How dare they play God

[crunch]

UK scientists have developed genetically modified chickens capable of laying eggs containing proteins needed to make cancer-fighting drugs.
The breakthrough has been announced by the same research centre that created the cloned sheep, Dolly.

The Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, says it has produced five generations of birds that can produce useful levels of life-saving proteins in egg whites.

The work could lead to a range of drugs that are cheaper and easier to make.

Professor Harry Griffin, director of the institute, told the BBC: "One of the characteristics of lots of medical treatments these days is that they're very expensive.

"The idea of producing the proteins involved in treatments of flocks of laying hens means they can produce in bulk, they can produce cheaply and indeed the raw material for this production system is quite literally chicken feed."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6261427.stm

Ok, now that I have your attention, I think if God (assuming there is one) didn't want us to play in this area, he wouldn't have given us a brain.

 

[Link]

Re: How dare they play God

Interesting post Crunch.
Aspect and Rolmops will have different views, as well as Spinner.
I'm a mix of all three.
Maybe I've been listening to Coast to Coast AM too much!


l

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: How dare they play God

Wow.....I am really pleased the "knockers" wern't around way back, otherwise our life expectancy would probably be still around 35yrs.
Cheers
Phillip

 

[Mark42]

Re: How dare they play God

Yeah but how do they taste?

 

[Laddies]

Re: How dare they play God

I am with crunch, we would not have been able to reason or invent things if the Lord would not have wanted us to

 

[tommays]

Re: How dare they play God

Look how the MOD corn has allready gotten mixed in with standard crops

You may have a heck of a time turning the clock back on that

Tommays

 

[aspeck]

Re: How dare they play God

I have no problems manipulating chickens to produce medicine for people ... however, I do have a problem with cloning and some of the other "god-like" thinks that man in general likes to do. However this attempt to be like G*d has been around for a long time - Lucifer said "I will be like G*d, I will ascend ..." and he got thrown out of heaven.

In Genesis 11 the people of Babel wanted to build a tower. You can read about that ...

I believe there are some lines we should not try to cross, but I am not G*d and have no authority to declare what those lines are. However, I think of the old story of the king that wanted to hire a chariot driver for his personal chariot. He held interviews and gave the top 4 candidates a chance to show their stuff. They were to drive the king up a windy, mountain path. The first one wanted to show the king how well he could handle the chariot and drove as close to the edge as possible. The second and third saw this and tried to out do the first. The fourth one stayed as far away from the edge as possible, to protect the kings life. Which one do you think got the job?

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: How dare they play God

I am with crunch, we would not have been able to reason or invent things if the Lord would not have wanted us to

Just being the Devil's advocate here, but would you also say that murder, mayhem, rape, torture and all of the many ways that man has inflicted the most horrendous forms of brutality and injustice to his fellow man including the various other lifeforms that inhabit the earth is ok with God, because he gave us the abilities to do as such?

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: How dare they play God

Certain religions feel that any medical treatment whatsoever is "Playing God." The line is different for every man woman and child that has ever lived and will ever live. I hate to put a blip on your radar screen, but every plate of food you eat has some form of genetically "engineered" food on it. Domestication in and of itself is playing God.

 

[treedancer]

Re: How dare they play God

Quote from the article

Once you've made the transgenic birds, then it's very easy.

Wow heavy, im still trying to get my brain wrapped around Dolly. If I got any diseases that could be cured by any of the drugs that came from this research, I would be the first in line.

My question is there any one on this forum that would eat any of the eggs that the hens laid? What if the Colonel decided that they would be finger licking good?? HHMmm food for thought isn’t it. Well gota go now, breakfasts is on in the truck stop, Sunnyside up???8)

 

[mrbscott19]

Re: How dare they play God

I am with crunch, we would not have been able to reason or invent things if the Lord would not have wanted us to

Just being the Devil's advocate here, but would you also say that murder, mayhem, rape, torture and all of the many ways that man has inflicted the most horrendous forms of brutality and injustice to his fellow man including the various other lifeforms that inhabit the earth is ok with God, because he gave us the abilities to do as such?

No self-respecting God would ever let those things happen which is why I don't believe in such things. But I could be wrong and if thats the case, he needs to be fired.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: How dare they play God

I don't have a problem with it, that is why we are on top of the food chain. We have big brains. If God gave us free will, then he gave us free will to progress in this direction, just as he gave us free will to be good or bad people. We don't get to pick and choose what we consider a good thing or bad thing in Gods eyes. That is an unspeakable arrogance, to presume what Gods plan is, don't you think? But then, that is the way of religion, to insert personal belief in the name of the Lord. I'm a bit rusty on my bible, but I don't think there are any passages forbiding human manipulation of nature around us. I mean, really, if that was the case, we would not be able to do anything at all except run around naked in the woods eating bark.

Don't get me wrong, the whole cloning cows and pigs and such for food sort of creeps me out. If given the choice, despite the assurances there is no difference between cloned meat and natural meat, I would go for the natural meat. I don't know why, just a gut thing.

 

[jtexas]

Re: How dare they play God

Yeah but how do they taste?

like chicken

 

[rolmops]

Re: How dare they play God

Of course it is great that we can make all this fantastic medicine which lengthens our lifespan.Whether it comes from the Amazon forests,a laboratory or a modified chicken does not really matter.
Something else bothers me a lot though.We(the human race) have not modified our procreation rate accordingly. We, with our modern medicine and higher survival rate and thereby increased reproduction rate, are not doing ourselves any favors.We overpopulate this planet and it is only a matter of time before we will have a huge crisis on our hands.It is almost as if our desire for survival is potentially our greatest nemesis.
So are we playing god?If we are,we are obviously not very good at it.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: How dare they play God

Something else bothers me a lot though.We(the human race) have not modified our procreation rate accordingly.

Sure we have, we find it fit to innilate around 500,000 Babies a year just here in the good old USA.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

Re: How dare they play God

Hey guys,

In South Africa a local genetesist has genetically engineered a chicken to have 4, yes four drumsticks. When question by the press on his motivatiuon he explained that he had a familiy of 4, all of which had a fondness for chicken drumsticks.

Astounded the press was keen to find our what the chicken tasted like. The genetetist cooly replied that with 4 legs the chicken was too fast and subsequently they had not yet been able to catch one to sample the taste.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[i386]

Re: How dare they play God

Ok, now that I have your attention, I think if God (assuming there is one) didn't want us to play in this area, he wouldn't have given us a brain.

Or chickens.

 

[ricksrster]

Re: How dare they play God

Breeding and cross breeding animals is not a bad thing. This genetically alters them also. Look at all the different kinds of kine and canines.
It's genetically altering humans such as Nazi experimentation and trying to breed a super human race that is immoral.

 

[artburr]

Re: How dare they play God

Of course it is great that we can make all this fantastic medicine which lengthens our lifespan.Whether it comes from the Amazon forests,a laboratory or a modified chicken does not really matter.
Something else bothers me a lot though.We(the human race) have not modified our procreation rate accordingly. We, with our modern medicine and higher survival rate and thereby increased reproduction rate, are not doing ourselves any favors.We overpopulate this planet and it is only a matter of time before we will have a huge crisis on our hands.It is almost as if our desire for survival is potentially our greatest nemesis.
So are we playing god?If we are,we are obviously not very good at it.

 

[artburr]

Re: How dare they play God

Sorry for the goof. I am with rolmops on this. And lubedude, if you visited China as we did a few years ago, you would understand that population control is essential. If they didn't use all available methods, soon it would be standing room only. And India, I'm told, is just as bad.