The document discusses how science and technology have influenced various religious topics including animal testing, cloning, fertility treatments, contraception, abortion, transplant surgery, and euthanasia. It provides definitions and perspectives from both religious texts like the Bible and different Christian views on these issues. Key debates discussed include when life begins, the use of animals in research, views on contraception and abortion within and between different Christian denominations, and attitudes towards organ donation and euthanasia/mercy killing.

1. THE INFLUENCE OF
SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY IN
RELIGION
1ST BAT

2. Religion, Morality and Life:
We all make moral decisions.
Believers base their morality
upon the faith they follow.

3. Religion & Technology look at
these key areas:
 Animals In Medical Research
 Cloning
 Fertility Treatment
 Contraceptive Methods
 Abortion
 Transplant Surgery
 Euthanasia

4. ANIMALS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH
 Definition.- It’s the
use of animals in
experiments and
development projects
usually to determine
toxicity, dosing and
efficacy of test drugs
before deciding to
apply them on
humans.

5. Do animals have rights?
In the wild, animals behave
instinctively.In the animal
kingdom
they do not have any rights.
Animal rights have come about
slowly throughout history. Animals
are vulnerable, defenseless and
are fully available to human
beings. Those who harm animals
should be accused of violating
their legal rights. Concepts that
should underlie the rights of
animals are, among
others,individual value, comfort,
respect, freedom, equality and
compassion.

6. Do animals have a soul?
What does the Bible say?
 Animals have a soul in the sense
that they possess life. A common
Hebrew word translated life (soul) is
nephesh. Nephesh is used for the life
or breath of both animals and man
(Gen. 1: 20, 30; 19: 17). Life is that
state that is the opposite of death. It is
a state of animation, breathing, and
awareness. Men and animals alike
possess a soul in the sense of breath
(nephesh). However, in the sense of
possessing a part or element that lives
forever, as man possesses, animals
do not possess an eternal spirit (cp.
Matt. 25: 46). The animal simply and
totally returns to the dust, the spirit of
man continues to exist (Eccl. 3: 21, cp.
12: 7).
 The fact that animals do not possess
an eternal soul in the sense that man
does, does not de-emphasize their
value as companions to man. Pets can
and do become an important part in
the lives of millions. Also, in man's
charge over the animal kingdom, it
behooves man to protect and not
abuse the animals (Gen. 1: 26-28).

7. Christian attitudes towards
Animal Testing
 For most of history Christians largely ignored
animal suffering.
 The growth of the environmental movement has
also radically changed Christian ideas about the
role human beings play in relation to nature.
 Few Christians nowadays think that nature
exists to serve humanity, and there is a general
acceptance that human dominion over nature
should be seen as stewardship and partnership
rather than domination and exploitation.

8. CLONING
 Definition.- Cloning can be
defined as the process by
which there are obtained
genetically identical copies of
an organism, cell or molecule
already developed of asexual
form.
 Types of Cloning:
-“Therapeutic Cloning”.- for the
purpose of creating
replacement organs for people
in need of transplants who can
not find a suitable donor.
- “Reproductive Cloning”.- An
identical copy of an animal,
plant or even huma, however it
is ILLEGAL to clone humans.
The most famous clone was
Dolly the sheep.

9. What does the Bible What do Christians
say? say?
 There is no direct teaching about
cloning in the Bible  Christians believe that human
beings are created in the image of
God, and therefore, are unique
and should not be copied. Human
life is something to be valued and
not treated like a commodity to be
bought and sold.
 The more liberal Christian
churches believe and accept that
medical research is important and
experimentation should be
allowed. They follow the idea that
Jesus himself was a healer.

14. CONTRACEPTION
 Definition.- A contraceptive is
the use of various devices,
sexual practices, chemicals,
drugs, or surgical procedures.
This means that something
becomes a contraceptive if its
purpose is to prevent a woman
from becoming pregnant.
There are several types of
contraceptives that have been
officially labeled as such
because they have shown
reliability in preventing
conception from occurring.

15. Contraceptive Methods
 Daily contraceptive tablets
The contraceptive tablet is also known as " the pill" is a type of
contraception in the shape of small tablets that one takes every day.
The majority of the pills contain two types of feminine synthetic
hormones, which are elaborated in a laboratory and are similar to
the ones normally secreted from the ovary. They are oestrogen and
progesterone and mixed are called oral contraceptives.
There are different types of oral combined contraceptives. The
oestrogen and the progesterone prevent the pregnancy, stopping
the secretion of the hypophysis gland , which stops ovulation and
retains the ovum in the ovary. That is to say ovulation does not take
place (is not produced). Progesterone also prevents the sperm from
reaching the ovum, by means of a double mechanism:
1) altering the cervical mucus
2) modifying the endometrium of the uterus. A type of pill contains a
single type of hormone,progesterone, and is called " mini-pill. " It
disables ovulation and prevents the sperm from fertilizing the
ovum.

16. Precaution
 Contraceptive tablets do not
prevent sexually transmitted
diseases!
 Condoms must always be
used.
 Side effects:
The different contraceptive
tablets can affect every woman
in a different way. In some
women they produce
nauseas,headache, changes
of humor or often the tablets
help to improve acne. The
effects go away after the first
three or four cycles.

17. The Patch
 It is a thin sheet of color beige that
contains an adhesive that allows
its permanency on the skin for one
week. The patch has been
designed in order that you can
carry out normal activities like
baths, showers and exercises. It is
recommended that you should
verify that the patch does not
become detached after each of
these activities. The efficiency of
the contraceptive patch is
comparable to the rest of hormonal
contraceptives.

18. Female Condom
 (also known as a
femidom) It is a device
that is used during sexual
intercourse as a barrier
contraceptive and to
reduce the risk of
sexually transmited
diseases.
The female condom is a
thin, soft, loose-fitting
sheath placed in the
vagina to prevent errant
sperm from bypassing the
condom

19. Intrauterine Device (IUD)
 The intrauterine device is
a T-shaped piece of
plastic about the size of a
fifty cent coin that is
placed inside the uterus
to prevent pregnancy.
They are two types of
IUDs available: One is
covered with copper, the
other releases the
hormone progesterone.

20. Male Contraception
Condom.- is a thin and elastic Vasectomy.- is a surgical
case to cover the penis during procedure for male
the coitus, in order to avoid the sterilisation and/or
fertilization - acting as permanent birth control.
contraceptive method - and the
possible contagion of sexually
During the procedure, the
transmitted diseases. vasa diferentia of a man
are cut, and then
tied/sealed in a manner to
prevent sperm from
entering into the seminal
stream (ejaculate).

21. What does the Bible say about Pre-
Marital Sex?
 ”Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is
without the body; but he that committeth
fornication sinneth against his own body”. Paul to the
Corinthians
Conservative Christians do not agree with any sex
before a person is married St. Paul said in the Bible that
you should devote yourself to God and not have sex,
but if you can not do that, then the only right way to
have sex is in marriage where the holy union is blessed
by God.
 Christians do not believe in FORNICATION which is sex
only for pleasure but they believe in procreation.

22. What do the Christians say about
Contraception?
Conservative Christians believe that
contraception interferes with the will of God.
God said to Adam, “be fruitful and multiply”.
Christians do not need contraception as they
are having sex to procreate and they are
only having sex within marriage. Each and every
sexual act must be open to the possibility of
pregnancy.

23. ABORTION
What is an abortion?.-
An abortion is the termination of
pregnancy by the removal or
expulsion from the uterus of a foetus
or embryo prior to viability. When an
abortion occurs spontaneously is
called a miscarriage, an it can also be
purposely induced.

24. When does human life begin?
There are different perspectives
about this issue.
While some people say that life
begins when the unborn child
reaches “viability”, the point
where he or she can survive
outside the womb. (Viability is
now 20 weeks into pregnancy)
Pro-life associations defend that
human life begins at conception:
“The life of a baby begins long
before he or she is born. A new
individual human being begins at
fertilization, when the sperm and
ovum meet to form a single cell.”

25. What does the Bible say about
abortion?
The Bible does not talk about You are the one who put me
“
abortion but some Bible together inside my mother’s body,
extracts and I praise you because of the
say: wonderful way you created me.
Before I formed you in
“ Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.
the womb I knew you, Nothing about me is hidden from you!
before you were born I I was secretly woven together deep
set you apart.” in the earth below, but with your own
Jeremiah 1.5 eyes you saw my body being formed.
Even before I was born, you had
written in your book everything I
would do.”
PSALM 139

26. Different Christian beliefs about
abortion?
For Christians, abortion is not a matter of choice for
women’s rights. It’s a matter of life or death of a human
being made in the image ofGod. The Church has always
proclaimed that human life is sacred from the moment of
conception. But like society, which is split over pro-life and
pro-choice abortion positions, so too is the Christian
church. Not all Christians think the same thing, and so not
all Christians agree or disagree with abortion.

27. Do Christians consider any
exceptions?
While for Catholics abortion is ALWAYS
wrong, for other faiths such as Protestants it
can be allowed in some circumstances: a
rape, abuse or incest, if the mother’s life
would be in danger, disabled baby.

28. Abortion Law in Spain
The strengths of this law are:
- Abortion allowed under any circumstances at
up to 14 weeks’ gestation and declares the
procedure a woman’s right.
- Abortion up to 22 weeks if certified by 2 doctors
that the pregnancy poses a serious threat to the woman’s life or health, as
well as in cases of fetal impairment and beyond 22 weeks in cases of
severe fetal impairment.
- It also grants 16- and17-year-olds abortion access, provided that they notify
at least one parent or legal guardian. Notification is not required if the teen
believes it would result in “domestic violence, threats, coercion, abuse..”

29. TRANSPLANT SURGERY
Definition and Types.- It is the replacing of
an organ that is no longer functioning with
an organ from a donor that does function.
Organs are donated by living and deceased
donors in order to save the life of a recipient.

30. Types of transplants
- Autograft.- Transplant of tissue to the same person.
- Allograft and allotransplantation.- An allograft is a transplant of an organ
or tissue between two genetically non-identical members of the same
species.
- Isograft.- A subset of allografts in which organs or tissues are transplanted
from a donor to a genetically identical recipient (such as an identical twin).
- Xenograft and xenotransplantation.- A transplant of organs or tissue from
one species to another. (e.g. a porcine heart valve transplant)
- Split transplants.- Sometimes a deceased-donor organ, usually a liver, may
be divided between two recipients, especially an adult and a child.
- Domino transplants.- In patients with cystic fibrosis, where both lungs need
to be replaced, it is a technically easier operation with a higher rate of success
to replace both the heart and lungs of the recipient with those of the donor. As
the recipient's original heart is usually healthy, it can then be transplanted into
a second recipient in need of a heart transplant.

31. What does the Bible say about
organ donation?
The Bible does not specifically address the issue of organ
transplantation. Obviously, organ transplants would have
been unknown in Bible times.
One of the most compelling arguments for organ donation
is the love and compassion such an act demonstrates
toward others. The mandate to "love your neighbor" was
stated by Jesus (Matthew 5:43).
From the earliest days in the Old Testament, God's people
were commanded to demonstrate a love for God as well as
for their neighbors. Being willing to donate an organ from
our own bodies would seem to be an extreme example of
selfless sacrifice for another.

32. Describe the different Christian attitudes
towards transplant surgery
Some people view organ donation as the ultimate form of mutilating the human
body. As stewards of God's creation, we should treat our bodies with respect,
and abstain from whatever is deleterious to them.
One of the biggest concerns among Christians is the concept that the entire
body needs to be present and preserved in some fashion for the resurrection.
Therefore, many Christians are reluctant to donate organs because they
believe that resurrection itself requires a "complete" body. However, when God
was handing out punishments at the Garden of Eden, He told Adam, "By the
sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return“
(Genesis 3:19). Thus, God said that one day our earthly bodies would return to
the soil.
Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, provided some insight as to the difference
between the physical body at death (which may be disposed of in a variety of
ways), and the spiritual body of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
He then went on to comment: "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (v. 44). If we
based on these facts, Christians should not fear or reject organ donation
merely in an attempt to keep the physical body intact for the resurrection.

33. EUTHANASIA or MERCY KILLING
Definition.- The word "euthanasia" comes straight out of the Greek –
"eu", goodly or well + "thanatos", death = the good death. The
intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his
or her alleged benefit. (The key word here is "intentional". If death is not
intended, it is not an act of euthanasia) A good and easy death.
Types of Euthanasia.-
- Voluntary euthanasia.- The person requests the death because
he/she doesn´t want to continue living
- Involuntary euthanasia.- When a person is unable to ask to die
because they are in coma or PVS (persistent vegetative state). Others
must make their decision for them. The person is killed against his/her
will.
- Non-voluntary.- The person is unaware of what is happening
- Active.- when a specific action is undertaken to bring life to an end
(e.g.: a person ending his/her own life)
- Passive.- when a person refuses to have any more treatment or
operations and to live the rest of his/her life to the full. They are aware
that refusing treatment will shorten or end their life.

34. What does the Bible say about it?
Christians believe that life is a special gift from God, and this affects all
their beliefs about the body and the care it should receive. As a gift it
should be treated with respect and dignity, since it is unique and
sacred
(“the Sanctity of Life”). Through his actions and teaching, Jesus made it
clear that everyone is valuable in the eyes of God. Death is seen as a
stage in life, not necessarily the end of life, and to end it prematurely is
against God’s plan.
The following are passages from the Bible:
“Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives
in you! So if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For
God’s temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.”
Corinthians 3:16-17
“Do not commit murder”
Exodus 20:13

35. What do Christians say?
Christians believe in the sanctity of life from the moment of
the birth until natural death. Christians believe life is a gift
of God, and therefore is sacred. It is not ours to dispose of
at will. Therefore, as it’s believed to be sacred, we do not
have the moral right to end it unless it is God´s will.
There are many different opinions on whether an individual
has the right to end their own life, or whether people are
merely “stewards” of their own lives and their life is really
something that belongs to God.
The mainstream Catholic view is that euthanasia is always
wrong. But for other faiths euthanasia is not something
which is desirable. It is the last option when life is so painful
that there is little quality left.

36. Conclusion
Morality, Ethics, the Sanctity of Life, the
Value of Life and the Quality of Life are
controversial issues. These are such vast
areas for thought and deliberation and
finding a just conclusion seems impossible.