Is it O.K. to create immortality?

One of our high school students asked me a series of simple questions for a biology assignment. What do you think?

1. Will genetic engineering have positive/negative effects on society in general?

A qualified “positive.” The field is so large and the potential for good or evil so varied, that more questions need to be asked. Like splitting the atom, creating gunpowder or sharpening stone, wood or metal, this tool will have positive effects on society so long as it is used within strict moral boundaries.

2. In what ways does/ will genetic engineering impact the medical field?

Gene splicing carries potential for combating existing diseases and malformations. When used surgically or therapeutically its potential for good is immense. If allowed to cross strict ethical boundaries, however, it turns the gift of life into a commodity to be patented and marketed.

3. What moral and ethical implications are involved with genetic engineering?

On one hand, Christians would point to the cultural mandate (“filling” and "subduing” the earth) in Genesis 1:28 as the basis for pursuing good science in unlocking the mysteries of creation. Chemistry and physics and biology are noble professions. Moral lines are crossed when, in the pursuit of financial gain or power, human life (imago dei) is harmed or cheapened. Examples: creating human life and destroying it (abortion/embryonic stem cell factories), seeking to step outside created kinds to achieve immortality rather than using the technology to relieve the suffering that was not present at creation.

4. Do you view genetic engineering as right or wrong? Does there need to be a line drawn to limit it?

See above. Utopian visions like socialism and genetically engineered immortality look good only if you remove the concept of human sin or depravity from the picture. Even if one does not acknowledge the moral fallenness of our race, the generally accepted potential for human error is too large to assume that all the benefits of this vast field will outweigh its risks. What marketers dream up on the drawing board disappears when a nightmare crawls out of the laboratory.

See also Kerby Anderson's short article on the subject