“Benedict brushed off those who criticized the church,”as if it were an obstacle to science and to humanity’s true progress.”
Benny isn’t the woman who so badly wants a child that she is willing to go through anything to get pregnant, or the family whose parent has Parkinson’s and dies slowly with it (as my mother did) and hopes that embryonic stem cell research helps find a cure for that disease and others, so no one else has to watch their mother or father or anyone else die from it.
I’m sure Benny would feed the “It’s God’s will “routine when a woman can’t get pregnant or when some one gets an incurable disease. Well, that doesn’t cut it, when science can make progress in these fields. Pope John Paul 2, died of Parkinsons. Wouldn’t it have been nice if there had been a cure and PJ2 could have just died of “old age”. Then maybe Benny wouldn’t be chief of the RCC right now…
Benny actually should just stay out of it. It is not his job to tell scientists that what they are doing is not ethical. I think the scientists can handle things themselves. He can preach and send proclamations or whatever Popes do, but fortunately no one has to listen to him, (Unless they are Catholic I guess).

Scientific progress should never be made at any cost. There are ethical standards that must be followed and this is what Pope Benedict is saying. He certainly is not against scientific progress, but one needs to understand that one can not just haphazardly do whatever they want without understanding the consequences of their actions. Somehow that gets lost on some people.

Somehow I don’t think the scientific research is haphazard and I personally believe that most of the scientists are responsible people and don’t do whatever they want without regard for the future.
I do realize that Benny is “doing his job”, but if it gets in the way of progress, it makes me an unhappy camper.

They have the right to comment, of course. I just hope everyone realizes they have the right to consider what anyone says and make up their own minds.
The lives the Catholic clergy live are so removed from the lives normal people live that they are handicapped in making sensible, pertinent comments.

“Somehow I don’t think the scientific research is haphazard and I personally believe that most of the scientists are responsible people and don’t do whatever they want without regard for the future.”
That may be true but what about the results of the research?

rmoq:
“That may be true but what about the results of the research?”
The results are to try and help cure devastating diseases etc. What results are you asking about? Or is your concern the stem cell’s? That is what they are, and nothing more. There potential is enormous for helping with the curing and treatment of those devastating illnesses.

The Pope can dismiss the criticism that his Church blocks advances in science, etc., but it does in many cases, and will continue to. It is a control issue as it was centuries ago. He mentioned that each novelty of science shouldn’t be weighed in on…..as though the scientists just play at what they discover or work on, not respectful.

“Pope John Paul 2, died of Parkinsons. Wouldn’t it have been nice if there had been a cure and PJ2 could have just died of ‘old age.’”
You know, to be fair, I think John Paul was against stem-cell research…and I’m pretty sure both popes are for women getting pregnant.
And of course the pope is trying to block scientific progress. And he should. While reasonable people can disagree about what scientific progress should be blocked, I don’t think anyone can argue that science should just be allowed to pursue any idea it has, whatever the costs. (Well, not since Dr. Mengele, anyway.) And frankly I don’t see why Peter Singer should get to opine about this kind of thing, when the pope can’t.
God bless.

“You know to be fair, I think John Paul was against stem-cell research…” Joey
He probably was,however I bet he would have taken the cure or help that it offered, if indeed the reasearch had found a cure or the assistance before he died. I can’t see that he would have refused treatment from that source, just because he wa against the way it was found.
As to PJ and Benny being for women getting pregnant…how would they reconcile that with frozen embryos? Wouldn’t that be against the rules somewhere in the church?

To quote Tom Waterson of Calvin & Hobbes fame – “Scientific Progress goes ‘Boink!’”
Sure, any religious group has the privilege to comment as they might on science – as long as they don’t object to scientists commenting on religion. The issue is that Jp2 and Benny16 and the Ortho-dogs seem to think it is their right to stick their muzzles in everyone else’s business. It is fine to speak for themselves and for their organization. But they ought not presume to speak for the rest of humanity. THAT is when they start to get on the way.

>>>>”the barrier protecting human dignity has been broken.”

“The lives the Catholic clergy live are so removed from the lives normal people live that they are handicapped in making sensible, pertinent comments.”
Or vice versa:
The lives many live are so removed from the lives God wants us to live that they are handicapped in making sensible, pertinent comments (and decisions).