Cloning!

Cloning: What attitude should Christians have to this?

I. Introduction

Long time ago, if we talk about human cloning, it seems only occur in the science fiction. However, after the first successful clone, the sheep Dolly, appeared in 1996, the story of human cloning may not be a mystery in the near future! The breakthrough of cloning technology wakes people up that cloning may work in human being.

Some people fear that if scientists clone a batch of little “Adolf Hitler”, the world may come to the end very fast! Thus they totally disagree human cloning at all. On the other side, some think that if we can clone many “Albert Einstein”, the science of the world will change and our life may become better! Therefore, they agree with the human cloning but selectively.

Human cloning also arises many ethical issues and gets much attention of many religious leaders around the world (Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs).[1] Even in the circle of Christianity, the views to human cloning are diverse and often conflicting.[2] Roman Catholicism and other conservative Christian denominations believe that the soul enters the body at the moment of conception when the sperm and egg unite. So, one destroying the human embryos during the cloning process means killing human beings indeed! Some Christian conservatives express concern that cloned embryos would have no soul, since it was, in their view, born outside of God’s parameters. Other Christian traditions like the United Church of Christ do not believe a fertilized ovum constitutes a person. They believe that cloning can be conducted ethically in order to help treat disease and improve the public health.[3]

If we look inside the church, the typical stance on human cloning is mostly against it. But if we ask more, one may find that most church members do not understand the issues at hand and simply say they are against cloning because their church or their pastor is against it.[4]

The aim of this paper is to deal with the hot topic of cloning more in detail so that we can have a clear understanding of cloning and know more about what our Christian ethical view on cloning should have.


II. What is Cloning?

Before we discuss human cloning and the Christian ethical view, we first should know what the cloning is.

Simply speaking, cloning means the Xerox of a life. Thus, identical twins are also considered as clones, but naturally. It is because two identical life forms developed from one fertilized egg cell that divided into two separate life forms.[5]

But right now, if we talk about cloning, the focus is on the cloning using Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). This is the method that was used to create the sheep, Dolly. A somatic cell is a cell from any part of the body other than the reproductive cells. The nucleus is the portion of each cell that contains the DNA that makes each life form unique. The nucleus of the somatic cell is transferred to a donor egg cell in which the nucleus of the donor egg has been removed.[6] In the case of Dolly, a somatic cell from an adult female sheep was isolated. Using the SCNT method resulted in an embryo developing from this nuclear transfer and was implanted into a surrogate female sheep.[7]


III. History of Cloning

In addition, we have to go through the history of cloning because this will provide us a clear picture about the development of cloning.

Cloning of non-mammals was first accomplished in 1952. However, cloning of mammals proved much more difficult, with the first successful clone being the sheep, Dolly in 1996. Other mammal species followed rapidly, with mice and cows being cloned in 1998, and pigs in 2000. The first cat was cloned in 2001. Rabbits were cloned in 2002 and the first male mammal (a mule) was cloned in 2003. In 2004, a bull was cloned from a previously cloned bull (serial cloning). The first human cloned embryos were not produced until 2001, when a private company Advanced Cell Technology produced 6-cell embryos.[8]


IV. Human Cloning

In fact, cloning is in the very early stages of development. In attempts to clone animals, scientists have a very small amount of success. For example, to clone the sheep, Dolly, it took 276 tries. Moreover, according to BBC News, it reported in 2003 that Dolly died a premature death, probably due to the use of aged chromosomes in her nuclear transfer.[9] This immediately raised questions whether the cloning technology is reliable or not! Indeed, the human cloning may unavoidably face the same problems. If scientists clone a human, we may see in the future that a child is only a teenager but the body acts like it is middle aged, and he dies of “old age” at age of 30! Furthermore, in the successful attempts at cloning, many animals have come out deformed or having serious birth defects. It is questioned that to clone a human, the same birth defects may be a common side-effect.[10]

If we ignore the above problems that may be solved one day when cloning technology becomes mature, in the view of scientists, there are some possible applications of human cloning. They are shown as follows:[11]
1. Biological immortality;
2. Prevent genetic disease;
3. In social experimentation;
4. Improve psychic communication;
5. Improve organ transplantation.

V. Christian Ethical View on Cloning

5.1. Biblical Study

As a Christian, we should look back to the Bible for the foundations of our faith in order to response such controversial issues of cloning.

1. Image of God

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27)

From Gen 1:27, we know that man was created by God in God’s own image. All humans were planned and made by God, to be like God. However, through cloning, man is seeking to create a human in his own image, to be like him rather than God.

Throughout the Bible, like Gen 1:1-5, Ps 8:3-4, Ps 100:3, Acts 17:24-25, all these tell us that God as Creator, is the Creator of everything that exists. Many other passages tell how God has created us. Here are a few:[12]

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” (Ps 139:13-16)

“Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, … I have formed you, …Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone.” (Isa 44:2, 21, 24)

“Your hands made me and fashioned me.” (Ps 119:73)

Also, the God created us is a personal God. This means that He is eager to develop an intimate relationship with human being. As people created by a personal God, we are not the end products of random. We are not come from purposeless processes! In fact, this personal God is close to us as well as over us. God is actively involved in keeping the world going.[13]

“all things were created by him and for him.” (Col 1:16)

“The Lord hath made all things for Himself. . .” (Proverbs 16:4)

Moreover, in view of Col 1:16 and Pr 16:4, we were created by God for His purpose. This means that all the creatures have its own purpose indeed. Those who seek to clone a human, desire to only create for their own purposes. Some scientists of human cloning may just want to play God and glorify themselves at all.

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,” (Rom 1:18)

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Rom 1:22-23)

It is noticed from Rom 1:18 and 1:22-23 that, God is angered by those who refuse to acknowledge and honor Him and instead create idols of other humans.

“But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan. . .” (Mic 4:12)

With cloning, man seeks to usurp God’s place as Creator, which directly disputes Psalms 100:3:[14]

“Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Ps 100:3)

We can see that God created each human to be a special, unique individual representing Him and His divine purposes on earth. Cloning seeks to manufacture an exact copy of another human, like a commodity, for worldly purposes. This “playing God” is a form of idolatry, making for ourselves an image that is not God’s image.[15] We are told in Leviticus 19:4,[16]

“Do not turn to idols. . .I am the Lord your God.” (Lev 19:4)

If we study the Bible in detail, we should find there are two passages in the Bible that bear directly on the issue of men playing God. The first is in Genesis, when Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden for taking fruit from the tree of knowledge and presuming to obtain God’s wisdom. Also, in Genesis 11 is the story of the Tower of Babel. Humans, with the help of a common language, were on the verge of building a tower all the way to Heaven. But God did not approve: [17]

“The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Gen 11:6-7)

2. What is Health?

We understand that we should not clone a human for our own purposes which result in playing God and glorifying ourselves. But, one may ask a question, “Can we clone a human for the purposes of disease treatment (e.g. to harvest stem cells for research and gene therapy, for “spare parts” to transplant into an ill or dying person or even to replicate a particularly desirable set of physical or mental traits)?”

From the biblical perspective, disease and even death are the manifestations of a fracture in the relationship between God and human being. Thus, true health is only found in the restoration of a right relationship with God.[18] In fact, the only way for this restoration between God and human being is in Jesus Christ. Only believed in Jesus Christ, one can develop a new and right relationship with God!

“(Jesus said) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b)

In addition, if we manufacture a clone for the purpose of disease treatment, this means that the clone may have less value than his twin “father”. For example, the purpose of the clone in his life is just used to provide the “spare parts” for his twin “father”. This violates God’s purpose that He created each human to be a special, unique individual representing Him and His divine purposes on earth (Gen 1:26-27, Col 1:16). If human being is created in God’s image and likeness, and is unique among all creations, then that is something to be valued, and not treated like a commercial commodity to sell or to trade. In fact, the dignity of human being or even clones is based upon what individuals are in the sight of God and never upon what they can do for society, for mankind, or even for God.[19]

3. God’s Divine Plan for Family

“male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number. . .” (Gen 1:27-28)

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24)

In Genesis, we can see God’s divine plan for the family. God’s first family consisted of one man, one woman, and the children born to their union. Each child was and is one of a kind, a unique combination of the genes of his father and mother. A cloned child would only have the genetic material from one person, a purposely-manufactured child with truly only a single parent. Therefore, human cloning represents a complete destruction of God’s divine family plan.[20]


5.2. Theological Reflection[21]

According to Karl Barth, a central concern of Christian ethics is the outworking and shaping of man’s sanctification by the command of God in man’s real action.[22] God alone is good, and that the human being only through the grace of God’s Word in hearing and obeying his command is good. Ethics is the existence of good human action under the lordship and efficacy of the divine command. [23] Thus, Brown suggested that ethical determinations must be theologically driven. Barth helps us with this needed biblical theological drivenness by articulating a comprehensive doctrine of the image of God.[24]

First, the freedom of the internal relations of the Trinity is to be mirrored in the freedom of person with person. Second, the relationship of equality in the Trinity is analogically carried over into an affirmation of equality of persons. Third, the basic form of humanity as fellow-humanity deriving its content from Jesus as the person for others means humanity is always to be for others. Fourth, the basic unity and equality of the sexes, as well as the need to be one’s sex, imply the action of freedom one to another in order that this may indeed be. Fifth, mutual respect, the solidarity of humanity, life as a loan – all of these assume the human being’s unencumbered determination for freedom to be who he or she is in relation with other people and God.[25] Based on the above five theological principles, we can have the following argument:

The creative genetic predetermination of a human being apart from his or her agreement to such genetic design is an unwarranted overruling of the interpersonal requirements of the nature of the human as made in the image of God. It is such because it (1) denies human freedom, (2) disregards the demands of respect for life, and (3) violates rather than affirms the basic interpersonal outcomes of the I-Thou relationship to which a person is called as made in the image of God.[26]

It is noticed that all three of these reasons point towards a prohibition of human cloning. For example, human cloning is a basic denial of the human being’s freedom for self-determination, such self-determination always being understood in relation to, and never abstracted from, the determining command of God.[27]


5.3. Ethical Reflection

1. Production of unhealthy baby

As section IV pointed out, if we based on the cloning technology now for human cloning, we will see a large percentage of cloning efforts end in failure. This may result in destroying a lot of human embryos and many clones appearing to be an anomaly and unhealthy.[28] This indicates that it is not ethically appreciation, in which we want to save one life of human but we indeed have to lose so many embryos and produce many abnormal babies during human cloning processes.[29]

2. Do the human embryos have soul?

Coming to this point, one may argue that, it is still worthy for human cloning to save one life of patient since we do not lose any real human life in the process of cloning. However, during the process of cloning, we do use and kill many human embryos to obtain the required DNA. Science asserts that life does not begin at conception (the formation of the embryo), but if we look at the Bible passages (Ps 139:13-16, Isa 49:1-5, Luke 1:15), the story is different.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. … My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Ps 139:13-16)

In Ps 139:13-16, this refers to the writer that he is known personally by God before he was born.

“…. Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. ….. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God." And now the LORD says-- he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength” (Isa 49:1-5)

Furthermore, from the passage of Isa 49:1-5, God called Isaiah to his ministry as a prophet while he was still in his mother’s womb.

“for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.” (Lk 1:15)

Also, Luke 1:15 shows that, John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in the womb. All of this points to the Bible’s stand on life beginning at conception. In light of this, human cloning, with its destruction of human embryos will not be consistent with the Bible’s view of human life.[30] This means killing embryos is in fact the same thing as killing persons.

3. Impact on the marriage and family structures

In section V, we understand that God has a divine plan for the family. The family involves the ordering of natural and social affinity.[31] God’s family consisted of one man, one woman, and the children born to their union. Ideally this entails a genetically unrelated husband and wife producing offspring who are genetically related to each other and to both of their parents. It is this ordering of natural and social affinity which gives procreation its full meaning.

However, cloning offers the prospect of completely asexual reproduction.[32] This kind of human reproduction may not be necessarily based on the marriage and family structures. Alternatively, human cloning is just needed single parent involving in the reproduction process. This will create special family structure in the society, which totally affects the tradition framework of familial integrity. It indeed violates God’s divine plan for the family at the beginning of Creation. Therefore, individuals should not clone themselves because doing so disfigures the ordering of natural and social affinity afforded by the family.[33] In addition, for the family system of human cloning, the donor is the father of the clone and he is also the twin brother of the clone! This will result in confusion of family relationship.[34]

4. Dehumanization

Previously, we normally treat procreation as our natural life. But if human cloning exists, procreation may become manufacture of offspring. It is because if we clone a human, we have to decide the design of the clone, and then we will just like put this into production. Actually, we should have quality control to maintain the high quality standard of cloning process and the cloned product. Thus, cloning may open the door to dehumanization, the treatment of fellow humans as objects rather than as beings like oneself. To dehumanize is to deny others the opportunities to become whole people and to exercise freedom as individuals.[35]

Dehumanization may also occur when the clone is removed due to bad therapeutic reasons, from the sphere of marital love. Moreover, dehumanization is an ever-present possibility: routinely conceiving apart from sexual intercourse, isolating child-bearing from the family unit, and transferring pregnancy to the laboratory as a routine procedure. Each of these, when performed out of choice and for no overbearing medical reasons, reduces a human activity to an inhuman, impersonal technique. As a result, the intimate cohesion of body, mind and personality is lost, and human existence is demoted to a robot-like mechanism. [36]


VI. Conclusion

Christian ethics on cloning is difficult to ignore. Each day it seems there is more news from the scientific world of another milestone reached in cloning technology. It is unavoidable that this controversial issue will go on as well as the cloning technology continues to pursue. The real human cloning may one day appear. However, as a Christian, we have to clearly know that, no matter what we are, a human or a clone, we still need to be born again, that is born from above. All the human beings need the salvation of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we will still perish.[37]

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)


[1] Wayne Jackson, The Ethics of Human Cloning [document on-line]; available from Christian Courier website (http://www.christiancourier.com/); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[2] Christian Views on Cloning [document on-line]; available from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia website (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_views_on_cloning); Internet; accessed 26 April 2006.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Cloning [document on-line]; available from Spreading Light Ministries website (http://www.spreadinglight.com/); Internet; accessed 26 April 2006.
[5] What is cloning? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[6] Wayne Jackson, The Ethics of Human Cloning [document on-line]; available from Christian Courier website (http://www.christiancourier.com/); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[7] What is cloning? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[8] What is the history of cloning? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[9] Dolly the sheep clone dies young [document on-line]; available from BBC News website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2764039.stm); Internet; accessed 1 May 2006.
[10] Cloning [document on-line]; available from Spreading Light Ministries website (http://www.spreadinglight.com/); Internet; accessed 26 April 2006.
[11] J.K. Anderson, Genetic Engineering, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1982), 105-106.
[12] Cloning Ethics – A Cultural Issues [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[13] D. G. Jones, Clones: The Clowns of Technology? (GA: Paternoster Press, 2001), 162-164.
[14] Christian ethics and cloning - Are they compatible? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[15] John Polkinghorne, “Cloning and the Moral Imperative”, in Human Cloning: Religious Responses, ed. Ronald Cole-Turner (Louisville: WJK Press, 1997), 38-39.
[16] Christian ethics and cloning - Are they compatible? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[17] What are some arguments against cloning? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[18] Lindsay Robertson, “Does the Bible Speak on these Issues?” (MDIV “Christian Ethics” class notes, HKBTS, 2005-6 Spring), 162.
[19] D.G. Jones, Brave New People: Ethical Issues at the Commencement of Life, (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1985), 142.
[20] Christian ethics and cloning - Are they compatible? [document on-line]; available from All About God website (http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/cloning-ethics.htm); Internet; accessed 25 April 2006.
[21] R. G. Brown, “Clones, Chimeras, and the Image of God: Lessons from Barthian Bioethics”, in Bioethics and the Future of Medicine: A Christian Appraisal, ed. J.F. Kilner, N. Cameron and D.L. Schiedermayer (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1995), 238-247.
[22] Brown, 238.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Brown, 239.
[25] Brown, 243-244.
[26] Brown, 244.
[27] Ibid.
[28] D. G. Jones, Clones: The Clowns of Technology? (GA: Paternoster Press, 2001), 166.
[29] P. C. Lo, Christian Ethics: Who is Right? Who is Wrong? (HK: Ming Feng Press, 2002), 208.
[30] What is the Christian view of cloning? [document on-line]; available from Got Questions Ministries website (http://www.gotquestions.org/); Internet; accessed 26 April 2006.
[31] Brent Waters, “One Flesh? – Cloning, procreation, and the family”, in Human Cloning: Religious Responses, ed. Ronald Cole-Turner (Louisville: WJK Press, 1997), 83.
[32] Nigel M. de S. Cameron, “The Ethics of Human Cloning”, A Newsletter of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics (Wheaton College, 1999), 10.
[33] Brent Waters, “One Flesh? – Cloning, procreation, and the family”, in Human Cloning: Religious Responses, ed. Ronald Cole-Turner (Louisville: WJK Press, 1997), 84.
[34] P. C. Lo, Christian Ethics: Who is Right? Who is Wrong? (HK: Ming Feng Press, 2002), 207.
[35] D.G. Jones, Brave New People: Ethical Issues at the Commencement of Life, (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1985), 146.
[36] D.G. Jones, Brave New People: Ethical Issues at the Commencement of Life, (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1985), 147.
[37] D. G. Jones, Clones: The Clowns of Technology? (GA: Paternoster Press, 2001), 168.