Top U.S. Evangelical Leader: All Involved with IVF Responsible for "Vast Human Tragedy"

LifeSiteNews ^ | 1/11/08 | John Connolly

[wagglebee]

LOUISVILLE, January 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A leader of the evangelical movement in the United States recently came down hard on the effects of in vitro fertilization on his blog, decrying the destruction of millions of embryos for the sake of IVF.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the primary school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world, called the destruction of embryos in IVF a tragedy, after reading a report in the London Times that over one million human embryos have been killed in IVF procedures (See LifeSiteNews coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08010201.html).

"Human embryos are being produced, almost factory-like, and then routinely destroyed or indefinitely frozen," he observed. "This phenomenon might be described as an unintended complication of the IVF technology.  Nevertheless, all involved in this technology are responsible for this vast human tragedy, intended or not."

"Far too many evangelicals seem to turn a blind eye to this reality," he continued.  "While we celebrate the birth of a child and the gift of life, we cannot blind ourselves to the harsh and grotesque reality that this technology also means the destruction of human life. Many evangelicals fail to see what many proponents of human embryonic stem cell research have noted - a glaring inconsistency in condemning the destruction of human embryos through stem cell research, while ignoring or dismissing the destruction of embryos in IVF clinics."

Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. Time.com called him the "reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S."

Mohler hosts a daily live nationwide radio program on the Salem Radio Network., and is a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served in several offices, including a term as Chairman of the SBC Committee on Resolutions, which is responsible for the denomination's official statements on moral and doctrinal issues.

See Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:

UK IVF Clinics Have Intentionally Killed over One Million Human Embryonic Children
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08010201.html

Chicago Court Rules Dead IVF Embryo a "Human Being"
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/feb/05020706.html

UK Authorities to Allow Mining of IVF Designer Babies for Stem Cells
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jul/04072203.html

Dying Church of England Now Ordaining More Women Than Men
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07111502.html

Evangelical Leader: Young Protestant Couples Rejecting "Contraception Revolution"
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06110302.html

Protestant Group Advocates Leaving Fertility in God's Hands - No Birth Control Artificial or Natural
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06111605.html

BAPTIST SEMINARY CHALLENGES CULTURE OF DEATH
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/jan/03011008.html

[wagglebee]

"Human embryos are being produced, almost factory-like, and then routinely destroyed or indefinitely frozen," he observed. "This phenomenon might be described as an unintended complication of the IVF technology. Nevertheless, all involved in this technology are responsible for this vast human tragedy, intended or not."

Very well said.

[wagglebee]

Pro-Life Ping

[wagglebee]

Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

[CindyDawg]

Naturally, we usually get one chance a month. That ought to be good enough for IVF

[plain talk]

Not following you. How does the one chance per month relate to IVF? Thanks.

[wagglebee]

Baptist Ping

[mbraynard]

It wouldn’t be as much a tradgedy if people did one or two eggs at a time and implanted them both. Unfortunately they would rather save a few $$$.

[mbraynard]

Oh, and as a Catholic, it’s nice to hear from our prot bretheren in this issue.

[rose]

A Baptist that is sounding like a Catholic. Good!!

[CindyDawg]

Only fertilize one egg. If it takes, great. If not, try again next month.

[wagglebee]

I’ve read a lot of Mohler’s stuff, he definitely sounds more like a Catholic on many issues than any other Baptists I am aware of.

[Theo]

Not sure why you’re saying he sounds Catholic. He’s Baptist with a strong Reformed influence. Christendom is better off because of him.

[wagglebee]

Not sure why you’re saying he sounds Catholic. He’s Baptist with a strong Reformed influence. Christendom is better off because of him.

I am aware of that; however, many Catholics comment that his views sound more Catholic than Protestant.

I agree that Christendom is better because of him. However, I wonder, are you implying that the Catholic Church IS NOT part of Christendom?

[Cicero]

Yes, this is in agreement with the Catholic position on IVF. But it’s hard to see how a committed Christian can come to any other conclusion once he really looks into the matter. IVF involves killing, and it also involves unnatural procedures.

Certainly Protestants back in the time of the Reformation would have agreed that IVF is a violation of natural law. And since then, modern science has shown that an embryo is a living human person, until it is killed.

Catholics were also the earliest to come out against abortion, after Roe v. Wade, but Southern Baptists are now, if anything, more fervent about that than many Catholics. These are issues that believing Christians can agree about.

[WKB]

(RE: Post #9 A Baptist that is sounding like a Catholic. Good!)

How does pinging a Baptist to a pro life thread
make him sound like a Catholic?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Dr. Mohler is clearly a first-rate thinker. I'd say that theologically he's ----as you say, Theo--- Baptist/Reformed, and on moral issues (as much as I have seen so far) his principles and positions are identical to Catholic ones.

Like Chuck Colson, he also has a talent for making complex issues simple and clear, which takes a kind of genius.

I visit Dr. Mohler's blog fairly regularly. It's an intellectual treat.

[Coleus]

Only fertilize one egg. If it takes, great. If not, try again next month. >>

yea, but that is not the case with IVF.

[CindyDawg]

I know. I’m saying it should be though.

[Coleus]

I know. I’m saying it should be though. >>>

It can’t, the IVF procedure would never work, and that is why many religions are against the procedure since more than one embryo is created during the procedure.

[CindyDawg]

Why couldn’t it work?