Medical Technology in the Light of Divine Revelation.

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleMedical Technology in the Light of Divine Revelation.
3. Language term English
4. lemma author Delli, Eudoxie
5. lemma category Ethics - Scientific theories and disciplines > Medicine - Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Eschatology - Co-existence - Scientific theories and disciplines > Biology:artificial life - Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Cult and spirituality
6. Publication date 30-1-2017
7. lemma work Irineu Pop-Bistriţeanul [Author]. Medical Technology in the Light of Divine Revelation
8. lemma manifestations International Journal of Orthodox Theology
9. Keywords bioethics - biomedical technology - human dignity - culture of Life
10. Url Click Here
11. Citations
    1. <p>Pop, Ir. (Archbishop). (2013). Medical Techonology in the Light of Divine Revelation.<em> International Journal of Orthodox Theology 4</em> (2), 123-131.</p>
12. Lemma body

    1. According to Archbishop Irineu, human life, in secularized societies, is often considered and treated as a mere product, created on demand and eliminated when it is in our interest to do so. Many of the contemporary bioethical practices sacrifice Christian moral principles and bioethics is confiscated by interests that are more sociological and economical than theological and spiritual. He also states that the scientific discoveries shouldn´t be considered as an absolute truth, because they could be falsified and replaced by new theories.

       He argues that modern man lives in an epoch of “ethical night”, in which the life which would need more love and compassion is considered useless or an unbearable burden and is consequently rejected in many ways. Annihilating the values of love through immorality, contraception, abortion, divorce, suicide, delinquency, euthanasia, etc., is against achieving the plenitude of life.

       He insists on protecting essential human values taking into consideration the fact that the human person is created in God’s image and is called to reach divine resemblance through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. In this perspective, Life has inner value given by its eternal origin and destiny. God offered us existence, life, in order to live in an eternal loving communion with Him (according to Col. 1,12; Eph. 1,18).

       He also considers the medical science and art as gifts offered to man by God. These gifts must be used only in order to transfigure this life, not to destroy or caricatured it.

       In addition, biomedical technology must not become an attempt of man to go beyond the measure of his image. The physician cannot decide over the life he has not created, the message of his profession being to serve life, not to favour death.

       Secular Bioethics and pro-vita or biomedical practices must take into account that earthly, biological life, according to the Orthodox faith, is not a purpose in itself, but is grounded on the eschatological principle according to which the present and future life are closely connected.

       Christian bioethics is a process of continuous protection of the human being (body and soul) from the possible abuses of scientific discoveries. Giving science a human meaning, we give existence and human creation a divine meaning. Man is called to master the world (according to Genesis 1, 28) and this must be a way “to change the thing in itself created by science into a thing for man”. Bioethics thus becomes the way of science, which confers it human significance.