Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land’

A ‘Bio-Ethnography’ of Christianity and Genetic Engineering in Scotland

Bibliographic Data

ID12901638
AuthorsTony Watling (Leiden University, corresponding author)
Year2006
Pages76-102
Publication date2006-02-24
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal for the Study of Religion Nature and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1749-4907 • E-ISSN: 1749-4915
PublisherEquinox Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1558/ecotheology.v11i1.76
OpenAlexW1996003816
LanguageEN
References cited9

Genetic engineering is at the forefront of scientific thought and practice. It has immense implications economically, environmentally, politically, and socially, questioning what we know as ‘life’, ‘nature’, and ‘humanity’, and possibly reframing human interaction with nature. Because of this it leads science and government into the realm of ethics. The latter has traditionally been seen to be the domain of religion, often seen as lacking relevance in today’s ‘modern’ world that has fragmented frameworks that previously supported or controlled individuals. However, the instability and isolation from ethical resources this creates may provide problems when dealing with challenging issues—such as genetic engineering—suggesting the need for ethical guidelines and support something that religion provides. The aim of this article, therefore, is to provide a qualitative understanding—a ‘Bio-Ethnography’—of how religious believers, in particular Church of Scotland Christians, perceive and experience genetic engineering highlighting the personal, social, and environmental, issues it raises, and exploring Christian understandings and negotiation of them

Cognitive reframing · Destiny (ISS module · Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Government (linguistics · Humanity · Negotiation · Political science · Realm · Relevance (law · Social science · Sociology · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Engineering · Law · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Social Psychology

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