THE MEN WHO PLAY GOD

I am sure some of you at least once in your life have come across somebody who made the statement "Men should never play God."

For me, I came across that particular statement last night in class when we were talking about Stem Cell research and Cloning of other human beings etc. Some of the people in the class argued that they were against both stem cell research and clonings because they think that 'human beings' should not play God. We should not mess with what God has created or made natural.

Their argument struck me as completely absurd for these various reasons. Right now in the world, we have processed foods, foods that are made artificially for example fruits, tomatoes etc. They are able to be made without being grown and that's just one instance. Not to talk about the other instances where Doctors play God by saving human life through science and technology.

One of the other arguments some people in the class made was that if we cloned ourselves, it might be a prodigy. In the sense that it may lead to the over population of the world and disrupt the natural balance. Plus the science gained from stem cell research could figure out a way to stop people from aging and that would mean that people lived way longer than they should. Their argument again struck me as odd because they were arguing that supporting that kind of science would be nothing short of human beings playing God. I then asked them if they realised that human beings had  been 'playing God' way before any of us were born? In the natural world, if you get sick or you contact natural diseases those diseases are a way of nature to root out the weak and keep the strong. It's also a natural way to balance the earth population, but human beings decided to invent drugs and medicine which would cure us from those natural diseases in essence making us live longer.

If those drugs did not exist, the only respite we as human beings would have as  a cure is to pray to God and hope he answers us just like they did in the days of the bible. If God spurned our prayers, we would basically be screwed. So when they say 'we human beings are playing God' then they should realise that in order to stop playing God we need to get rid of all the scientific advances that have been made in order to enable we humans to be more effective.

The other aspect of this that I found bemusing was the fact that the very same people who say "Human Beings should not play God" are the very same people who credit God with the advances made by doctors, scientists etc. Sometimes when you ask people if you believe in God and not science why do you not only pray to God when your sick and let him heal you, why do you go to the doctor. Some people will respond with, how do you know it's not God working through the doctors?

My point is, if then it is God working through the doctors, scientists etc. Then the breakthroughs made in the medical and science profession are obviously of God's doing abi? So cloning and stem cell research are obviously approved by God.

I will define what stem cell research is for those who may not know what it is
Stem Cell Research - Stem cell research is a developing technology that focuses on using undifferentiated cells therapeutically to treat human disease and injury. Stem cells are primitive or unspecialized cells that can assist in tissue repair and rejuvenation. When they divide, stem cells have the potential to become any type of cell needed, such as brain, blood or muscle cells.

Basically the cells when separated can become any type of cell and they can be used to cure people with diseases such as cancer etc. The controversy behind it is that the cells are gotten from human embryos and so there is this whole argument as to whether a human embryo is a human being or not. 

Africans and Homophobia--Make the Change

If you know me, then you know I used to be a homophobe. I knew a couple of queer people in boarding school and being at a stage when we usually ganged up, or walked in groups, it was relatively easy to absorb prejudices against gay people. I mean we didnt single gay people out, walking in gang just made you egalitarian with your prejudice: we hated on people that wore rubber sandals and people that didnt want to be lawyers, doctors or engineers or people that had the misfortune of being in the bottom in the bottom half of the class. I digress, all i want to point out was that being in a clique often made it easy to hate on the outsiders.

As I grew as a person though, and matured into thinking for myself (and might I add, after I had left school so no risk of a random gay dude butt-raping me, but thats my vestigial homophobia speaking lol ), I started evaluating these attitudes I had, to understand why I held them. Why didnt I like to be around gays, even though I had nothing against them? And I found out...nothing.

There was no reason whatsoever. (Oh yea, i mean concrete reasons, paranoia doesnt count.)

The prejudice i had against them was just that: a prejudice. Does the bible condemn it? Maybe, maybe not. If we condemn everything Scripture said was wrong, Jesus would have wacked the shit outta the adulterous woman. He had every right to, I mean, he was as sinless as they come. But he didn't because he was giving us a model: humanity trumps morality. What you think is right or wrong should not get in the way of the respect we have for ourselves as people. And while I cannot claim to understand them completely, gay people, are first and foremost, people. Not a subset, like society wants us to believe. There is no such thing as a subset of people.No one has figured out people. People will be people: we cant be understood. We are all fallen trying to reach back to the vision of perfection : gay, straight, trans, all races, all classes, all religions.

If we want to criticise people on moral grounds, be equally moral for all gender expressions and sexual orientations. This is one area where Africa, is unfortunately, still too clingy towards its past. People justify their bias by saying , homosexuality is not in our culture. Well it is now! C'mon son! Neither was cinema, clubbing, facebook, flying in planes, Christianity, Islam, democratic politics and gin and juice but they're all part of it now. (And by accepting it wanst part of our culture, I dont say it didnt exist, but it wasnt engaged in by a significant portion of the people, or openly enough to be registered as part of their reality.) But today homosexuals are seeking expression. We subject them to a life where they have to be brave to be who they are, all bcos we cant let the past go? So will you be the wife of Lot that will stare back at visions lost? or will you welcome a new African culture, a blend of the past, present and near future? All Im saying is, times have changed. Arent you all the ones going on about change? If Greece had held on to 'culture and tradition' they would have died as city-states instead of emerging as a unified country that launched a global culture. If America held on to tradition, black people would still be slaves or worse yet, they would still be allegiant to the British crown. If people held on to every single tradition, our modern age would never have arisen gaddamit! We cannot hold on to a culture that glorifies dehumanisation, or continue to live in denial of the reality of our times. There are parts of our culture that deserve being held on to, our arts, our history, our language, our dress, our sense of worth and value and work ethic, our spirit of tolerance. People are all too quick to sweep these under the carpet, but when it comes to homosexuality, we suddenly become African ambassadors. Never mind the fact that some of these people we hate have done more to promote African culture and keep it alive than some of us have.

I guess all Im saying is, we need to join the rest of the world in the new age. Lets bring our African flair into it, and let us not, in the new global culture be known as the continent of homophobes. Let people see the hospitality, tolerance and communal bond we are known for. Change is inevitable. Maybe we were a dogmatic society in the past. But new information and new realities demand a new orientation.Instead of finding justification to hate in your religion, find justification to love. Thats what most religions are about. Thats what humans are about. But if you choose to be stuck in a state of mind that is judgmental or tries to make people into what they are not, then you need to answer some questions. First of which is: Are you God?