The issues with cloning

What is cloning? Cloning is the process of using one creature's DNA to make a copy, an almost exact, genetic copy. As with a printer, a xerox copy is not always as precise as the original, but our technology is already starting to perfect the art of cloning. Already scientists across the globe have succeeded in producing various clones in a good number of different species, excluding man. But the religious community is in an uproar over the issue. I myself come from a strong Christian background, and have heard the arguements against the science of cloning.

The main concern, is that we, man, are playing god and trying to step into the role of the creator. We have no business dabbling in the laws of nature that god himself created. Besides, they are not human, but soulless copies, doomed to live and die without true sentience. But is all that really the truth? Or are the arguements hurled against modern science blind and biased?

I question the whole notion of body soul and spirit. My brain, contains my conscience, I am inside my head. Who I am, what I believe and think, is the culmination of all my thoughs and experiences, all of which are stored in my memory. Is there life after death? Certainly that would be fantastic. But is it the truth? And then what about cloning? If we have no soul, then it would not matter if a clone has a soul. I believe that a clone would not possess all the memories and experiences of the original.

I am not a scientist, but I am a realist. I tend to look at things from a logical perspective, I see a problem, I look for a realistic resolution to that problem. There is a cause, something that I need to discover, that resulted in the problem at hand. If I can discover that cause, then it is possible to find the sollution to solve the puzzle, whatever that may be. By creating clones, regardless of the species involved, are we playing god? Or are we simply trying to grow beyond our boundaries, and using laws of science for our benefit? And what about cloning? Are there benefits to mankind or are we just a bunch of kids playing with fire?

What if, we could clone selectively. What if, we could clone just a heart, or a liver, or other internal organs, wouldn't that benefit mankind for generations to come? There may very well be some problems with the idea of cloning, perhaps a cloned organ would stop working after a few years because of some unknown complications of the process itself. Perhaps there are other consequences as well that we would discover down the line.

But I believe that with technology expanding as rapidly as it is, and with our knowledge growing so fast, it is important that we at least keep an open mind. We should be willing to consider the possibilities of the future, before dismissing ideas like cloning, simply because it involves life. In the old testament of the bible, a king once created a huge tower, the Tower of Babel. His goal was to reach up to the heavens and prove he was as great as god. God then decided that man should not have such power and destroyed the tower. But today, we have achieved far greater feats, and we have become far more powerful. Why did god stop mankind then but not now?

Think of what mankind has achieved these last few decades. We have created skyscrapers, that make that old testament tower dwarf in comparison. We can soar the skies with our machines of flight, we have even entered the heavens, and the possibilities for exploring those heavens are right around the corner. We have cures for diseases that ravaged mankind in ancient times. And we have weapons that can destroy entire cities. What if cloning could replace a loved animal that was lost? What if it could save a man or woman with heart failure? Or liver disease? It is easy to say no. But aren't the possibilities of cloning worth far more than outright rejection? I think that we should at least explore the many positive affects that cloning could have for mankind. If one life were saved because of it, then it would be worth it.