Difference between revisions of "Southern Baptist Convention"
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| − | Official Website: http://www.sbc.net | + | Official Denominational Website: http://www.sbc.net |
| − | ==Beginning of Life== | + | |
| − | + | ==[[:Category:Beginning of Life|Beginning of Life]]== | |
| − | “Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage. At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God's image. This human being deserves our protection, whatever the circumstances of conception.” (Sanctity of Life | + | '''Official Statement:''' from "Position Statements: Sanctity of Life" |
| + | “Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage. At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God's image. This human being deserves our protection, whatever the circumstances of conception.” (Position Statements: Sanctity of Life)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/positionstatements.asp</ref> | ||
===[[Abortion]]=== | ===[[Abortion]]=== | ||
| − | The SBC is against abortion for all reasons except to save the life of the mother: | + | ''The SBC is against abortion for all reasons except to save the life of the mother:'' |
| − | + | ||
| − | : | + | ''Official Statement:''' from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution on Abortion and Infanticide" (New Orleans, LA, 1982) |
| + | :“Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 1982 Southern Baptist Convention affirm that all human life, both born and pre-born, is sacred, bearing the image of God, and is not subject to personal judgments as to ‘quality of life’ based on such subjective criteria as stage of development, abnormality, intelligence level, degree of dependency, cost of medical treatment, or inconvenience to parents. | ||
| + | :Be it further RESOLVED, That we abhor the use of federal, state or local tax money; public, tax-supported medical facilities; or Southern Baptist supported medical facilities for the practice of selfish, medically unnecessary abortions and/or the practice of withholding treatment from unwanted or defective newly born infants. | ||
| + | :Be it finally RESOLVED, That we support and will work for appropriate legislation and/or constitutional amendment which will prohibit abortions except to save the physical life of the mother, and that we also support and will work for legislation which will prohibit the practice of infanticide.” (Resolution on Abortion and Infanticide, reaffirmed in 1989, 1991, and 1993 Resolutions)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/20</ref> | ||
| − | ==Healthcare & Medicine== | + | |
| + | ==[[:Category:Healthcare & Medicine|Healthcare & Medicine]]== | ||
===[[Organ Donation & Transplantation]]=== | ===[[Organ Donation & Transplantation]]=== | ||
| − | : | + | '''Official Statement:''' from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Human Organ Donations" (San Antonio, TX, 1988) |
| + | :“Therefore be it RESOLVED, That we . . encourage physicians to request organ donation in appropriate circumstances; and | ||
| + | :Be it further RESOLVED, we encourage voluntarism regarding organ donations in the spirit of stewardship, compassion for the needs of others, and alleviating suffering; and | ||
| + | :Be it further RESOLVED, we recognize the validity of living wills and organ donor cards, along with the right of next of kin to make decisions regarding organ donations; and | ||
| + | :Be it finally RESOLVED, That nothing in the resolution be construed to condone euthanasia, infanticide, abortion, or harvesting of fetal tissue for the procurement of organs. (Resolution on Human Organ Donations)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/791</ref> | ||
| + | |||
===[[Privacy of Healthcare Information]]=== | ===[[Privacy of Healthcare Information]]=== | ||
| − | : | + | '''Official Statement:''' from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Genetic Technology and Cloning" (Dallas, TX, 1997) |
| + | :“we solicit lawmakers to pass federal legislation protecting genetic privacy and prohibiting the use of information gathered through genetic testing to stigmatize and discriminate against individuals on the basis of their genetic information.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/571</ref> | ||
| − | ==Science & Technology== | + | |
| − | ===Biotechnology=== | + | ==[[:Category:Science & Technology|Science & Technology]]== |
| + | ===[[:Category:Biotechnology|Biotechnology]]=== | ||
====[[Animal-Human Hybrids]]==== | ====[[Animal-Human Hybrids]]==== | ||
| − | :“[we] repudiate in strongest possible terms human species-altering technologies; | + | '''Official Statement:''' from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Species-Altering Technologies" (Greensboro, NC, 2006) |
| + | :“[we] repudiate in strongest possible terms human species-altering technologies; and . . . | ||
| + | :we oppose efforts at human-animal hybridization, specifically any attempts to mix human and animal gametes (sperm and egg) or implanting human embryos in animal wombs and vice versa; and . . . | ||
| + | :while we support attempts at human somatic cell gene therapy for serious genetic illnesses if proper regard is given to informed consent, safety, efficacy, and the just allocation of available resources, we oppose any biotechnology that results in blurring the human-animal species barrier, such as the implantation of human brain cells into mice; and . . . | ||
| + | :while we support the use of simple gene transfer from humans to animals for drug production (e.g., human insulin, human growth hormone, clotting factor VIII) and therapeutic human-animal technologies such as the use of pig heart valves in humans, we oppose any human germline genetic modification that results in the destruction of human embryos or their equivalent (e.g., totipotential cells); and . . . | ||
| + | :we cannot endorse any use of human germline modification at this time, no matter how well-intentioned, due to the unpredictability of the process and the possible introduction of irreversible destructive errors into the human gene pool, and . . . | ||
| + | :we urge the members of both Houses of the United States Congress to pass as soon as possible a comprehensive ban on all human species-altering technologies, including the creation of animal-human hybrids and human germline genetic modification, given the current state of the unpredictability of the process and the possibility of the introduction of irreversible destructive errors into the human gene pool.” (On Human Species-Altering Technologies, 2006)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/1158</ref> | ||
====[[Human Cloning]]==== | ====[[Human Cloning]]==== | ||
| − | : | + | '''Official Statement:''' from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Cloning" (New Orleans, LA, 2001) |
| − | + | :“[we] express our abhorrence at attempts to clone a human being; and . . . | |
| + | :consistent with our positions on both cloning and embryo research, we repudiate both reproductive cloning and research cloning of human embryos; and . . . | ||
| + | :we urge Congress to enact a permanent, comprehensive ban on human cloning, making it unlawful to clone a human being, including a human embryo, and attaching severe penalties to attempts to clone human beings, including human embryos; and be it further | ||
| + | :RESOLVED, That, with the exception of cloning humans and human embryos, we do not oppose the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells, tissues, organs, plants, or animals; and . . . | ||
| + | :we encourage policymakers around the world to make the cloning of a human being illegal among the entire human family.” (Resolution on Human Cloning, 2001)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/572</ref> | ||
====[[Stem Cell Research]]==== | ====[[Stem Cell Research]]==== | ||
| Line 30: | Line 51: | ||
:“…we…reaffirm our vigorous opposition to the destruction of innocent human life, including the destruction of human embryos.” (Resolution on Human Embryonic and Stem Cell Research, 1999)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=620</ref> | :“…we…reaffirm our vigorous opposition to the destruction of innocent human life, including the destruction of human embryos.” (Resolution on Human Embryonic and Stem Cell Research, 1999)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=620</ref> | ||
| − | ===Genetic Ethics=== | + | ===[[:Category:Genetic Ethics|Genetic Ethics]]=== |
====[[Genetic Testing]]==== | ====[[Genetic Testing]]==== | ||
:“…we voice our emphatic opposition to the use of prenatal genetic testing for the purpose of abortion decisions.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning, 1997)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=571</ref> | :“…we voice our emphatic opposition to the use of prenatal genetic testing for the purpose of abortion decisions.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning, 1997)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=571</ref> | ||
| Line 36: | Line 57: | ||
:“…we encourage the continued development of genetic technologies which contribute to the treatment and cure of genetic illnesses; and…we encourage a national dialogue about the merits and liabilities of patenting animal and human genes; and…That our national discussion include religious communities and their values, as well as the scientific community with its values.” (Resolution on the Patenting of Animal and Human Genes, 1995)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=570</ref> | :“…we encourage the continued development of genetic technologies which contribute to the treatment and cure of genetic illnesses; and…we encourage a national dialogue about the merits and liabilities of patenting animal and human genes; and…That our national discussion include religious communities and their values, as well as the scientific community with its values.” (Resolution on the Patenting of Animal and Human Genes, 1995)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=570</ref> | ||
| − | ===Human Research Ethics=== | + | ===[[Human Research Ethics]]=== |
====[[Experimentation on Human Embryos]]==== | ====[[Experimentation on Human Embryos]]==== | ||
:“…[we] reaffirm our abhorrence of elective abortion, our repudiation of research using embryos and fetuses from elective abortions, and our repugnance toward the exploitation of unborn human beings through the sale of their body parts; and…That we call upon our elected officials at every level to enforce existing laws against the sale of human fetal tissues and to take appropriate steps to stop the trafficking of baby body parts.” (Resolution on Human Fetal Tissue Trafficking, 2000)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=553</ref> | :“…[we] reaffirm our abhorrence of elective abortion, our repudiation of research using embryos and fetuses from elective abortions, and our repugnance toward the exploitation of unborn human beings through the sale of their body parts; and…That we call upon our elected officials at every level to enforce existing laws against the sale of human fetal tissues and to take appropriate steps to stop the trafficking of baby body parts.” (Resolution on Human Fetal Tissue Trafficking, 2000)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=553</ref> | ||
:“…we call on Congress to enact federal legislation against providing human embryos for the purpose of experimentation, whether by tax funded or privately funded researchers.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning, 1997)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=571</ref> | :“…we call on Congress to enact federal legislation against providing human embryos for the purpose of experimentation, whether by tax funded or privately funded researchers.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning, 1997)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=571</ref> | ||
| − | ==End of Life== | + | |
| + | ==[[:Category:End of Life|End of Life]]== | ||
===[[Artificial Hydration & Nutrition]]=== | ===[[Artificial Hydration & Nutrition]]=== | ||
:“… we oppose efforts to designate food and water as "extraordinary treatment," and urge that nutrition and hydration continue to be viewed as compassionate and ordinary medical care and humane treatment.” (Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, 1992)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=493</ref> | :“… we oppose efforts to designate food and water as "extraordinary treatment," and urge that nutrition and hydration continue to be viewed as compassionate and ordinary medical care and humane treatment.” (Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, 1992)<ref>http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=493</ref> | ||
Revision as of 17:46, 7 September 2018
Official Denominational Website: http://www.sbc.net
Beginning of Life
Official Statement: from "Position Statements: Sanctity of Life" “Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage. At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, a being created in God's image. This human being deserves our protection, whatever the circumstances of conception.” (Position Statements: Sanctity of Life)[1]
Abortion
The SBC is against abortion for all reasons except to save the life of the mother:
Official Statement:' from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution on Abortion and Infanticide" (New Orleans, LA, 1982)
- “Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 1982 Southern Baptist Convention affirm that all human life, both born and pre-born, is sacred, bearing the image of God, and is not subject to personal judgments as to ‘quality of life’ based on such subjective criteria as stage of development, abnormality, intelligence level, degree of dependency, cost of medical treatment, or inconvenience to parents.
- Be it further RESOLVED, That we abhor the use of federal, state or local tax money; public, tax-supported medical facilities; or Southern Baptist supported medical facilities for the practice of selfish, medically unnecessary abortions and/or the practice of withholding treatment from unwanted or defective newly born infants.
- Be it finally RESOLVED, That we support and will work for appropriate legislation and/or constitutional amendment which will prohibit abortions except to save the physical life of the mother, and that we also support and will work for legislation which will prohibit the practice of infanticide.” (Resolution on Abortion and Infanticide, reaffirmed in 1989, 1991, and 1993 Resolutions)[2]
Healthcare & Medicine
Organ Donation & Transplantation
Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Human Organ Donations" (San Antonio, TX, 1988)
- “Therefore be it RESOLVED, That we . . encourage physicians to request organ donation in appropriate circumstances; and
- Be it further RESOLVED, we encourage voluntarism regarding organ donations in the spirit of stewardship, compassion for the needs of others, and alleviating suffering; and
- Be it further RESOLVED, we recognize the validity of living wills and organ donor cards, along with the right of next of kin to make decisions regarding organ donations; and
- Be it finally RESOLVED, That nothing in the resolution be construed to condone euthanasia, infanticide, abortion, or harvesting of fetal tissue for the procurement of organs. (Resolution on Human Organ Donations)[3]
Privacy of Healthcare Information
Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "Resolution On Genetic Technology and Cloning" (Dallas, TX, 1997)
- “we solicit lawmakers to pass federal legislation protecting genetic privacy and prohibiting the use of information gathered through genetic testing to stigmatize and discriminate against individuals on the basis of their genetic information.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning)[4]
Science & Technology
Biotechnology
Animal-Human Hybrids
Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Species-Altering Technologies" (Greensboro, NC, 2006)
- “[we] repudiate in strongest possible terms human species-altering technologies; and . . .
- we oppose efforts at human-animal hybridization, specifically any attempts to mix human and animal gametes (sperm and egg) or implanting human embryos in animal wombs and vice versa; and . . .
- while we support attempts at human somatic cell gene therapy for serious genetic illnesses if proper regard is given to informed consent, safety, efficacy, and the just allocation of available resources, we oppose any biotechnology that results in blurring the human-animal species barrier, such as the implantation of human brain cells into mice; and . . .
- while we support the use of simple gene transfer from humans to animals for drug production (e.g., human insulin, human growth hormone, clotting factor VIII) and therapeutic human-animal technologies such as the use of pig heart valves in humans, we oppose any human germline genetic modification that results in the destruction of human embryos or their equivalent (e.g., totipotential cells); and . . .
- we cannot endorse any use of human germline modification at this time, no matter how well-intentioned, due to the unpredictability of the process and the possible introduction of irreversible destructive errors into the human gene pool, and . . .
- we urge the members of both Houses of the United States Congress to pass as soon as possible a comprehensive ban on all human species-altering technologies, including the creation of animal-human hybrids and human germline genetic modification, given the current state of the unpredictability of the process and the possibility of the introduction of irreversible destructive errors into the human gene pool.” (On Human Species-Altering Technologies, 2006)[5]
Human Cloning
Official Statement: from Southern Baptist Convention, "On Human Cloning" (New Orleans, LA, 2001)
- “[we] express our abhorrence at attempts to clone a human being; and . . .
- consistent with our positions on both cloning and embryo research, we repudiate both reproductive cloning and research cloning of human embryos; and . . .
- we urge Congress to enact a permanent, comprehensive ban on human cloning, making it unlawful to clone a human being, including a human embryo, and attaching severe penalties to attempts to clone human beings, including human embryos; and be it further
- RESOLVED, That, with the exception of cloning humans and human embryos, we do not oppose the use of nuclear transfer or other cloning techniques to produce molecules, DNA, cells, tissues, organs, plants, or animals; and . . .
- we encourage policymakers around the world to make the cloning of a human being illegal among the entire human family.” (Resolution on Human Cloning, 2001)[6]
Stem Cell Research
- “…we strongly support stem cell research that does not require the destruction of human embryos or put them at risk in obtaining human stem cells; and…we deplore embryo-destructive research, since it kills human beings in their earliest stages of development.” (Resolution on Stem Cell Research, 2005)[7]
- “…we…reaffirm our vigorous opposition to the destruction of innocent human life, including the destruction of human embryos.” (Resolution on Human Embryonic and Stem Cell Research, 1999)[8]
Genetic Ethics
Genetic Testing
- “…we voice our emphatic opposition to the use of prenatal genetic testing for the purpose of abortion decisions.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning, 1997)[9]
Patenting of Human Tissue/Gene Patenting
- “…we encourage the continued development of genetic technologies which contribute to the treatment and cure of genetic illnesses; and…we encourage a national dialogue about the merits and liabilities of patenting animal and human genes; and…That our national discussion include religious communities and their values, as well as the scientific community with its values.” (Resolution on the Patenting of Animal and Human Genes, 1995)[10]
Human Research Ethics
Experimentation on Human Embryos
- “…[we] reaffirm our abhorrence of elective abortion, our repudiation of research using embryos and fetuses from elective abortions, and our repugnance toward the exploitation of unborn human beings through the sale of their body parts; and…That we call upon our elected officials at every level to enforce existing laws against the sale of human fetal tissues and to take appropriate steps to stop the trafficking of baby body parts.” (Resolution on Human Fetal Tissue Trafficking, 2000)[11]
- “…we call on Congress to enact federal legislation against providing human embryos for the purpose of experimentation, whether by tax funded or privately funded researchers.” (Resolution on Genetic Technology and Cloning, 1997)[12]
End of Life
Artificial Hydration & Nutrition
- “… we oppose efforts to designate food and water as "extraordinary treatment," and urge that nutrition and hydration continue to be viewed as compassionate and ordinary medical care and humane treatment.” (Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, 1992)[13]
Physician-Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia
SBC is against physician-assisted suicide, but it encourages palliative care:
- “We…affirm the biblical and Hippocratic prohibitions against assisted suicide; and…commend and encourage medical science in its efforts to improve pain management techniques, thus removing one major impetus toward assisted dying; and… we call upon physicians, nurses, hospice workers, individual Christians and local churches to make emotional, psychological, and spiritual care of suffering patients a priority, thereby relieving the sense of isolation and abandonment some dying patients feel; and…we vigorously denounce assisted suicide as an appropriate means of treating suffering.” (Resolution on Assisted Suicide, 1996)[14]
- “we…affirm the biblical prohibition against the taking of innocent human life by another person, or oneself, through euthanasia or assisted suicide; and…That in light of the fact that the end of life may be painful, we urge scientists and physicians to continue their research into more effective pain management; and… we encourage hospitals, nursing care facilities, and hospices to increase their efforts to keep dying persons as comfortable as possible and call on Christians to help provide companionship and appropriate physical and spiritual ministry to persons who are dying; and…we reject as appropriate any action which, of itself or by intention, causes a person's death. (Resolution on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, 1992)[15]
Notes
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/positionstatements.asp
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/20
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/791
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/571
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/1158
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/572
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=1144
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=620
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=571
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=570
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=553
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=571
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=493
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=278
- ↑ http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=493
