Is medicine a sin against god?

when we see right wing christain groups shouting the odds against stem cell reaserch and the likes do we not then class all medical treatment from the humble headache tablet to chemotherapy as a sin. please bear with me here. my arguement goes that all medicine had to be researched by scienceists. headache tablets dont grow on trees and the chemicals used in chemo isnt actually a natural chemical and was reserched and made by man. if stem cell research was to hail the next big breakthrough in human medicine and could create a cure for cancer or hiv aids would that be really evil. i understand the idea of harvesting stem cells is a bit of a hot and touchy subject but when considering that an awful lot of medical and scientific reserch was done on the bodys of dead humans stolen from there graves is this any different? would you turn down medical treatment which has come from this research in the past?

oh of course your right alan. and the trees get together and mix the pills up with the rest of the ingredients and put the finished product into tablet form. lol

There's a couple things I'd like to mention.

No, medicine is not a sin and neither is scientific research. What is immoral to some Christians (and other religious groups) about embryonic stem cell research is that it involves harvesting cells that would develop into a human being.

Think of it this way: during the holocaust, german doctors performed experiements on Jews and on the retarded and disabled(1)... sure, their discoveries could have benefitted science and medicine, but surely you can see the ethical problem with using other humans as guinea pigs for your scientific progress and benefits.

Or this way: Today some people get very upset when animals are used in testing of beauty products or in research(2). Yes, there is benefit to be gained from testing and experimenting on animals, but ethically, some people do not thing it is worth it to torture and abuse animals for scientific or commercial purposes.

Religious organizations do not have any issue whatsoever with adult stem cell research. Now adult stem cell research takes stem cells from the umbilical cord or from the teeth or hair follicles of an adult. These cells will never develop into a human being, and yet more concrete scientific benefit has come from research using adult stem cells which pose no ethical concerns(3).

Christians oppose stem cell research because they think each clump of 150 cells is imbued with a "soul".

No, it is not a sin. But as you already know, Gods healings are available in all the things he has put around us.

Woo - controversial! Well, in my humble opinion, if there is a God, and he gave us choice and free will and the intelligence to create, then we may take advantage of all things created by man, including science.
Simple really.
Jx

No of course not.God gave us the intelligence to find and utilise these products.He is n't going to do everything for us...we have to do things for ourselves.We have the choice to use them for good(medicine) or bad (narcotics.)

Well medicine is not natural... same argument they use aginst gays... funny in nature the disabled people are left to die to

Right wing Christian groups are opposed to stem cell research that requires the destruction of human embryos, especially when there is just as much medical potential in the study of adult stem cell research. I'm not a 'right wing' Christian, but I fail to see the connection.

It depends on your definition of "God".

Right wing Christians will obviously believe in the Christian connotations.

I, personally, wouldn't turn down medical help. Then again, I'm not a right wing Christian.

No. Why would God give us the intelligence to make the medicine in the first place if it was a sin? If God wants to kill someone, don't worry he'll succeed.

extracting stem cell from embryo means killing the human embryo.

i believe that science can do much much better (humane) way than that.

I believe that a lot of medicine is just modern day sorcery, using modern day chemicals and methods, to draw us away from God's plan and purpose.

Medical knowledge is given to man by the Creator. St. Luke was a physician and followed Jesus. Jesus had no trouble with this profession. The argument put forth is that stem cell research would take more life than, potentially, it would save. This has not been proven. Science is not religion, and religion is not science, but there is Universal Law which leads us to make decisions regarding what is morally acceptable in society. What is happening now is similar to the arguments against teaching evolution in the 1920"s. People on all sides need to be better informed, and more research must be processed before that can happen. People used to be against DNA research. Many of those same people are thrilled when this knowledge separates the guilty from the innocent.

People's opinions often change when they, themselves become physically ill. When new processes are developed by the scientific community, people often see it as Frankenstein's monster. They are afraid. This will change when more is discovered and people are better informed.

In my opinion, God gave us, as humans the ability to explore and create this medicines. He also gave us free will, and the ability to choose right from wrong. It is our responsibility as to how we manifest this in our life. I am Catholic, and I support stem cell research, and I don't believe I will go to HELL for that. If there was stem cell research allowed, perhaps my brother who passed from Lou Gehrig's Disease(ALS), and my mom who has Alzheimer's, and is in a Nursing Home would have a chance at some type of cure, and my brother would still be alive. I do believe that God does instill in some people the knowledge to discover medicines and cures. I also think that in the wrong hands, things could go very wrong. I guess it's judgment call, so to speak. It is what we do with this knowledge that makes it good, or evil. Just my thoughts!
Debi

The ONLY stem cell research that any one is against is Embryo. What they are fighting to prevent is human life being made just to save some rich guy. What would you do if a cure was found to Cancer, But the cell form 10 embryos was needed for each treatment and 50 to 75 treatment were needed So you would need up to 750 embryos. Do you see where they are coming from.

Scientists have discovered a new source of stems cells and have used them to create muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory. The first report showing the isolation of broad potential stem cells from the amniotic fluid that surrounds developing embryos was published in Nature Biotechnology.

~ NO. YES. YES.

most medicines comes from the earth and God says man has dominion over the plants and flowers

actually..you have given me a gr8way to save billions on the health budget!.We could have 'faith' hospitals for the devout (for whom I admit the greatest respect btw) which would be equipped with bibles, holy water and a preacher.
Unfortunately the rest of us would just have to put up with heathen CAT/NMRI scanners, radio/chemo therapy, gene-replacement therapy etc. But it's a sacrifice I'd gladly make if this would cure these god-fearin' religious folks better an' quicker!

It is silly to use the argument because some people are against stem cell research that they should be against medicine. What they are against is harvesting human life. If it is a human life(which it is) then no one has the right to end that life to embetter their own or one of their loved ones. I realise people who want to manke this choice are making it because of desperte circumstances, but that doesn't make it right either. Who is to decide which life is worth ending for the embetterment of another. No one would argue in favour of harvesting organs of a street person. So why is is ok because it is an embryo? Is it becase they are unaware and feel no pain? If this is the argument then it would be okay to gas someone while they are asleep. (As they would be unare and feel no pain). If it is wrong in the latter case then why would it be okay because it is an embryo? Is it because of it's size? What does size of a person have to do with it's value? Is it it's age? Then what age does it become wrong? And how about those who would disagree with that age? I have a great deal of pity when I see people suffering with various afflictions, I know from personal experiance it isn't easy to watch your loved ones deteriorating from disease but this doesn't mkae killing human life any more acceptable.

You Do need to do some research. Most headache cures actually DO grow on trees!

God gave them the knowledge to make these thing's. All things good are from God.

And what I wonder did man do before pills? Your arguement falls down because it is only in the 20th Century that Man has made the Advances needed to produce synthetic chemicals for most drugs! The cures for all our ills DO grow on trees or as plants fungi and moulds!
Aspirin comes from the bark of a tree, the scientists used that to research which chemical is the medicinal one. This then applies to all other well known plants that have been used for centuries and had the effect that Doctor's needed. The anti-biotics are derived from a naturally occuring mould. You can't invent a chemical! Who provided your plant or mould that contained just the one you need! God provided the plant and gave Man the Brain to know what to do with it so it cannot be a sin against him to use it! or nature provided it and evolution has given us the brains. Take your pick. The things they learned from the dead was a different thing! That reseach led to the ability to know how we fit together and enables Surgeons to put it right when drugs won't help! I suppose then it is really down to how you see the dead! And when you think life begins! It's where the cells are collected from that these people object to!

obviously not