Imagine a bunch of clones. Are they really human? Are they simply quasi-robots? Do they have a soul?

These questions come up in churches, the U.S. Congress, research labs, and in typical homes and schools.

Playing God

From earliest times, people had a desire to play God and do things beyond their natural ability. Conception is one of those areas. Abraham and Sarah struggled. Lot's daughters resorted to incest. Judah's daughter-in-law used seduction. (Check it out yourself in Genesis 16:1f, 19:30f, and 38:1f) People look everywhere except the Bible for answers. For proof, read 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Today is not much different. Our society believes that if we can manipulate a problem, we should be able to find an answer. That's where cloning comes in.

Cloning: Parts vs. the Whole

Arguments are made that we don't want to clone people-just parts. "If we can clone a liver or heart, we'll avoid the hassles of typical organ transplantation." "Only the really weird scientists want to clone people." "Why can't we just do cloning that doesn't deal with human life?" The truth is that cloning is not that simple.

What's not simple?

Cloning is done when a nucleus is removed from an egg cell and replaced with a different nucleus. Since the "brain" of the cell has been replaced, the old cell will function with a new "brain." This means the new life will have the same genetic make-up as the new "brain's" donor.

Now here's the complication. To get the human parts, you need a human being. The plan now is to clone a person and grow the embryo to about a week old. The embryo is destroyed and the stem cells are harvested. The stem cells can then, hypothetically, be used to grow the new organs.

In this way stem cells are harvested through a process that knowingly kills an embryonic human life. One way to get those stem cells is through cloning. Some people argue that since the cloned embryos will be destroyed before they grow into a human, the research is morally acceptable.

Guided by God's Word

The problem is human life begins at conception (Psalm 51:5). And God demands that we protect and preserve all human life (Genesis 9:5-6, Exodus 20:13 and others). Because of God's love and forgiveness in Jesus, our actions should always reflect obedience and love for God (1 Corinthians 10:31). That means cloning, as it is done today, is not acceptable. If a new method is developed to accomplish cloning without killing human life, then maybe we can reconsider our position. Until that time cloning is a process that violates the principles of God's Word and the value he places on human life.

Paul Snamiska is program administrator for WELS Lutherans for Life. To learn more about life issues, visit Christian Life Resources (www.ChristianLifeResources.com).

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Genesis 9:5-6 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.