Comments on: Is Physical Perfection None of Our Business?

By: MCQ

MCQ — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:54:08 +0000

That’s exactly what will happen, and the prophets have been predicting it for a while. Why do you think we are being asked to store food? It’s not to survive floods and earthquakes, those disasters will take out our storage as well. It’s because in the apocalypse, zombies will be roaming the shopping malls and supermarkets! You see it in every zombie movie from Dawn of the Dead to Zombieland. Shopping areas are not safe in the zombie apocalypse! Get your food storage up to snuff or have your brain eaten by the zombies! That’s what they should be saying in general conference. Then people might start paying attention.

By: David T.

David T. — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:15:54 +0000

Zombies…

I HATE ZOMBIES!!

By: Susan M

Susan M — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:41:21 +0000

I tend to worry that creating “perfection” scientifically will just unleash all kinds of new imperfections we didn’t foresee. You know, like in the zombie movies.

By: Olive

Olive — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:07:45 +0000

Just because God ‘can’ doesn’t mean He does. I don’t believe He does either. I believe there was a plan to get mortal bodies, to have families, and to live, learn, and grow. Not that God would purposefully be throwing curve balls at us to ‘test’ us with. I think mortality and agency are doing quite a good enough job ‘testing us’ as it is. Pres Kimball said that people are not ‘given’ diseases by God. Its just a part of having a mortal body that is susceptible to genetics and biology.

I don’t believe that healing people of their infirmities is going against God’s plan. Its absolutely ridiculous to think so. If that’s the case, Mormons would be counseled to not go to doctors, take medicine, or have medical procedures of any kind done. Which obviously, we aren’t. Next time you get a broken leg we’ll just let you deal with it instead of setting it. Obviously God meant for you to experience life lame. If we fixed your leg, you’d be missing out on all sorts of wonderful lessons!

This is all spurned by the rumor that used to be passed around in the 80s that people born with Downs Syndrome were “God’s most valiant” so they didn’t need to be tested, and were just here to test us. (which is a whole other conversation, but doesn’t make one bit of sense with our theology.)

By: jks

jks — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:07:41 +0000

I would be happy to answer your questions based on my experience as a parent of several children, none of whom are perfect, plus my own life.
God lets us have physical trials. We take medicine to manage or cure our diseases. My husband took chemo to cure his cancer. We didn’t feel we were circumventing his will by avoiding his death. I didn’t ever feel like God preferred I became a widow to give me spiritual challenges.
In fact, even though I didn’t become a widow, I have had plenty of other challenges!!! So I have spiritually grown in other ways instead.
I have had many other challenges related to my children. Sometimes I have wondered why God “let” something happen to my child. The great thing is when you see that he consecrates all challenges for our good. However, when a challenge is avoided life isn’t some sort of walk in the park. There are always ways to live and grow.
Whether we are given one talent or ten, he expects us to work with what we have.
If we have a mental challenge, we should do the best with what we have. If we have an abundance of intellect, we should do the best with what we have. We will all have opportunities for growth.

By: David T.

David T. — Sat, 22 May 2010 04:42:15 +0000

I can’t say how much participation Heavenly Father has in our imperfections and handicaps, I truly can’t. Personally, I don’t believe He creates them, but I do believe He allows the natural anomalies that come with mortality. I also agree with what Logan said: “In the eternal perspective, handicaps and imperfections might not turn out to be the disadvantages we thought they were.” We naturally tend to think with mortal perspectives, and that casts shadows on the way we see our challenges.

I’ll say it one more time: I was just posing a question. I thought it, so I asked it. But I certainly don’t agree that synthetic genetic engineering or man-made DNA– the custom-designing of life– compares to performing CPR.

By: Owen

Owen — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:18:14 +0000

Following your basic logic that God is creating specific handicaps (at least by allowing them to happen), then if those handicaps are reversed by gene therapy, that would also be his handiwork.

You might as well say that we’re messing with the will of God by performing CPR.

By: MCQ

MCQ — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:00:58 +0000

Amen, Last Lemming.

I find that the more close to the Spirit I am living, the more I see the hand of God in all things, maybe especially the scientific advancements that so many see as “replacing” God or frustrating his purposes. When people say things like that it just makes me think of the Tower of Babel. I’m sure those guys thought they had the latest amazing scientific discovery too. We’re just all ants building a silly tower.

By: Last Lemming

Last Lemming — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:23:19 +0000

Exaltation is becoming like out Heavenly Father. Being cleansed of our sins is but one step on that path. But I interpret “the glory of God is intelligence” quite literally, and obtaining the requisite intelligence does not come automatically when we are forgiven of our sins. So while letting the mentally handicapped skip the whole “sinning and repenting” thing might seem like a good thing, it also implies skipping the “gaining intelligence” thing as well, which is distinctly not a good thing.

I look forward to the resurrection when my son with Down Syndrome will begin to make up some lost time in the intelligence gaining business. It is somewhat comforting to know that he will not have to waste any time in spirit prison suffering for his own sins, but that comes with a price. He will be behind. If I could have prevented it, I would no more have asked him to pay that price just so I could have some spiritual experiences than I would ask him to forgo medical treatment so I could heal him through the Priesthood.

I’m skeptical that this new process will eliminate Down Syndrome and similar conditions, but eventually, we will figure it out. That is a good thing, and I’m sure we will find our spiritual experiences elsewhere.

By: David of Mission-Wear

David of Mission-Wear — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:17:34 +0000

I think the press have blown this advancement out of all proportion. It seems that any advancement in technology and the media are crying that god is dead.

I believe that Elder Oaks spoke about how all advancements are approvred/inspired by the Lord. Can anyone verify that quote?

David