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6. The Person in Light of Human Genetics

The emerging results of the Human Genome Project deepen and complexify many of the key anthropological issues already discussed in light of evolutionary biology and sociobiology. Moreover, although I have not included ethical issues in this essay, they are unavoidably intertwined with theological concerns in the fields of genetics and genetic engineering. Presumably, for example, one can discuss such ideas as God’s ongoing creative action through the evolutionary process (against atheistic views of evolution, for example), the identity of the human species and the goodness of human genetic diversity (against racism, sexism, and so on), and the goal of curing medical disease. Genetics, however, brings these three into poignant interaction, since they all crucially involve the human genome, its relation to the genomes of other species, and the possibility of genetic alteration.

Science minisummary The purpose of the current $3 billion Human Genome Project (HGP) is to map and sequence the human genome. When complete, we should know the position of the roughly 35,000 genes in human DNA and the sequence of the base pairs, A, T, G, and C that compose each gene. The purpose is both pure science and medical ethics: by identifying the genetic basis for the 3000-4000 human genetic diseases, eventual cures may be possible (and certainly otherwise impossible). But HGP raises tremendous ethical, legal and social issues. From its inception a small but significant portion of research funds (3-5%) were set aside for interdisciplinary research on these issues.

There has been increasingly careful theological and ethical reflection on both HGP per se and the much broader scientific and technological context in which it is located. We now have instructive summaries of the ecumenical conversations of the World council of churches and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. by Roger Shinn,Roger L. Shinn, "Genetics, Ethics, and Theology: The Ecumenical Discussion," in Genetics: Issues of Social Justice, ed. Ted Peters (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1998), 1-48.of Roman Catholic reflections by Thomas A. Shannon,Thomas A. Shannon, "Genetics, Ethics, and Theology: The Roman Catholic Discussion," in Genetics: Issues of Social Justice, ed. Ted Peters (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1998), 1-48.and of Jewish reflections by Laurie Zoloth-DorfmanLaurie Zoloth-Dorfman, "Mapping the Normal Human Self: The Jew and the Mark of Otherness," in Genetics: Issues of Social Justice, ed. Ted Peters (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1998), 180-204....Karen Lebacqz has written on justice issues related to the Genome Project.Karen Lebacqz, "Fair Shares: Is the Genome Project Just?" in Genetics: Issues of Social Justice, ed. Ted Peters (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1998), 1-48; see also Karen Lebacqz, "Fair...In a wide-ranging survey, Ted Peters brings these conversations together under eight major issues which entail, in turn, deeper theological assumptions about God, evolution, and the human person.Ted Peters, "Genes, Theology, and Social Ethics: Are We Playing God?" in Genetics: Issues of Social Justice, ed. Ted Peters (Cleveland, Ohio: Pilgrim Press, 1998), 1-48.These issues include: genetic discrimination; an intensification of the abortion controversy; patenting and cloning God’s creation; genetic determinism and human freedom (and what Peters calls the “gene myth”); the ‘gay gene’; somatic vs. germ-line intervention; and ‘playing God’.

Peters takes a bold considered position on each issue after careful reflection and extensive involvement with participants on both sides. For example, on the issue of genetic discrimination, Peters believes that the ethicists’ appeal to the ‘privacy defense’ will be hard to implement in practice, and argues instead for “information without discrimination”. He modulates a concern for patent issues with our need to encourage the development of genetically based therapies. Peters believes that cloning raises ethical, but not specifically theological, issues since nature is created, not sacred. Moreover, cloning, even of humans, is not in principle unethical, finding it somewhat analogous to the situation of identical twins. God’s love is impartial to our genetic makeup, and what makes each of us unique transcends our genes and involves all of life’s experiences and relationships. The real problem is with unforeseen consequences. Genetic determinism actually takes two, contradictory, forms: “puppet determinism”, in which genes determine all our behavior, and “Promethean determinism”, in which we can guide our evolutionary future armed with genetic knowledge. According to Peters, both belong to the ‘gene myth’ and are misleading, and, ominously, they link such issues as genes, crime, class, and race. Regarding the ‘gay gene’, Peters’ point is that even if there is something like it, science alone does not determine its ethical interpretation. Somatic therapy may be morally desirable for curing disease but not for enhancing the quality of life for healthy individuals. Germ-line therapy is highly problemmatic because we do not know the potential long-term consequences, and because it raises the specter of eugenics. As for ‘playing God’, Peters argues theologically against viewing the DNA, or any part of creation, as sacred, as Jeremy Rifkin and others suggest, drawing on both creatio ex nihilo and creatio continua Instead, given his insistence of Trinitarian prolepsis, Peters claims that God gives the world a future and continually creates new things. With Philip Hefner, he views the imago dei as the “created co-creator”. Thus the human is inherently maker; we cannot not be creative. The ethical issue concerns the particular future to which we direct our energies.See also Ted Peters, Playing God?: Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom (New York: Routledge, 1997); Ted Peters, "Playing God with Our Evolutionary Future," in Evolutionary and Molecular Biology:...

Contributed by: Dr. Robert Russell

Theology and Science: Current Issues and Future Directions

Introduction
Part I: Method in Theology and Science
    A. Typologies (‘Ways of Relating Science and Religion’)
    B. Critical Realism: The Original ‘Bridge’ Between Science and Religion.
    C. Further Developments in Methodology: Pannenberg, Murphy, Clayton
    D. Anti-Reductionism
       1. Three Types Of Reductionism
       2. A Non-Reducible Hierarchy of The Sciences
       3. Non-Foundational (Holist) Epistemology
    E. Ontological Implications
    F. Metaphysical System vs. Specific Philosophical Issues
    G. Summary of Critical Realism and Open Issues
  Part 2: Developments and Current Issues in Christian Theology and Natural Science
    A. God and Nature
       1. Time and Eternity
       2. Divine Action
          a) Agential Models of God’s Interaction With the World
          b) Agential Models of Embodiment and Non-Embodiment
          c) Metaphysical Systems and Divine Action
    B. Creation and Cosmology
       1. Big Bang Cosmology
          a) t=0
          b) The Anthropic Principle (AP)
       2. Inflationary Big Bang and Quantum Cosmologies
          a) t=0 revisited
          b) The Anthropic Principle Revisited
          c) Final Remark
    C. Creation and Evolution
       1. Two Philosophical Issues Raised By Evolution: Holism and Teleology
          a) Holist Versus Reductionist Accounts
          b) Teleology in Biology
       2. Evolution and Continuous Creation
    D. Theological Anthropology and Evolutionary Biology and The Cognitive Sciences
       1. Reformulation of ‘Body and Soul’
       2. The Person as a Psychosomatic Unity
       3. The Person in Process Thought
       4. The Person in Feminist Theology
       5. A Physicalist Approach to the Person
       6. The Person in Light of Human Genetics
       7. Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Theological Anthropology
    E: Redemption, Evolution and Cosmology
       1. Christology
          a) Christology and Quantum Complementarity
          b) Christology in an Evolutionary Perspective
          c) The Resurrection in Relation to Science
       2. Theodicy
       3. Eschatology
          a) Eschatology and the Earth
          b) Eschatology and ‘Philosophical Cosmology’
          c) Eschatology and Scientific Cosmology
  Part 3: Challenges and Future Directions
    A. Feminist Critiques of Science and Of Theology and Science
       1. Feminist Critiques of Science
       2. Feminist Critiques of ‘Science and Religion’
    B. Post-Modern Challenges to Science and to Theology and Science
    C. Inter-Religious Dialogue, World Spiritualities, and Science
       1. Dialogue Between a Specific Religion and Science
       2. Interreligious Dialogue with Science
    D. History of Science and Religion
       1. Exposing the ‘Conflict’ Myth
       2. The ‘Religious Origins’ Thesis
    E. Theological and Philosophical Implications for Science: An Interaction Model of Theology and Science
       1. From Physics to Theology
       2. From Theology to Physics
       3. Results
  Appendix: Teaching Resources and Programs in Science and Religion
    i ) Textbooks and Overview Articles
    ii) Teaching Resources
    iii) Programs
    iv) Journals
    v) Websites

Source:


Dr. Robert J. Russell

See also:

Genetics
Evolution
Physics and Cosmology
History
Ethics
The Cognitive and Neurosciences
Computing
Ecology
Philosophy
Theology
The Relation of Science & Religion
Purpose and Design
The Faith of Scientists
Literal and Symbolic Truths
What Science Can Learn From Religion
What Religion Can Learn From Science
Books on Science and Religion - General
Books on Physics and Theology
Books on Biology, Genetics and Theology
Books on Neuroscience and Theology
Books on Information Technology