Remember the first Jurassic Park movie? Scientists creating living dinosaurs from fossilized DNA with the entire experiment deteriorating into a disaster of epic proportions. Remember Jeff Goldblum’s portrayal of Dr Ian Malcolm and his now iconic observation? “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
Just a couple weeks ago in mid-April of this year – 2021 – a group of scientists from three countries created the first human-monkey hybrid embryos and kept them alive in laboratory dishes for close to 20 days. Now, this is not the first time embryo human-animal hybrids (chimeras) have been initiated by scientists. Just the first time they’ve done it mixing human cells with supposedly more closely related primate. At least the first time that we know about.
Prior to this, scientists had already created pig, cow and rat embryos with human cells growing in them. Dating back no less than a couple of decades, they’ve been experimenting on aborted human fetuses and fetal tissue tissue (NIH, Feb 2002). And experimenting with cloning humans (Scientific American, Nov 2001).
Playing God
In other words, the human race has been playing God for quite some time.
Cloning attempts of animals date back to the 1800s at least. GMOs (Genetically modified organism) have been around for more than 25 years. From plants, including food crops, to living creatures. Field tested.
They think nothing of introducing these GMOs straight into the natural world where affects will likely be permanent. Not just crops, but insects and animals. Think mosquitoes just released in the Florida Keys (Nature, May 2021). And anti-fertility vaccines being used to control wildlife populations as is being done with deer in the USA.
Scientific researchers argue that their Frankenstein experiments will help humanity by providing better ways to test new drugs and grow human organs for transplants. They insist they want to improve humanity. To improve nature and the environment. But is it “humans are amazing,” or is it The Island of Dr Moreau or The Fly”? Are we arrogantly meddling where humans ought not to tread? Committing acts that are an abomination to God in some instances?
I think about this a lot in reference to everything from gender-change operations to genetically modified food, and experiments hoping to resurrect extinct animals using their DNA – for real. I believe this also applies to the creation of food chemicals and additives which are causing an array of health problems. And of course callously using animals as guinea pigs in appalling experiments testing everything from bioweapons to pharmaceuticals and beauty products (eg. mRNA vaccines trialed on ferrets, killing all of them).
And other processes, like human-animal chimeras and the drive toward transhumanism (linking humans directly to the internet, computers and machines), that threaten to up-end God’s creation.
Postive or negative effects?
Maybe we can do things, but should we? Should we be trying to change and manipulate God’s creation to the levels we do? The truth is, these types of experiments are usually born out of greed, arrogance, or belief in the doctrine of evolution. Sometimes they are well-meaning to start with. Perhaps often. But let’s face it, even the ability to perform organ transplants in order to save lives, has deteriorated into ripping out organs from healthy individuals to make money, and often to keep those with money alive at the expense of others. Just look at China.
GMO crops are mixing with other crops, risking the corruption of natural plant gene pools. And who knows what the effects of anti-fertility vaccines will be on animal populations down the line. Not to mention the current mRNA Covid vaccines which are causing a disastrous array of adverse side effects and deaths around the world. These aren’t positive effects.
And human-animal chimeras? Based on a reading of Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 18:23, and Leviticus 20:15-16, I’d say God considers them an abomination. His views on transhumanism wouldn’t be far behind.
Every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually
In the Bible, we see that in the very beginning God created man after His kind and each animal after its kind. He created plant life before them. And He deemed His creation good – as He created it. (Gen 1:20-31). Man was given a purpose and an amazing potential (1 John 3:1-2) which we still don’t fully comprehend (1 Cor 13:12).
Of course then Adam and Eve listened to Satan in the guise of a serpent and their descendants, except for Noah and his family, ended at the great flood because “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). And here we are.
As Christians, we can marvel at science and human accomplishments, but we should also be very aware when these collide with the will and creation of God. We must consider that man’s heart is usually not aligned with God’s (Jeremiah 17:9). That society is, in fact, mirroring the days of Noah (Matt 24:37).
So in places where we have a voice – and even in those where we don’t – we cannot stay quiet. As Noah did – as a preacher of righteousness – we must speak up, too. We must denounce sin and evil (Isa 58:1). It doesn’t matter where that evil lies. Science and medicine may have become gods to the world that we are not allowed to speak against. But our God would expect otherwise.
We need to remember that just because a thing can be done and is being done, doesn’t mean that God would have humanity do it. Or that we should be a part of it.
