At the risk of starting a new debate on religion, let me pass on a
few thoughts.
As many of you know, I am an Engineer. In my 61 orbits around our
star, I have seen many wondrous things brought about by the creativity,
dedication, inquisitiveness, and doggedness of the human mind and spirit.
Whatever supreme being you may or may not believe in, you have to admit that
we have and can accomplish difficult tasks and overcome what appear to be
insurmountable circumstances and odds. Whether you attribute that to the
inventiveness of man or the guidance or assistance of a supreme god is up to
you. I prefer to believe that God created us with a free will so that we
could arrive at our choices without his interference but certainly with help
from Him should we ask. The best way I can illustrate how I feel is with a
simple story that the late great comedian (and Baptist minister) Jerry
Clower told many times:
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God Will Take Care of Me!
It had been raining many days and nights upstate from where this
fellow lived. The weathermen were forecasting flash flooding and the
authorities were out warning people to evacuate.
A sheriff's deputy came by the house and told him he had better
hurry up and move to higher ground.
"Don't worry son, God will take care of me!", he said.
A few hours later the water was rising and lapping at the top step
on his porch.
A fireman in a boat came by and told him to get in and he would take
him to safety.
"Don't worry about it, God will take care of me!", he replied.
By the next morning he was on the roof praying to God, thanking him
for His watch and care over him and asking him to continue to do so.
In the distance he heard a helicopter approaching. They arrived and
lowered a rope. The rescuer shouted through a bull horn, "Grab hold of the
rope and we will save you! Grab hold of the rope!"
He yelled back, "Don't need to, you go on and help others. I'm not
worried, God will take care of me."
The scene shifts now to the pearly gates.
After entering, the fellow seeks out God and says, "Lord, I don't
understand? You promised me in your Word that if I put my faith and trust in
you, you would take care of me. I prayed that you would take care of me, and
here you went and let me drown."
To which God replied, "Just what did you expect me to do? I heard
your prayers and sent a car, a boat, and a helicopter!"
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Are stem cells the "helicopter" that God is providing us with to
accomplish more great and wondrous things? Did the Creator provide us with
the capacity for great knowledge and intelligence with the restriction of
not using it to the fullest extent for the betterment of his creation?
