Assemblies of God (USA) - Revision history

Zbjust at 22:42, 27 July 2018

2018-07-27T22:42:47Z

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2018-07-21T04:01:08Z

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2018-07-19T21:48:15Z

Zbjust at 23:42, 17 July 2018

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Zbjust at 22:24, 29 June 2018

2018-06-29T22:24:09Z

Zbjust at 22:16, 29 June 2018

2018-06-29T22:16:01Z

Zbjust at 22:03, 29 June 2018

2018-06-29T22:03:25Z

Zbjust at 21:15, 29 June 2018

2018-06-29T21:15:38Z

Zbjust at 21:08, 28 June 2018

2018-06-28T21:08:38Z

Zbjust at 21:04, 28 June 2018

2018-06-28T21:04:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:42, 27 July 2018
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	Official Denominational Website: https://ag.org		Official Denominational Website: https://ag.org
		+

	==[[:Category:Beginning of Life\|Beginning of Life]]==		==[[:Category:Beginning of Life\|Beginning of Life]]==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Official Denominational Website: https://ag.org
-==Beginning of Life==
+==[[:Category:Beginning of Life|Beginning of Life]]==
 ===[[Abortion]]===
 ''The Assemblies of God opposes abortion.''
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
-==Infertility & Reproduction==
+==[[:Category:Infertility & Reproduction|Infertility & Reproduction]]==
-===[[Reproductive Technologies Statements|Reproductive Technology]]===
+===[[:Category:Reproductive Technologies|Reproductive Technologies]]===
 ''The Assemblies of God has no official stance on the use of reproductive technologies; however, they have parameters.''
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
-==Healthcare & Medicine==
+==[[:Category:Healthcare & Medicine|Healthcare & Medicine]]==
-−
 '''Official Statement:''' from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Modern Medicine and the Assemblies of God"
 :"There are some adherents of the doctrine of divine healing who do not believe the use of medicine and physicians is compatible with belief in divine healing. This has never been the position of the Assemblies of God, nor can it be said to be the position of the Bible.
@@ Line 75: / Line 74: @@
-==Science & Technology==
+==[[:Category:Science & Technology|Science & Technology]]==
-===Biotechnology===
+===[[:Category:Biotechnology|Biotechnology]]===
-====[[Animal-Human Hybrids & Chimeras]]====
+====[[Animal-Human Hybrids]]====
 ''The Assemblies of God is opposed to human-animal hybrids.''
@@ Line 107: / Line 106: @@
-===Genetic Ethics===
+===[[:Category:Genetic Ethics|Genetic Ethics]]===
 ====[[Gene Therapy/Genetic Engineering]]====
 ''The Assemblies of God recommend a cautionary approach to genetic engineering and technology.''
@@ Line 120: / Line 119: @@
 :"The Assemblies of God is supportive of morally responsible genetic research and therapies. Genetic research conducted with reverence for life appears to have great potential for the health of human beings through the identification of and intervention in the genetic roots of hundreds of diseases. By the same token, used for proud and selfish ends, genetic screening and intervention also have the potential to bring great harm to the entire human race. In addition, the Assemblies of God believes legislation is necessary to prevent intrusive genetic screening and resultant discrimination as well as misguided experimentation and termination of life." ("Sanctity of Human Life: Abortion and Reproductive Issues"<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Abortion-Sanctity-of-Human-Life</ref>)
-===[[Human Enhancement]]===
+===[[:Category:Human Enhancement|Human Enhancement]]===
 ''See statement on Gene Therapy/Genetic Engineering above.''
-==End of Life==
+==[[:Category:End of Life|End of Life]]==
 ''The Assemblies of God gives priority to the sacredness of human life. They allow for a range of opinions on medical support, from prayer for healing only to use of medical doctors and technology.''
@@ Line 170: / Line 169: @@
-==Issues of Human Dignity & Discrimination==
+==[[:Category:Issues of Human Dignity & Discrimination|Issues of Human Dignity & Discrimination]]==
 ===[[Disability Ethics]]===

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:24, 29 June 2018
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−	Official Denominational Website: https://~~www.~~ag.org	+	Official Denominational Website: https://ag.org

	==Beginning of Life==		==Beginning of Life==

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 ==Healthcare & Medicine==
 ===[[Organ Donation & Transplantation]]===
 ''The Assemblies of God position appeals to their doctrine on the resurrection. Since upon death, the Bible teaches that the mortal bodies are no longer needed, return to dust, they allow for organ donation and encourage it to be a testimony. However, choosing not to donate is a valid option for the Christian.''
@@ Line 167: / Line 174: @@
 :"The action of a few doctors who blatantly violate legal restrictions as well as ethical and moral standards by assisting terminally ill patients who request medical help in committing suicide is of growing concern to a church that believes strongly in the sacredness of human life. In physician-assisted suicide, the patient performs the life-ending act by voluntarily taking the lethal medication or poison made available by the physician.
-Such actions are not accepted within the Assemblies of God. The church makes a clear distinction between actions which halt artificial life support and actions which directly cause death. Whether someone else administers the life-ending medium (homicide) or the patient takes it voluntarily (suicide), the action actively terminates life that was given by God. We recognize it is not easy to deal with the sufferings of terminally ill patients or of comatose persons in a vegetative state. Faced with these difficult dilemmas, society has become more open to aggressive steps which cause death. But abuses have become all too common as sympathetic emotions have replaced moral principles grounded in the Judeo-Christian ethic. The ready availability of drugs and medicines that can delay dying or hasten death present moral issues that were never faced in earlier days of medical care.
+:Such actions are not accepted within the Assemblies of God. The church makes a clear distinction between actions which halt artificial life support and actions which directly cause death. Whether someone else administers the life-ending medium (homicide) or the patient takes it voluntarily (suicide), the action actively terminates life that was given by God. We recognize it is not easy to deal with the sufferings of terminally ill patients or of comatose persons in a vegetative state. Faced with these difficult dilemmas, society has become more open to aggressive steps which cause death. But abuses have become all too common as sympathetic emotions have replaced moral principles grounded in the Judeo-Christian ethic. The ready availability of drugs and medicines that can delay dying or hasten death present moral issues that were never faced in earlier days of medical care.
-:“The church makes a clear distinction between actions which halt artificial life support and actions which directly cause death. Whether someone else administers the life-ending medium (homicide) or the patient takes it voluntarily (suicide), the action actively terminates life that was given by God.” (Medical: Euthanasia, and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Medical-Euthanasia-and-Extraordinary-Support-to-Sustain-Life</ref>)
+:The church makes a clear distinction between actions which halt artificial life support and actions which directly cause death. Whether someone else administers the life-ending medium (homicide) or the patient takes it voluntarily (suicide), the action actively terminates life that was given by God.” (Medical: Euthanasia, and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Medical-Euthanasia-and-Extraordinary-Support-to-Sustain-Life</ref>)
 ===[[Withholding & Withdrawing Treatment]]===
@@ Line 181: / Line 188: @@
 ==Issues of Human Dignity & Discrimination==
 ===[[Disability Ethics]]===
-:“God imparts ability, and He knows about disability because He at least allows it. God could have said to Moses what He later said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).”
+'''Official Statement:''' from the General Presbytery  of the Assemblies of God, “Ministering to People with Disabilities: A Biblical Statement” (2000)
-:“Countless healings in the Old and New Testaments provide proof of the compassionate nature of God, in spite of the fact that not all illnesses, diseases, or disabilities were removed.”
+:Jesus healed only one of many gathered at the pool of Bethesda for a superstitious expectation of physical healing. So if prayer for healing is not immediately answered, we do not change our theology to say God no longer heals. We continue to trust Him in anticipation of the day when the infirmities of earthly existence drop away in the perfect light of His eternal presence
-:“The church of Jesus Christ, the earthly representative of spiritual reality, should be the leader in providing opportunity for all people to connect with the Spirit of God. We do not fully understand the age of accountability and its application to persons with mental disabilities. We do not understand how a person with a mental disability related to God. But we must give opportunity for the spirit of God to speak to such a person at his or her level of comprehension”
+:God imparts ability, and He knows about disability because He at least allows it.
-:“The biblical command to ‘serve one another in love’ (Galatians 5:13) includes everyone. To view people with disabilities as flawed and defective, and possibly a divine mistake, is wrong for a church with Christlike compassion. People with disabilities are platforms for the demonstration of His power to heal or His power to use weakness to display His strength…Our faith and practice must include a compassionate hand extended to those with disabilities.”
+:The church of Jesus Christ, the earthly representative of spiritual reality, should be the leader in providing opportunity for all people to connect with the Spirit of God. We do not fully understand the age of accountability and its application to persons with mental disabilities. We do not understand how a person with a mental disability related to God. But we must give opportunity for the spirit of God to speak to such a person at his or her level of comprehension
-:“People with disabilities are essential to the wholeness of the Christian community. In a culture that worships physical perfection, devalues human life, and takes pride in disposability, the church must protect the helpless, vulnerable, disenfranchised, including people with disabilities. They are people created in God's image, possessing dignity, value and purpose”
+:The biblical command to ‘serve one another in love’ (Galatians 5:13) includes everyone. To view people with disabilities as flawed and defective, and possibly a divine mistake, is wrong for a church with Christlike compassion. People with disabilities are platforms for the demonstration of His power to heal or His power to use weakness to display His strength…Our faith and practice must include a compassionate hand extended to those with disabilities.
-:“The church must extend open arms of invitation and fellowship. Those with mental disabilities can respond to the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
+:People with disabilities are essential to the wholeness of the Christian community. In a culture that worships physical perfection, devalues human life, and takes pride in disposability, the church must protect the helpless, vulnerable, disenfranchised, including people with disabilities. They are people created in God's image, possessing dignity, value and purpose The church must extend open arms of invitation and fellowship. Those with mental disabilities can respond to the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
-:“The physical or spiritual condition of people with disabilities should not be judged only on what our physical eyes observe. It is imperative that spiritual leaders exercise discernment when praying for people with disabilities, and not simply assume that their most pressing need is for physical healing.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_downloads/pp_disabilities.pdf</ref>
+:The physical or spiritual condition of people with disabilities should not be judged only on what our physical eyes observe. It is imperative that spiritual leaders exercise discernment when praying for people with disabilities, and not simply assume that their most pressing need is for physical healing.” (Ministering to People with Disabilities: A Biblical Statement<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Ministry-to-People-with-Disabilities</ref>)

@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 :"The Assemblies of God is supportive of morally responsible genetic research and therapies. Genetic research conducted with reverence for life appears to have great potential for the health of human beings through the identification of and intervention in the genetic roots of hundreds of diseases. By the same token, used for proud and selfish ends, genetic screening and intervention also have the potential to bring great harm to the entire human race. In addition, the Assemblies of God believes legislation is necessary to prevent intrusive genetic screening and resultant discrimination as well as misguided experimentation and termination of life." (Sanctity of Human Life: Abortion and Reproductive Issues<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Abortion-Sanctity-of-Human-Life</ref>)
 ===[[Human Enhancement]]===
 ''See statement on Gene Therapy/Genetic Engineering above.''
 ==End of Life==
-''Priority on the Sacredness of human life. They allow for a range of opinions on medical support, from prayer for healing only to use of medical doctors and technology.''
+''The Assemblies of God gives priority to the sacredness of human life. They allow for a range of opinions on medical support, from prayer for healing only to use of medical doctors and technology.''
-:“The most common view in the Assemblies of God is a reliance on God for healing through prayer as well as a wise use of medical intervention when it is available. Occasionally, medical intervention includes life support.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_18_euthanasia.cfm</ref>
+'''Official Statement:''' from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Euthanasia, and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life"
 ===[[Extraordinary Measures]]===
-'''Official Statements:'''
+'''Official Statements:''' from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Euthanasia, and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life"
-:“There are times when a debilitating accident, a life-threatening illness at an advanced age, or prolonged terminal illness without any natural hope of recovery makes it appropriate for a patient to say, "I will leave my life in the hands of my Lord. Do not perform any extraordinary measures to resuscitate me or maintain my body on life support machines, for I am ready to go home to be with my Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Terminal patients, however, often wait too long to express their preference that extraordinary life-support measures not be administered. This leaves the family with a great burden of deciding whether to allow or reject such measures. A living will clearly declaring one's wishes in this regard can eliminate such painful decisions for family and loved ones.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_18_euthanasia.cfm</ref>
-:“While weighing the biblical principle of respecting and preserving life, the Christian also takes comfort in an equal truth of joyously accepting our appointed time to begin eternal life with Christ after physical death. Most people in the Assemblies of God believe there is room for either decision after prayer and careful consideration. Furthermore, what is right for one individual choosing life support may not be right for another. Instead, the Christian, recognizing that the decision ultimately lies with God, seeks prayerfully to find what God's will is in a specific situation.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_18_euthanasia.cfm</ref>
+:“There are times when a debilitating accident, a life-threatening illness at an advanced age, or prolonged terminal illness without any natural hope of recovery makes it appropriate for a patient to say, "I will leave my life in the hands of my Lord. Do not perform any extraordinary measures to resuscitate me or maintain my body on life support machines, for I am ready to go home to be with my Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Terminal patients, however, often wait too long to express their preference that extraordinary life-support measures not be administered. This leaves the family with a great burden of deciding whether to allow or reject such measures. A living will clearly declaring one's wishes in this regard can eliminate such painful decisions for family and loved ones.
 ===[[Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia]]===
-'''Official Statement:'''
+''The Assemblies of God opposes physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.''
-:“But we can find no scriptural support for euthanasia (sometimes called mercy-killing). The intentional killing of human life by deliberate act or omission runs contrary to a belief that human life is sacred because it has been created and given by God himself.”
-:“Believing that supernatural healing is always possible, no matter what the medical prognosis may be, members of the Assemblies of God are more inclined to pray for healing than to approve the taking of life, even to avoid pain and suffering. Modern medicines that can deaden pain and make a dying patient reasonably comfortable should negate a common fear that anticipated pain will be so severe that suicide or euthanasia are better alternatives.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_18_euthanasia.cfm</ref>
+'''Official Statement:''' from the General Presbytery, "Sanctity of Human Life: Suicide, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Euthanasia" (2010)
-:“The church makes a clear distinction between actions which halt artificial life support and actions which directly cause death. Whether someone else administers the life-ending medium (homicide) or the patient takes it voluntarily (suicide), the action actively terminates life that was given by God.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_18_euthanasia.cfm</ref>
+:"Our opposition to the termination of human life must be understood in spiritual terms and must be guided by biblical principles. Specifically, the Church must (1) proclaim humankind’s dignity as God’s sovereign creation, (2) reassert God’s authority over life from conception to death, and (3) affirm meaning and hope for suffering humanity.
 ===[[Withholding & Withdrawing Treatment]]===
 See statements on Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia above.
-''The Assemblies of God make a distinction between halting artificial life support and actions which directly result in death.''
+'''Official Statement:''' from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Euthanasia, and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life"

@@ Line 101: / Line 101: @@
 :“The cloning of animals presents a difficult dilemma. The Bible recognizes that animals are a source of food for humans. It also gives humans dominion over the animal world –and by implication over the plant world (Genesis 1:26,28). There is also an instance in Scripture where selective breeding of animals took place (Genesis 30). Some recent research has sought to produce milk through genetic engineering that would be therapeutic and enriched for the benefit of those who drink it. Such research would seem to be acceptable as long as the animals used in the research are not mistreated. Animal life does not have the standing in God’s sight that human life has, but there is no justification in Scripture for needless abuse and mistreatment of animals.” (Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Medical-Genetic-Alteration-and-Cloning</ref>)
-====Stem Cell Research====
+====[[Stem Cell Research]]====
-'''Official statement:'''
+'''Official statement:'''  from the General Presbytery, "Sanctity of Human Life: Abortion and Reproductive Issues" (2010)
@@ Line 111: / Line 113: @@
 '''Official Statement:'''  from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning"
 :“It would be easy to oppose all research in areas of cloning and genetic engineering. There are voices in the medical community declaring that whatever experiments can be done in cloning and genetic research must be done. They express no moral or ethical parameters or guidelines such experimentation should respect. They don’t seem to understand the negative implications that can result from unrestricted research and experimentation in the modification of human and animal life. There have been abuses in the past when the possibility of successful genetic engineering was much less likely than it is today. Hitler and the Nazis conducted abusive research on prisoners in concentration camps, seeking to produce a master race of Germans. Unregenerate persons, whether naive and primitive or learned and technical, can engage in terrible acts if there is not a moral and ethical standard to which they are held accountable. Not all of society appreciates the Christian’s respect for the ethical guidelines of Scripture. But without such a standard anything can result. We call on everyone engaged in scientific and medical research to find a standard of ethical and moral conduct, to articulate it clearly so all of society understands the premises on which any such research and experimentation is conducted. We believe God’s inspired and authoritative Word, the Bible, is that standard.” (Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Medical-Genetic-Alteration-and-Cloning</ref>)
 ===[[Human Enhancement]]===

@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 ''The Assemblies of God position appeals to their doctrine on the resurrection. Since upon death, the Bible teaches that the mortal bodies are no longer needed, return to dust, they allow for organ donation and encourage it to be a testimony. However, choosing not to donate is a valid option for the Christian.''
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:''' from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Organ Donation"
-:“Ultimately, the question comes down to whether or not we view it right for our organs to be candidates for resource.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_19_organ_donation.cfm</ref>
 ==Science & Technology==
 ===Biotechnology===
 ====[[Animal-Human Hybrids & Chimeras]]====
-:“Genetic engineering reports have noted the insertion of human genes into animals, possibly for cloning purposes. Scripture would seem to forbid such a practice. Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 18:23 and 20:15,16, and Deuteronomy 27:21 order death as the penalty for humans and animals that engage in mutual sexual intercourse. The thought is repulsive and the death penalty could have been ordered because of the social stigma. But God may also have forbid the practice because of genetic complications that could have resulted.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_14_genetics.cfm</ref>
+''The Assemblies of God is opposed to human-animal hybrids.''
 ====[[Human Cloning]]====
@@ Line 81: / Line 88: @@
 :"The Assemblies of God believes that reproductive cloning is immoral and a matter of grave concern. In the cloning process, the person is not conceived from the union of the father’s sperm and the mother’s ovum. The genetic material is drawn from only one person and manipulated in the laboratory, with some risk of contamination, before implantation in the surrogate.  There are also grave physical risks for persons who may be cloned. Animal cloning has demonstrated the potential for birth defects and premature aging. Scientists have no way of knowing what type of horrors may be visited upon cloned individuals or upon humankind at large through such a process." (Sanctity of Human Life: Abortion and Reproductive Issues<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Abortion-Sanctity-of-Human-Life</ref>)
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:''' from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning"
-:“We feel strongly that such a procedure involving human cells is not in keeping with biblical principles on the God-given individuality of human life. Meditating on his own physical existence, Job declared that God gave life and He ended it (Job 1:21). Though we may understand the processes of conception, pregnancy, and birth, for humans these are not mechanical stages. God is at work creating a body to be an abode for an eternal soul. Any attempt to procreate human life outside of God’s parameters is an attempt to usurp God’s greatest act of creation, that of human life possessing both body and soul.”
+:“We feel strongly that such a procedure involving human cells is not in keeping with biblical principles on the God-given individuality of human life. Meditating on his own physical existence, Job declared that God gave life and He ended it (Job 1:21). Though we may understand the processes of conception, pregnancy, and birth, for humans these are not mechanical stages. God is at work creating a body to be an abode for an eternal soul. Any attempt to procreate human life outside of God’s parameters is an attempt to usurp God’s greatest act of creation, that of human life possessing both body and soul.
-:“Some have claimed that the cloning of humans could provide replacement organs that would prolong the lives of persons already living. While this view seems to line up with the sacredness of human life at first glance, it probably means taking one human life to extend the life of another. We believe such decisions should be God’s alone. Furthermore, the driving motive for cloning humans seems to be for the benefit of those doing the cloning or those who desire some organ for extending life. No thought is ever given to the terrible toll that would be taken on the failed clones or the successful clone that provides harvested organs.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_14_genetics.cfm</ref>
+:Some have claimed that the cloning of humans could provide replacement organs that would prolong the lives of persons already living. While this view seems to line up with the sacredness of human life at first glance, it probably means taking one human life to extend the life of another. We believe such decisions should be God’s alone. Furthermore, the driving motive for cloning humans seems to be for the benefit of those doing the cloning or those who desire some organ for extending life. No thought is ever given to the terrible toll that would be taken on the failed clones or the successful clone that provides harvested organs.” (Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Medical-Genetic-Alteration-and-Cloning</ref>)
 ====Animal Cloning====
-'''Official Position:'''
+''The Assemblies of God appears to be amenable to limited animal cloning if performed in a responsible manner.''
-:“The cloning of animals presents a difficult dilemma. The Bible recognizes that animals are a source of food for humans. It also gives humans dominion over the animal world –and by implication over the plant world (Genesis 1:26,28). There is also an instance in Scripture where selective breeding of animals took place (Genesis 30). Some recent research has sought to produce milk through genetic engineering that would be therapeutic and enriched for the benefit of those who drink it. Such research would seem to be acceptable as long as the animals used in the research are not mistreated. Animal life does not have the standing in God’s sight that human life has, but there is no justification in Scripture for needless abuse and mistreatment of animals.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_14_genetics.cfm</ref>
 ===Genetic Ethics===
@@ Line 95: / Line 105: @@
 ''The Assemblies of God recommend a cautionary approach to genetic engineering and technology.''
-'''Official Statement:'''
+'''Official Statement:'''  from the Commission on Doctrinal Purity and the Executive Presbytery, "Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning"
-:“It would be easy to oppose all research in areas of cloning and genetic engineering. There are voices in the medical community declaring that whatever experiments can be done in cloning and genetic research must be done. They express no moral or ethical parameters or guidelines such experimentation should respect. They don’t seem to understand the negative implications that can result from unrestricted research and experimentation in the modification of human and animal life.”
+:“It would be easy to oppose all research in areas of cloning and genetic engineering. There are voices in the medical community declaring that whatever experiments can be done in cloning and genetic research must be done. They express no moral or ethical parameters or guidelines such experimentation should respect. They don’t seem to understand the negative implications that can result from unrestricted research and experimentation in the modification of human and animal life. There have been abuses in the past when the possibility of successful genetic engineering was much less likely than it is today. Hitler and the Nazis conducted abusive research on prisoners in concentration camps, seeking to produce a master race of Germans. Unregenerate persons, whether naive and primitive or learned and technical, can engage in terrible acts if there is not a moral and ethical standard to which they are held accountable. Not all of society appreciates the Christian’s respect for the ethical guidelines of Scripture. But without such a standard anything can result. We call on everyone engaged in scientific and medical research to find a standard of ethical and moral conduct, to articulate it clearly so all of society understands the premises on which any such research and experimentation is conducted. We believe God’s inspired and authoritative Word, the Bible, is that standard.” (Medical: Genetic Alteration and Cloning<ref>https://ag.org/Beliefs/Topics-Index/Medical-Genetic-Alteration-and-Cloning</ref>)
-−
-:“There have been abuses in the past when the possibility of successful genetic engineering was much less likely than it is today. Hitler and the Nazis conducted abusive research on prisoners in concentration camps, seeking to produce a master race of Germans. Unregenerate persons, whether naive and primitive or learned and technical, can engage in terrible acts if there is not a moral and ethical standard to which they are held accountable. Not all of society appreciates the Christian’s respect for the ethical guidelines of Scripture. But without such a standard anything can result. We call on everyone engaged in scientific and medical research to find a standard of ethical and moral conduct, to articulate it clearly so all of society understands the premises on which any such research and experimentation is conducted. We believe God’s inspired and authoritative Word, the Bible, is that standard.”<ref>http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/contempissues_14_genetics.cfm</ref>
-−
 ===[[Human Enhancement]]===