The Human Genome Project: Reflections on Humaness

The tension between what scientists can do and what they should do is strongly felt when one considers the possibilities of the human Genome Project.On one hand you have what seemingly looks like favorable results stemming from such a project-cures to deceases, choosing desirable traits, etc. On the other hand you have questions about human rights being violated and the sheer skepticism of what the unknown may bring. There are a plethora of issues stemming from an analytical look at the implications of knowing every sequence of every human gene. The following, however, briefly explores how the nature of God as revealed in the Bible informs our thinking about biotechnology issues and reveals what Christians can learn about the nature of man in light of the scientific goal to understand genetic codes.

Theological Lens

The nature of God is relevant to any Christian thinking about issues in biotechnology.

First of all, Christians believe the Bible is true when it reveals that God created humanity in God’s image (Gen. 1:26). The meaning of being made in the image of God is understood by Christian theologians on various levels. Some theologians point to humanity’s volition, intellect, and emotions as characteristic of being made in the image of God. Others understand image as denoting ownership. The understanding is based on Matthew 22:20-21 where the Pharisees ask Jesus if its lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus responds by asking them what image is on the denarius. Of course the image is of Caesar, therefore render to Caesar what is his but then render to God what is God’s. The principle understood is that the image something or someone bears is the property of whom or what the image is reflecting. Whatever the understanding is, the concept of image is essential to understanding the nature of humanity.

The image of humanity from the perspective of biotechnology via the Human Genome Project, etc, paints a different picture of what it means to be human.

In a nutshell, biotechnology primarily sees humans as bodies of complex organisms made up of genetic codes. Thus, the nature of humanity through the lens of scripture collides with a view that sees humans solely as genetic codes. Scripture informs Christians to think otherwise, namely that humans are more than a body of genetic material but are also immaterial in nature.

Secondly, reducing humans to mere genetic codes and attempting to explain human behavior by means of genetic sequencing is to challenge the Biblical view of free will and moral responsibility. Do genes make humans behave in particular ways? If so, then the concept of sin is obsolete since murders, sexual immorality, etc, are not a result of bad human choices but a result of having “bad” genes. And, if human behavior is a result of genes then how is one responsible for his or her actions?

Thirdly, what do the conclusions derived from the Human Genome Project imply about the Bible’s account of how humanity was created and how both good and evil came about? It would seem that Genes rather than Genesis would be the new authority on human nature.

What does it mean to be Human?

The scientific aim of trying to understand the human genetic code could help us understand the material make up of our bodies but it can also blur the lines between biological traits and humanness. From a Christian perspective, our cue comes from the epitome of humanness-Jesus Christ, who became flesh and took residence among God’s creatures and still does through His Church. We learn in Philippians 2 that a characteristic of what it means to be human is humility. Humility is not something that humans simply choose to show but is who they are supposed to be characterized by. Thus, in becoming a human, Jesus showed what it means to be truly a human through his humility.

A deeper analytical view of all the implications of biotechnology undoubtedly can provide more to think about in terms of what it means to be human. The aforementioned points and observations is simply the start of how Christians relate and interact with biotechnology. My next post will focus on a human ingredient already mentioned above-humility. Stay tuned…
PS. I apologize for my long absence from posting…I had to focus on my last weeks of classes in order to finish strong…expect more from me now that classes are done.