Can you describe your viewpoint regarding when life begins?

Question

Use physical evidence and Scripture to support your answer.
P.S: Paragraph s should be a minimum of 5 sentences.

Thanks guys in advance for answering this question.

Answer 1

If you define "life" as cellular organisms capable of acquiring, ingesting, and digesting nutrients, reproducing, and developing genetically as progeny, then life began on Earth about two billion years ago when amino-acid based cellular structures appeared.

Within species, life does not "begin." When a zygote is conceived, it is not the beginning of new life, but simply the progression of the existing life of the parents. It is not logical to speak of "when life begins" in the human (or other complex animal) process of reproduction. Life is simply passed on from generation to generation.

This is the "science and mathematics" section. Discussions of "Scripture" and other forms of religious writing are not permitted in this section.

You might have better luck if you took your question to the "religion and spirituality" section.

Answer 2

"Using physical evidence and Scripture ..." ???

What kind of "science" class is this?

Sorry, but it is this kind of mixing of science and scripture that leaves people hopelessly confused ... about both science and scripture!

Specifically, Biblical scripture was written in a day and for an audience that had absolutely NO concept of cells, much less sperm or egg cells, or the mechanics of fertilization or conception, or what a zygote is, or embryological development, or even the level of understanding of human reproduction that an average 6th grader has today. So the only way that scripture can be used to answer the question of when life begins, is to stretch scripture *FAR* beyond its original context and purpose.

But that is a question for the Religion and Spirituality section (and a Religion class), not the Science & Mathematics section (or a Science class).

As far as science is concerned ... and the question of physical evidence ... all the evidence shows that life does not *begin* at any specific moment. A sperm cell and an egg cell are both fully "alive" by any possible definition of "life". A sperm or egg cell are just as "alive" as a skin cell or a brain cell, or a sponge cell, or an amoeba, or a bacterium.

This is *precisely* one of the problems with applying a scriptural approach to scientific questions. It often tries to draw hard lines, where sometimes there is no hard line in nature ... as in this case. There is no "hard line" between "life" and "non-life". We think we see a distinct difference between what is alive and what is not ... but when we look really really closely, we reach a level at which the line blurs.

Science is like that.

To insist that a line can always be drawn is to set yourself up to be forever confused by nature, and by science.

Answer 3

Life begins at fertilization, when the paternal genetic component joins the maternal, in the nucleus of the zygote.

Thanks for asking. No scripture necessary. If you want scripture, go to the Religion & Spirituality section and ask there.

Edit: Okay, I like some of the other answers better than my own. The gametes are also alive. Life is a great continuity, and it "began" billions of years ago.

Answer 4

I'd say life begins at conception, so far as the new and unique genetic pattern is set. But at this point we're just talking about a single cell. No mind yet, no personality. It's not really a person yet. A person, in my opinion, exists once consciousness has been established, once feelings can be felt.

I wouldn't consider scripture relevant to this.

Answer 5

Technically an ovum is alive even before conception because it is a living cell. Is it a human being? Not really, it's just a tiny piece of one, with the DNA required to construct a complete one (or half the DNA required anyway). The transformation into a "person" is a gradual process, it doesn't happen at any one instant. Any attempt to say exactly when a cell acquires a soul is pure speculation.

Answer 6

In the case of a human child, it's obvious: life exists at all times; before the male and female connect and up through the adulthood of the offspring. It's just a word game. As to whether abortion is permitted at some point, that's a matter of law and ethics. The word game definitions really have nothing to do with it.

Answer 7

For people: to the ultimate of my information, the 2nd an embryo grows a 2nd cellular. till that factor the organism can strengthen into varied organisms (i.e. comparable twins). no longer promptly relating to the respond yet relating to the venture: Ecclesiastes 6 3 a guy could have one hundred toddlers and stay some years; yet no rely how long he lives, if he can not savor his prosperity and would not acquire ideal burial, I say that a stillborn baby is extra effectual off than he. 4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its call is shrouded. 5 nevertheless it in no way observed the solar or knew something, it has extra relax than does that guy- 6 whether he lives 1000 years two times over yet fails to savor his prosperity. do no longer all pass to the comparable place?

Answer 8

Go with aviophage. That is the best answer so far. Life began a couple billion years ago and we are all a result of that original cell dividing ever since. That was the true beginning of life.

There is no other point when life begins.