey and should not be practiced. However other Buddhists think that genetic engineering is fine with in their religion, the reasoning behind this is because as long as science is helping humans progress without harming them, it is fine. So again, just like the Catholics, Buddhists answer on whether they believe in genetic engineering is yes and no.
Jews point of view: In the Jewish community the topic of genetic engineering as come up often, the reason for this is because the Jewish community has suffered from a genetic disease called Tay Sachs, which targets some Jewish people. Experts have struggled on the question of whether or not genetic engineering can be considered as ethical. It is a very touchy subject for Jews because during the Holocaust they were used as lab rats to test genetic engineering and as a result many Jews were murdered. Experts believe that genetic engineering to help cure a disease such as Tay Sachs is okay with their religion. The reason being for this is because in the Jewish law any processes invisible to the human eye is not forbidden. Also the genetic engineering is the manipulation of the egg, fertilised egg and sperm, thus it is not an actual person that is being manipulated, so it can be considered as ethical. The Jewish community like the Catholics are okay with genetic engineering when the purpose of it is to help cure diseases, they do not believe in the genetic engineering to select eye color or other personal features.
MY POINT OF VIEW: I view genetic engineering as a good and bad thing. In a positive way if someone has a very bad disease they can undergo genetic therapy. The fact that we are able to help others and almost cure their disease is amazing and definitely a good thing. I do not however agree with genetic enhancement, the fact that you can change any characteristic. I believe that God made us in his image and that it is not up to us to enhance ourselves. It’s just not right.
