Peers back new rules to allow cloning of embryos By Marie Woolf, Chief Political Correspondent 23 January 2001

The Lords approved plans to allow medical research on human embryos last night despite opposition from a powerful coalition of religious leaders.

Peers voted to licence "therapeutic cloning" of human embryos to help find cures for illnesses such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and breast cancer. They voted by a majority of 120 to allow changes to the regulations governing the cloning of human embryos to extract stem cells.

Research on cloned embryos will involve the creation of human beings who will be plundered for the cells and be killed in the process. It is also a step on the way to allowing cloning for reproductive purposes," he said.

The proposals will allow geneticists to grow human tissue from the stem cells for parts of the body, including neurons, muscle and skin. (click on the link below for the complete article) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-01/peers230101.shtml ______________________________________________ The above article discusses the latest approval of the British government for embryo cloning. There is also a non profit organization (www.HumanCloning.org ), based in Georgia (the bible belt of the South),which has pro-active cloning information. Do you think the cloning of any living being (including animals) is ethnic? Do you think that cloning is acceptable for research and human organ transplant purposes? What is the AME church position on this issue?

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2001

Answers

Brenda:When you ask, "What is the A.M.E.Church position on the question of cloning of human embryos?", it is a bit of an ambiguous question for the A.M.E. Church is the thousands of people who claim membership in that church. Then again, you may be asking "what is the "official" posture of the hierarchy of the A.M.E. Church. Unlike the Roman Catholic Pontif, the Bishops of the A.M.E. Church, as individuals I'm sure, have or will have some moral stance on this issue, but it won't be one that ALL A.M.E.'s must be in agreement with. It is a question that ALL Christians of whatever camp may or may not have a position on. Science and technology in its technological advances always poses the problem of crossing or not crossing lines of ethical propriety. It is a new toy in the arsenal of science and technology. If it can be abused, you can be sure it will be, for human kind has a way of mis-using the secrets of life which God has allowed man to uncover. I take my perspective from the revealed word of God, and that is, that we live in a "fallen world." The Bible says that "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9), indicating humankind's propensity for mis-use of even good things. If you are an A.M.E as I am, YOU and I are components of the church, therefore the answer to your question resides with you and others who are true members of the A.M.E. Church.

Peace, Harold Turner, Pastor Zion AMW Church, Delaware, Ohio

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2001

I couldn't get the link you provided to open up, please verify that you submitted it correctly. I would like to know more about this, I can't believe the UK is agreeing to do this.

Thank You

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

The only cloning that the Church should be concern about (and I am talking not to the ones who attend the cold but beautiful memeorials which the pervertiness of man has built think that is of God, but the on fire blood bought beleivers of the Church of the Lord and Savior in whom we are partakers of, I am talking to these folks.) We should not be concerned of such perverted acts that is going on, the only "cloning" if I can use this term in this way, the only thing we should be cloning, making the Church to be like Him. Salvation in the Churches eyes should be the only cloning we are to be concerned about....compelling the unsaved to be like Jesus. (But how can we go out and compell others to Christ when half of the Church has established it's own form of Christianity..."having the form of godliness but dening the power thereof..."itchy ears" disease) In the Church, something like this should not be even addressed, for what? If it is not in the Word of God, and if it is in the Word of God and the Lord speaks against it, it is left up to us to change or pervert what God says "no" to "yes" just to accomidate the mainstream? That is problem we have compromised to world's issues, but do you see the world bending to us.....nooooo! Rather they want to kill us, meaning the church, and throw us in a potter's field, if they cannot control us. (To be honest the world is controling some of the churches even as I speak) There should be a disscussion on this or any other topic but how we are to stop this perverted act, that satan is infiltration on our society.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2001