Jurassic Park, more than a movie?

[joeybaggz]

That said, I do not see animal cloning as bad.

There is a theory that has some “legs” in the scientific community that the HIV virus is a deviant form of a virus commonly found in monkeys but not in humans that “jumped” to humans. The theory goes that when the Salk vaccine for polio was found to be effective the demand for the vaccine was tremendous. The way of making the vaccine used the eggs of another species ( I think ducks but I’m not sure). The process was lengthy and the availablility of duck eggs was finite. So scientists took a shortcut and used the eggs of chimpanzees. In doing so, they inadvertently created a channel for the virus in the primate to “jump” species.

I heard this theory a number of years ago and haven’t followed it. It may have been proved in error, but it does show that the scientific community can create a bad outcome from a very good intent. That the theory I offered was considered by scientists supports the idea that this kind of thinking is evident in the scientific community.

Like the old butter commercial said, "It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature. ( or God? )

 

[Dale_M]

So scientists took a shortcut and used the eggs of chimpanzees. In doing so, they inadvertently created a channel for the virus in the primate to “jump” species.

I heard this theory a number of years ago and haven’t followed it. It may have been proved in error

It was disproven.
nature.com/nature/links/010426/010426-4.html

Simian Immunodeficiency Virus is still thought to be related to HIV, but the connection doesn’t require scientific meddling. Viruses do jump from animals to humans in nature - they are called zoonotic infections.

 

[thistle]

First I should say I always loved the Jurassic Park series.

But I saw a special or two recently that had said mankind CANNOT bring a dinosaur back to life by using the DNA, but they claim that with effort, and a good chunk of years (under 50), that they can recreate a velociraptor-like dinosaur using certain bird types to “reverse-engineer”.

This is cool. In theory. However, I happen to agree with Ian Malcom from the movie (since I haven’t read the novel), with that (worded in my own words) God chose what should be alive at each point in history, and to bring something into this world that shouldn’t be here, would be a horrible idea.

What do you, the rest of the community, and/or the Church officially feel about this kind of talk? I would imagine as fascinating a subject as it is, that it’s probably better left untouched. Thoughts?

They are just really good movies. Nothing more.

 

[migurl]

We are only supposed to assist in creation via the marital act. Cloning is wrong. Bringing about an extinct species is wrong. It would be arrogant of us to assume that just because we have the ability that it would be just fine and dandy to ressurect a creature from the past. If God had wanted it around today, it would be. Using science to play creator is wrong. Ian Malcom said it best when he said that “what you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world.” The world was created by God with such intracate balances that for us to attempt to interfere would have catastophic consequences. Live creation up to the creator.

 

[Dale_M]

We are only supposed to assist in creation via the marital act. Cloning is wrong. Bringing about an extinct species is wrong. It would be arrogant of us to assume that just because we have the ability that it would be just fine and dandy to ressurect a creature from the past

I guess I disagree. God made us stewards of the earth. We haven’t done a particularly good job at it, and have killed off hundreds of species. Bringing back species which we have destroyed seems only just.

 

[wabrams]

I guess I disagree. God made us stewards of the earth. We haven’t done a particularly good job at it, and have killed off hundreds of species. Bringing back species which we have destroyed seems only just.

How do you know God didn’t already know we would accidently kill them off and had already figured that into His plan?

 

[Dale_M]

How do you know God didn’t already know we would accidently kill them off and had already figured that into His plan?

LOL!

That kind of reasoning can justify any action, no matter how heinous. Its basically the same logic used by Hagee, when he says the Holocaust wasn’t such a bad thing since it brought about the creation of the country of Israel.