Theological Discourse in Bioethics: General and Confessional Differencies

Basia Nikiforova

Abstract


This essay is devoted to the problem of theological discourse in bioethics. We focus both on general positions shared across major existing religions and substantial confessional differences among them. Among the major categories determining relationship between bioethics and religion we studied the following: “image of God” (imago Dei), casuistry, primacy of procreation, “playing God”, artificial procreation and others. After analyzing Christian, Jewish and Islamic positions on the theological interpretation of the reproductive technologies and human cloning, we came to a conclusion that differences in views depend rather on orthodox, conservative, traditional or liberal viewpoint within a given church than on differences between particular religions. Despite substantial faith-related differences, occasionally, views on reproductive technologies and other problems of bioethics seem closer between liberal Protestants and liberal Judaists than between orthodox and reformist Judaists.

 


Article in: English

Article published: 2006-03-15

Keyword(s): reproductive technologies; human cloning; procreation; religious pluralism; confessional difference

DOI: 10.3846/coactivity.2006.06

Full Text: PDF pdf

 

Cited-By

1. Cross border reproductive care (CBRC): a growing global phenomenon with multidimensional implications (a systematic and critical review)
Mahmoud Salama, Vladimir Isachenko, Evgenia Isachenko, Gohar Rahimi, Peter Mallmann, Lynn M. Westphal, Marcia C. Inhorn, Pasquale Patrizio
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics  vol: 35  issue: 7  first page: 1277  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1007/s10815-018-1181-x



Coactivity: Philosophy, Communication / Santalka: Filosofija, Komunikacija ISSN 2029-6320, eISSN 2029-6339
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License.