If science and technology developed ways for humans to transform their bodies and their genetic make-up to become winged creatures, is this an abuse of our creation?
Glasses seem to be a very good thing restoring vision to twenty twenty. What about devises and implants that develop vision that can detect things at great distances, like cameras on satellites? Or hearing that enhances hearing so that virtually any sound is within our capacity to hear?
Then there is the case of such things as Robocop, where bionics and robotics may be use to make us not just functional like before a loss of a limb, but better than before, stronger, faster, more agile?
Would this be an abuse of our creation to retrofit out bodies with devises that give us abilities that would otherwise not be humanly possible?
I suppose transsexing might fit into this category too in terms of morphing bodies into something that we find more to our personal liking and desires.
I think that the traditional church teaching on such matters focus on the commandments to honor thy mother and father, and the commandment about coveting. To honor our creators is to honor the body that they have created for us, and to refrain from coveting is to refrain from wishing to be someone we are not. This often is deemed to included tattoos in traditional modes of Christian morals.
Brain implants and genetic engineering and bionic engineering are still very much a part of the future technology. Glasses and hearing aids and artificial limbs are not much to be coveted by the able bodied. The aim not to transform humans but to restore original abilities.
Gene splicing and genetic engineering and technological advances may well enhance the abilities of the privileged people who can afford such things to different levels of intelligence and ability such that different classes of people will negate the inherent equality of all human creation.
Stronger, faster, smarter, superhuman abilities will be the province of those who have the means to take advantage of them.
We all utilize tools and tech to enhance our abilities. Some are attached to our body such as a filling in our teeth, contact lenses, or screws to help a broken bone mend. Others are not, such as a knife to cut our food or a hang glider etc.
For us to delineate between the two, saying that somehow God cares one way or the other which tools we use seems silly. It seems very legalistic. Why would He care if in our hearts we are honoring and serving Him.
John 4:23-24... "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
In my opinion He wants to bless us. Regardless of what tech we develope, if in our hearts we proudly separate from Him saying we don't need or have ascended above Him, this is not good. But that is a heart decision and our choice.
For instance. We all use cars and planes to move us from one place to another faster than was ever possible in the days of Jesus. Potentially in our hearts we could get proud and say "we don't need God because look what we have built/can do... etc"
Or, as most of us do, we simply accept the tech as just that.. Tech.
Computing tech will enter into a different realm because the fruit it will produce will be of a spiritual nature rather than a physical nature.
Like cars and planes produce physically, computing tech will make us "think" faster and think higher.
So... Will God care about this? Will using computer tech be a sin..
No. Not if in our hearts we are still honoring Him.
Lastly, my guess is that eventually artificial intelligence will get WAY more intelligent than us. Way more. Once it does, it will be able to read the bible and help us understand it more clearly and fully.
I realize that this idea at first can feel threatening being somehow inorganic. So it's easy to simply react in a knee jerk way and label it sin, or the beast etc... But again, if in our hearts we are honoring God in spirit and truth, why would a tool that helps us understand Him better be a problem?
I believe satan began long ago through Darby to sew ungodly seeds into the church regarding tech. The interpretations saying that a computer chip implanted in the head or hand is somehow the of mark of the beast again seems legalistic.
To an extent is difficult for me to write this because I grew up hearing those teachings and I realize how big and consequential are the repercussions if I am wrong.
But even with those potential consequences, I still have to cling to the other verses in the bible that debunk Darby and his dispensational ideas.
Darby claims that Jesus is coming back physically in the flesh. That the sky will "one day" tear open and "all at onces" every eye will see, even unbelievers...
The "all at once" and seeing "in the flesh" part is the problem.. The bible clearly says that if any man is going to come to God he must first believe that He exists. So how will a man be in God's presence if he never believes? He won't... Instead, the man will just die an go off into the darkness, separated from God.
This is one verse that makes me not believe in the idea that God is going to physically come back with fire and brimstone while unbelievers are still here.
Instead, I think it makes more sense that super-computers, implanted and working in unison with our brains in a direct interface, will help us process the entire bible all at once. No more scripture memory because we will be able to download the entire thing. No longer will we connect a few passages of scripture here and there.... Instead, our eyes will be opened to the REAL truth of who God is.
We will be able to process all of the verses in the bible all at once. This is what super computers do. They process data faster than our brains can. Do you try to cut a steak with your hand or do you use a knife as a tool? So why try to process the meat of God's word without using tools? And the tools will be SOOOO good.
We will know the thoughts of God toward us. If this scares someone, they need to double check their theology because if they are scared, it means they don't understand that God sees them as valuable. Instead at their base level faith, they believe that His thoughts toward them are angry. They are operating in a fearful orphan/worthless spirit. This is not how God sees them, but it is how they believe He sees them. Once, by faith, they choose to believe that they are His Precious Treasure, then they will be able to walk in that love and acceptance rather than in fear of punishment.
He loves us SO much! And via tech, we are going to see and understand His love in ways we never have been able to before.
In this way, via tech, I believe that Jesus is coming back..... In the spirit, setting up His kingdom in the hearts and minds of men here on earth. Where two or more are gathered in His name, there He is in their midst. I believe this is happening.
The Jews wanted a deliverer that came back with force and who could be seen. But that was and is not how Jesus works. This is the same today. Many Christians still want a Jesus to deliver them and "prove" they were right all along... This is not how Jesus works because it is not by faith. Remember, anything that is not of faith is sin.
So in my opinion, Jesus will not come back in a way that men can see Him without seeing Him by faith.
I believe that right now we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
However I believe that when we augment our brains with computer interfaces, we will be able to share our faith, our entire way of thinking, the best parts with each other quickly and easily. With all of our brains processing the word of God all at once, ruminating on it from all of our different perspectives, I believe we will begin to know fully, even as we are fully known.
Remember, this is knowing Him more fully as well as knowing each other, the beautiful and valuable creations of God, more fully.
In light of these blessings and fruits that will be produced from the spiritual tools that we are building, it makes sense that satan would try to steer us away from this.
Satan is angry because he knows his time is short. The instant we start connecting with each other, and building each other up in love, is the instant that he is booted out.
This is why satan wants to keep us separated. But that won't happen. he is getting booted out.