Is there anybody who does not want to find cures for cancer, HIV, diabetes, and other so far incurable diseases? Really bad diseases, that can kill you?
Probably not. But next question: how far are we willing to go, to get those cures?
Dr. Mercola reports on new “gene-editing technology” that seems to offer real hope of curing terrible diseases… and is also a mine field strewn with unintended consequences and prospects for disaster (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/06/13/crispr-gene-editing-dangers.aspx?utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art3&utm_campaign=20170613Z1_UCM&et_cid=DM147520&et_rid=2042432193).
It turns out to be not quite so easy as they thought. Testing on mice showed these procedures brought in “more than 100 additional deletions and insertions”–whoa! that means stuff taken out that they didn’t mean to take out, and stuff put in that they didn’t mean to put in–“and more than 1,500 single-nucleotide mutations.” Does that sound good to you? It doesn’t sound too good to me!
So, OK, we’re gonna “cut and paste your DNA” and maybe nothing but good will happen, and maybe not. We might be tempted to try to make designer babies, and next thing you know, we’ve unleashed some unimagined horror on the world.
Of course we want to alleviate suffering! Of course we want to heal diseases! And of course we’re going to try.
But, oh, boy–to pursue that course without humility! We are not going to be able to abolish disease and death, any more than we can abolish war or injustice–because we are not God. God will do those things, not us. We can only try our best to make the world a little better, a little less terrible: and that, by God’s grace and with His help, we can do. Only a fool would deny that medical science has made great strides since the 19th century.
But what we might call “moral science” sure as shootin’ hasn’t! How much power do we want to put in the hands of moral imbeciles?
Some folks out there need to re-visit Jurassic Park.
The bottom line in all of this is Satan’s plan to destroy humans made in the image and likeness of God, which has been his plan from the beginning. Cloning, manipulating DNA, transhumanism, artificial intelligence – all these things point to the same thing. In fact, it gives me even further pause when I put it all together with Scripture. Satan’s lie – you shall be as gods, and Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
This is very scary. The antediluvian world was plagued by an attempt to alter the human genome when the Sons of the True God materialized and took human women as wives. The result were mutants of great size and violent temperament. The earth was cleansed by means of a flood in order to remove this brood, whom were ruining the earth with violence.
This is no less an assault on the integrity of the human genome, even if it is intended for the good. Unintended side effects could be disastrous. Imagine a person with a human psyche but living in a body which does not function properly and will never allow that person to live a full life. It happens all to often naturally, but what if gene editing produces problems which are not immediately apparent, allowing tie for many innocent persons to be subjected to the same treatment before it is realized to be harmful in the long run? Remember, the medical community once thought that lobotomies were the latest and greatest.
What scares me the most about this, is that apparently this technology is inexpensive and could potentially be used completely apart from ethical or professional limitations. In a world where people seem obsessed with cosmetic surgery (thinking back to a recent blog post about the person whom wished to render themselves a sexless alien) I could imagine some young firebrand misusing college lab equipment to try a bit of experimentation, ending up with disastrous results.
Even in the hands of the recognized scientific community, I would have doubts that the ethics of such an endeavor could be ensured. It strikes me that ethics are not always upheld these days and can melt quickly when some intriguing new development comes along.
Precisely, Unknowable. It seems we’re on the same page.
The one saving grace is that we have a demonstrated track record about this and the Creator will act in time.
Amen!
I don’t mean to be a Sadducee, but to me, if it doesn’t say so in the Bible, we have no obligation to believe it. Aren’t things in a fallen world bad enough without invoking giant monster mutants? Without the scenario of spiritual beings materializing into physical beings and begetting such mutants? These are extra-Biblical speculations, and I can’t see what good they do us.
Actually, it’s right out of Genesis 6. The Sons of the True God, commonly thought to refer to angels or other sprit creatures, became enamored with the daughters of men. The offspring were said to be “the mighty men who were of old, men of renown”.
While some posit these to be 15, or even 30 feet tall, I personally make no such claims. One would not have to be that large in order to be a real problem.
Some believe that there were multiple outbreaks of Nephilim throughout history, citing Numbers 13:33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”I’ve also heard the claim that Goliath was a Nephilim. I don’t hold any strong opinions on the post-flood mentions, but I’m completely certain of the Genesis 6 account as relating to larger than average size human/angel hybrids.
My Strong’s Concordance defines the Hebrew word “nephil” as “a bully or tyrant,” and only secondarily as a giant.
I’ve also heard it as “fellers”, as in those whom cause others to fall, or “fallen ones”. There is also a theory which states that the fallen angels themselves were some sort of ultra strong creatures and were the ones causing the damage.
It’s not my point to be dogmatic about it and whether they were some sort of giant is an open question in my mind, but the fact that there were children born of materialized angels and the daughters of men seems pretty solid. A review of parallel translations shows that “mighty” is the most common description. However these turned out, with regard to size, reproduction between humans and materialized angels is definitely an abomination. Jude 5-6 “Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 6And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day”.
My point is simply that messing with God’s genetic plan for the human race, or any other creature for that matter, is not a good thing for anyone, human or angel, to undertake.
You might be surprise, Lee, of the extra-Biblical works cited or alluded to in the Bible. For example, many extra-Biblical works are referenced directly, such as the Book of Jasher. The Books of Peter and Jude quote from the Book of Enoch. It is believed Jude may have also referenced the apocryphal book “The Assumption of Mosses” when he talks about Satan and Michael having a dispute over Mosses body. You’ll notice this passage seems to come out of nowhere, and is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. Even Paul was known to quote from Greek poets. So, some extra-Biblical works do have merit, and while they may not be divinely inspired they can still be useful as commentary.
I was just objecting to the mutant monsters.
Nicely stated, Watchman. I am somewhat familiar with the Book of Enoch, but I do not give it the weight of inspired scripture.
There are any number of views on who the Sons of the True God were in Genesis 6 and compelling cases for several views. Obviously, the Nephilim were significant, or they wouldn’t have been mentioned in scripture.
I know people who are convinced that there were giants of 15 or even 30 feet in height. I remain skeptical about such claims because structures, including skeletons, do not scale in a linear fashion. A 15 foot tall human would be quite thick and coarse just to support its own weight, at east to the best of my understanding. Supposedly the Smithsonian is suppressing huge skeletons, but I’ve yet to see even a shred of evidence.
The fallen angel interpretation of Genesis 6:4 is what I’ve always been taught and it makes sense. There were angels punished for forsaking their proper dwelling place and this, at least to my mind, jibes with offspring which are mighty men.
“Supposedly the Smithsonian is suppressing huge skeletons…??” Supposed by who?
Time to switch over to cat video.
I agree completely. I didn’t mean to imply that the Smithsonian actually did this, I just meant that there is a school of thought which believes this. They’ll have to show me more than vaporous claims if they wish to convince me.
You had me worried for a moment there!
Nope, no 15′ Nephilim skeltons in my closet.
For the record, I have seen a man 7′ 6 3/4″ tall with my own eyes, and it was intimidating to say the least. (Henry Hite) He had been a Vaudeville performer and then went on the road to promote Wilson Meats. IIRC, he drove up in a Volkswagen Beetle, but there was no front seat. All part of the shtick.
Not everyone believes in the fallen angel interpretation, but as I have studied it I think there is credence to it and it puts into context many things. I even wrote a little book about it. This was a popular viewpoint among the Jews during the time that Jesus walked the earth, but fell out of favor after St. Augustine came on the scene in the fourth century. St. Augustine allegorized scripture and de-mystified the bible.
As Christians we accept things such as talking serpents and donkeys, men walking on water, and the virgin birth, yet seem to have trouble accepting the idea of angels cohabiting with women to produce a hybrid creation. Ironically, Jesus could also be considered a hybrid. His mother was human, while his father was divine.
I’ve always thought that it made sense. There are things in the Bible I don’t have an explanation for, such as King Og (Deut 3:11) with his 9×4 cubit bed. I’m a willing listener to the extra scriptural explanations, such as the Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees, but I don’t give them the same degree of credence as I do the accepted Bible canon.
I know there are lost books referred to in the Bible: the chronicles of the Persians, for instance. I’d love to see what was in there.
As believers we understand any suffering endured by this old man that is passing away has been rendered minor once compared to the eternal, joyful future awaiting the spirit man. Sadly, most possess no such hope and would entertain taking any solution to end suffering offered by science consequences be damned. For decades human-animal chimeras have been gestating on so-called ‘research’ farms, and are hidden from the public to avoid public outcry to grant protections afforded Fido. Not a tinfoil hat issue as MIT tech review, ucdavis edu, technologyreview, wired have printed articles on this. Currently organs are grown on lab animals, a few years back a baby sharing the DNA of three contributing parents was born. Rejection of God has brought fallen mankind full circle, and fallen men are in league with Satan for pursuit of immortality apart from salvation in Jesus Christ.
Perhaps the 1/3 of mankind destroyed by the beasts are those who fall victim to their own genetic tinkering? Monstrosities without a soul likely to become demonically empowered. Wow, thanks for sharing this article.