being human

 I saw a small article about Chinese scientists that have cloned a primate. That's correct , similar to what they did with that sheep some time back. That sheep was named Dolly and lived for seven years. That is about all I heard about that and this is the first mention of cloning I have heard since. It's a pretty big deal and I wonder why the media isn't saying more about it. The moral and ethical implications should be of great concern to everyone. Just to what purpose are we cloning animals in the first place ? The answer must be to provide spare parts. Primates are only one step away from homo-sapiens. Why would we clone a person ? For the same reason is the only logical response. Many countries struggle with birth control so is their really a need for cloning ? 

 If we cloned a human being would that clone then have a soul ? Now that is a theological question for the scholars. For the Christian the answer has to be no, for isn't it God that breathes life into the soul of man ? Can man make man ? No, I just don't think that you can, the best we can accomplish is a biological replacement. Setting that aside, if we do clone humans what is that clones purpose in life ? Is it their life or the life of the one that created him/her ? Will you just pay for a service and take possession of the product ? Will a clone have the same intellectual capabilities as the " orginal ? " Theoretically it is possible to duplicate the components but will they perform exactly as the original ? If I am a clone I am eventually going to ask who is my father or my mother. What is the response you would give ? Does this " cloning " have anything to do with this " gender neutral " attitude we have seen lately in society ? I'm not much on conspiracy theories but if we condition humanity to accept the idea of gender neutrality, same sex relationships and all of that, couldn't it be viewed as a precursor ? At one point we can just eliminate the biological function of sex ( procreation ) and just enjoy the pleasures associated with performing the act. Gratification without consequence ?  When we want to procreate, we just clone. We can then produce the desired result as far as gender, race, height, weight, intellectual property, etc. Is that the ultimate goal ? Well, like I said, I'm not much on conspiracy theories but only the very wealthy will be able to afford this " technology " in its' infant stages.

 As for me I find this disturbing and something man shouldn't be messing around with. I find it wrong on some deep level and a sense of foreboding creeps in my mind when I think about it. Once the genie is out of the bottle there is no putting it back. I think that is probably what bothers me. I know that one day we will clone a person. Its' inevitable.

 The world needs to have this discussion ! This is an event that will effect all of humanity. Sadly the world can't even discuss the smallest of things. If we once clone a person, couldn't we then clone an army ? Yes we could but to what end ? The days of land battles and the counting of casualties are long over. Any major conflict will include those weapons of mass destruction we hear about, the number of individuals in an army will not be a factor. Clones would however be useful to continue " leadership " positions. Will clones have the same citizenship status as everyone else ? Should clones be readily identifiable as such ? Indeed will clones be human at all ?