Note: This blog entry is a response to a news article about a company called Great Life Technologies which claims it can cure combat PTSD in soldiers. (Read Part 1 here)
Before I answer those questions (see Part I of this series), let me just state that my only real interest is to get people to think before they leap into the giant gene pool of human perfection via the savior of technology. To do that, I first need to lay a little groundwork on the subject of human genetic engineering.
Then, in Part 3, we'll be talk about soldiers becoming lab rats for genetic and/or social scientists. Not to mention cults like Scientology, and self-described religions like Wicca that are proliferating in the military while Christianity is being driven out by a politically correct agenda.
But first, what is the big deal about human genetic engineering? After all, why not use it if it makes people happy, healthy human beings? Doesn’t the end sometimes justify the means? And wouldn’t it be especially beneficial for soldiers who, after all, need to be their optimum self to get the job done?
A little background is in order. As most people know, human genetic engineering, sometimes called “social” engineering, is the nouveau science of the future. It promises to genetically alter or “improve” man’s DNA so that we can be, as Mary Poppins would say, “practically perfect in every way.” The goal is to get as close to perfection as one can get before the inevitable wrinkles and decay take over and we “go gently into that good night.”
H.G. Wells, author of The Time Machine and The Island of Dr. Moreau, was one of the more influential and vocal Utopians, believing that man could––and should––attempt to achieve a blissful existence on earth. In fact, some of the things he conceived as fiction (like wireless technology) now exist today.
On a side note, it’s interesting how many Utopians are also socialists. They rarely believe in a personal God, and if they do, they attempt to create “him” or “her” in their own image. Makes sense, really—if this life is all there is and there’s no Higher Being to hold us accountable, then why not mess with DNA to create the perfect world order?
Back to the subject at hand: human genetic engineering. Popular sci-films like Gattaca give us a prophetic glimpse into what a genetically altered future might actually look alike. More recently, the remake of the '60's TV cult classic, The Prisoner shows us human engineering at its highest—and most frightening—utopian level of achievement.
So, what about the morality of human genetic engineering? (I’ll talk about the theological implications in Part 3). Ever since the poster faces of genetic engineering (a.k.a. the cloned sheep sister act “Hello Dolly, Hello Dolly”) took center stage, the subject has been an issue fraught with moral and ethical dilemmas. And not just for Christians. Certain secular humanists give solid, ethical arguments against mankind trying to achieve a state of perfection (Read, A Case Against Perfection and you'll find some pretty well-thought-out arguments).
The only difference is that the secular humanists who argue against genetic manipulation don’t offer much of an alternative. Perhaps they believe we should just be satisfied with living a short but flawed life on earth before we vaporize into sweet oblivion. Neither view presents a very attractive alternative.
One thing is obvious: When it comes to the idea of genetically altering weak and flawed human beings, or trying to reach a state of perennial bliss no matter the cost, there’s been a definite warming trend in this country. The widespread acceptance of such societal ills as abortion and euthanasia is related to that warming trend for one simple reason: when you stop believing that God is both Creator and Judge of all mankind, then the quality of life vs. the value of life itself causes your moral compass to gradually point south.
Thus the unhealthy obsession among present-day Christians with keeping up external appearances rather than eternal appearances, a.k.a. “fixing our hearts on those things that are above, rather than below.” I confess, I’ve been guilty of this sin of spiritual misplacement myself.
Once a malady confined to La-La Land (Los Angeles), a dissatisfaction with one’s inner being has led to a surge in plastic surgery throughout the country. Don’t like getting old? Seeing too many men leave their wives for younger women? Then make yourself feel better––at least temporarily—by taking advantage of that $999 Brow Lift or $300 Botox Injection that comes with the “Buy Two Dinners, Get One Free” coupon inside your Value Pak mailer.
Then there’s the emotional side. Anxious? Stressed Out? The answer is easy. Just pop a pill or go in for a little bio-feedback. And if we—or our children—are overly distracted? Buy the latest book on A.D.D, join a support group and take your Ritalin. The same with depression—the drug company’s pot of gold. In 2007, sales of antidepressants topped a whopping $11.9 billion in the U.S! Of course, millions of people do need treatment for legitimate mental illness. But all too often, antidepressants and other drugs are seen as “quick fixes” for personal problems that people don’t want to address.
That brings us to PTSD, which, of course, is fraught with its own controversy. Like anything else in the forefront of the media, PTSD gets exploited for political purposes and/or monetary gain––on both sides of the aisle. But that doesn't diminish the fact that it's real or that it needs to be addressed. 411 God- Hope for the Heroes is just one way we're attempting to do that––offering the eternal and life-giving Word of God to help "comfort those who are afflicted" and give hope where there is no hope.
After all, you can mess with man’s DNA all you like in an attempt to achieve some sort of temporal happiness, but it’s just that—temporal. More importantly, there could be a price to pay, and I’m not just talking about money. But, I’m getting ahead of myself … we’ll talk more about the spiritual ramifications in Part 3.
My point in writing this blog post is this: I’d advise anyone considering “human software engineering” and any other pseudo-scientific “cures” for PTSD to cast a critical eye and discerning mind to what humanists believe. And not only what they believe, but what they try to have us believe through their strategically disseminated and carefully disguised propaganda.
What is their underlying belief? Simply this: Through a combination of biotechnology, nanotechnology and digital technologies, humans can eventually “evolve” into a superior species ––beings that are no longer constrained or confined by the surly bonds of earthly bodies but can instead become “super human.” That view is diametrically opposed to the Judeo-Christian worldview, as you’ll see in Part 3 of this blog series, Ready for Battle? California-Based Human Engineering Company Promises to “Vaporize” Combat PTSD.
I’ll be posting that entry early
next week … watch for it. I’ll also be addressing the issue of man’s right to “inalienable
happiness.” Is it a “right” in the sense that most Americans construe the
meaning of the word? Keep tracking with me, folks.
Yes, this is probably the longest blog article you’ve ever read. But sometimes, one has to lay down a philosophical foundation before one can readily answer some of the heavier questions in life. Like, for example, does God wants us to be better versions of ourselves via the magic of science? Or does the biblical principle of “in our weakness is His strength” have any merit? And how does all this apply to soldiers? Find out next week!
Yes, this is probably the longest blog article you’ve ever read. But sometimes, one has to lay down a philosophical foundation before one can readily answer some of the heavier questions in life. Like, for example, does God wants us to be better versions of ourselves via the magic of science? Or does the biblical principle of “in our weakness is His strength” have any merit? And how does all this apply to soldiers? Find out next week!
Blogged by: jenni keast
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