Hindu creation narratives suggest the world was created with a cloning-like process, and the tradition believes in reincarnation, so there is not the kind of fundamental objection seen in many Christian traditions. But most Hindu scholars say cloning can only be supported if it somehow contributes to the cultivation of spiritual self-awareness, rather than being purely an effort to manipulate the external environment. More on the Hindu position can be found here. "; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Buddhism","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Buddhism rejects the Western idea of individuality, scholars generally agree that the process by which children are born makes no difference. Cloning can even be viewed as a tool for reaching enlightenment, or liberation from the world of suffering. The Dalai Lama once said hypothetically that he would welcome creation of a person who had all good human qualities and no bad qualities because it would facilitate the process of rebirth and liberation. On the other hand, some Buddhist monks say cloning is just a foolhardy attempt to eliminate suffering from the world. Buddhism's Eightfold Path also prohibits harm to any sentient beings, which presents possible restrictions on embryo and animal research. For additional discussion, see The Koan of cloning."; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Islam","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Preservation of parent-child lineage is of utmost importance to Muslims, who object to third-party assisted reproduction but endorse procedures that assist in the fertility of committed parents. Leading U.S. scholar on Islamic cloning views, Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina, believes Muslims would support cloning if it helped parents have children. But the potential breakdown of filial relationships that could ensue from the creation of cloned persons gives Muslims pause. So does the destruction of embryos, as there is not consensus among schools of Islamic thought about the moral status of the human embryo. Some traditions affirm the presence of a soul at point of conception, but others place ensoulment at 40 days, and still others at 120 days. Within these latter traditions, therapeutic cloning research can be justified. More on Sachedina's views is available on the University of Virginia's Web site."; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Judaism","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Preservation of human life is seen as an overriding duty for Jews, and the Jewish tradition places high value on scientific research, so many Jewish scholars support cloning research and are suspicious of outright government bans. In a joint statement recently, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America and the Rabbinical Council of America said "if cloning technology research advances our ability to heal humans with greater success, it ought to be pursued since it does not require or encourage the destruction of life in the process." Both groups, however, indicated opposition to cloning for reproductive purposes. But other scholars say that the cloning of human beings may be acceptable if no other method for procreation is available. The joint statement can be viewed here."; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Native American","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Animal cloning and human cloning both risk substantial disruption of the created order and balance in nature, according to some Native American views. Animal cloning is seen as eroding the reverence and kinship between humans and other created beings. "We are becoming more like Creator every day ... however, it is only our abilities that are growing that way," says Muskogee tribe elder Sakim, according to Oregon State University professor Courtney Campbell. "We are not blessed with nor in any manner fraught with the judgment of Creator. That is the fundamental problem." However, some support for human cloning can be found among Native Americans who are worried about the preservation of endangered indigenous peoples and see cloning as a possible way to ensure survival."; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","African-American churches","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Most African-American churches — which stem largely from Methodist and Baptist traditions —affirm that life begins at conception, which leaves little room for any embryonic research. Black churches are also sensitive to the potential abuses minorities may face in the name of medical research because of incidents like the Tuskegee experiments from 1932 to 1972 in which African-Americans were denied syphilis treatments.
Cloning could also make society more race conscious, further marginalizing minorities, according to some African-American leaders. And the focus on costly new research while some members of the community lack basic health care is also troubling. "; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Orthodox Christianity","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Conservative Christians resoundingly oppose any cloning, since they hold that embryos are human beings. In a public statement made in 1997, the Orthodox Church in America said it believed cloning would lead to commercialization of DNA, production of \"spare parts\" babies, and movement toward creation of a superior class of human beings. The most recent statement by the Orthodox Church in America can be found here."; Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Mainline Protestant Christianity","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", ""); Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Mainline Protestants include American Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalians, Evangelical Lutherans, United Methodists, Presbyterians and the United Church of Christ — about 17 percent of the U.S. population. Not surprisingly, there is great diversity of opinions among these groups.
Some scholars assert that Christians are co-creators with God, and cloning could fulfill this calling. Cloning would also open biological parenthood to gay couples, which some support.
In the middle ground are those who make a clear distinction between therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Research that minimizes discarded embryos may be acceptable, but cloning people would be playing God, according to this school of thought.
The more conservative traditions, such as the United Methodist Church, support a ban on all human cloning, including therapeutic cloning. Still others, such as U.S. Presbyterian Church, have not taken a position on cloning, but call for "extreme caution in such endeavors."
More on the Methodist position.
More on the Presbyterian position.
More on the Lutheran position.";
Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Roman Catholic Christianity","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "The Catholic Church’s position is spelled out clearly in Donum Vitae, published in 1987 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Any attempts at cloning are a violation of the dignity of the human embryo and of human sexuality. Research on human embryos is also rejected, as the embryo is afforded the status as a person. The Vatican's position on cloning is available here";
Cloning_Religion2[i++] = new Array("","Protestant Christianity: Conservative Evangelical","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
Cloning_Religion2[i-1].body = "Conservative Christians, including the largest American Protestant organization, the Southern Baptist Convention, reject cloning outright. Any kind of cloning would break the chain of creation that God set in motion in Genesis, and rupture the relationship between parent and child, scholars say, separating human reproduction from any relationship. Research is immoral as well because the embryo is given full human status. Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptists' Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has called therapeutic cloning "a euphemism for cloning and then killing tiny babies. More on the Southern Baptist view. ";
// END editorial data