Human clones and the soul?

Question

I was wondering what the opinion was of Christians and indeed anybody else who believes in the human soul thinks of the implications of human cloning? Not just whether a clone would have a soul, but whether you believe a human clone should have the same basic rights as born human?

Answer 1

A good question. Scary. Not sure if they would have a soul. I suppose they would. They would still be human & have to have the same rights, but I'm afraid people wouldn't see them this way. Cloning is unconscionable & should not even be considered. It's like sci-fi horror. We must not tamper with nature. We can not start manufacturing people. What if they started having clones to harvest extra body parts (to have a spare). Imagine being a clone & just being used, treated like a subhuman, just a copy, just a convenience. It is morally wrong. We can't go there. We just can't.

Answer 2

Similar questions were being debated when the first "test-tube" baby was conceived over 30 years ago already!

What is the soul? Is it one's consciousness? Is it more... or, perhaps, less? If, as has been said on science documentaries, that a clone is nothing more than a twin that is conceived through the use of one's own genetic make-up (hmmm... like identical twins that comes from a fertilized egg cell that divides and two equal yet separate cells develop independently), then it is also easy to conceive the thought that the soul is the result of existence, being alive, having consciousness, thought process with values and morals learned as a result of ones upbringing and environmental factors such as one's environment and one's relationship with it, and the sum total of one's experiences... perhaps influenced in some way through genetics.... A cloned sheep has nothing more than genetic makeup and similar appearances to the original gene donor, much like a twin would have... why not a human clone? Just a thought.

But, please do not confuse THERAPEUTIC cloning of cells for organ parts with reproductive cloning; one is not the same as the other, and will never be, either.

Answer 3

I think the implications of human cloning are scientific but more so morally. I think a clone would have a soul because a soul comes with life. And of course they should have the rights as everybody else because they would feel and experience things, just like everybody else does. Thats why, I believe, cloning for body parts is a backward step. Seen the movie "The island".

Answer 4

First of all,,, and with no offense to anyone,,, Cloning is Science, and FACT. Soul is belief, and TRUTH.

We "believe" primarily as a part of a learning/ maturation process, though PROOF is hardly possible until death, if you relate the eventual "Place" where a soul ends up. Certainly part of SOUL is a learning experience and it manifests, while alive, in how we conduct ourselves, individually, throughout our lives.

The concept of Soul is generally, largely accepted, globally, even if defined differently. Cloning has been established as probable, but without long term study on effect. Besides that it might be hard to gauge the soul of a sheep? Human cloning is a far distant dream, we won't likely experience in our lifetime, and for valid reasons. One reason being we are already a species expanding exponentially, given that SCIENCE is involved.

At the moment, Stem Cell research and experimentation is as close as we are to human cloning, and also for valid reasons. Saving lives, or repairing bodies, is valid. That said however, it also adds to a population, that is ever increasing, naturally.

Steven Wolf

Answer 5

Do you have the same rights as you did seven years ago? Or will have in seven years? That's how long it takes the human body to regenerate and replace every cell in the human body. Are they not the same thing? Regardless of how the human is created, it is still a human, is it not? Otherwise you start getting in to the real creepy Aldous Huxley Brave New World stuff. As to the soul, does not every living thing have a soul? A life-force? An energy?

And all those questions before we even get in to the ethics of human cloning... Remember, cloning isn't photocopying - the new clone still has to grow, be educated, have his/her own experiences...

Answer 6

Great question. I don't think human clones will have a soul just because its something that's almost given to you by god or has some sort of connection with god. For whatever reason, I think the "soul" of a human clone wouldn't be a good "soul" or something to that regard.
I think we're we're stupid enough to really be cool with human cloning, we oughta accept the repercussions.
I don't think a clone oughta have the same rights. I don't know what it is but something created scientifically as opposed to naturally is just not ok to be as free as humans.

Answer 7

The clone ought to have soul. even nevertheless its creation would be distinctive, the only like a individual would be yet another individual which do have breath, physique, thoughts etc. for this reason it is going to truly have a special soul additionally. Bible for sure says all living beings have souls. for this reason the cloned individual will actually have a soul. not in a similar experience, yet Eve could be in comparison as a only like Adam. yet while Eve exchange into created out of Adam, the soul and thoughts of Eve look distinctive.

Answer 8

A human clone is a monster made by humans and God puts a monster of a Soul in it, to create a match.

Answer 9

every human that develops from a zygote is human no matter how he came to be he is a human being it is not his fault that he was made that way, he is alive and he has a soul, no living creature on earth does not have a soul. ofcorse it should have the same human rights as anyone else, he or she is flesh and blood, christians are sensitive to this subject because they would like to stick to traditional believes but noone can denie the fact that the world has changed and will continue to do so forever

Answer 10

Tampering with nature has always bad repercussions.