In my opinion, its really the same situation in regards to the progress of science when opposed by religion.
We've seen it numerous times throughout history.
Some revolutionary new thought or advancement occurs, and the religious community opposes it to horrible lengths because it goes against their beliefs.
We've seen this with almost every basic medical procedure, be it transplants, blood transfusions, autopsies, what have you.
We've seen it with Copernicus' heliocentric universal understanding. The 'church' opposed this new thought, saying it was contradictory to god's will and common sense.
This opposition continues until the point where it really cannot logically be denied anymore and then a sudden reversal of stance occurs and the religious community accepts it as evidence of god's will and his love for mankind.
The religious community has been so against advancements in the past, we've seen persecutions in the name of defending god's word against new thinkers. Galileo was locked in a tower for his revolutionary concepts.
In my opinion, it really is the same situation as it has been throughout history.
The religious community will continue to be openly against stem cell research, up until the moment that through it, we have cures for such diseases as mentioned above. At that point, they will flip, and accept it as proof of god's love.
I know religion is a touchy subject. But why should it be? If somebody were to claim an outlandish stance on physics, or chemistry or what not, are we not entitled as free thinkers, and logical people to question their beliefs?
But when it comes to the protective veil of religion, its off guards?
|