The Order of Creation

Pope Benedict XVI not only spoke of the UN’s need to promote and protect human rights, but also spoke of the responsibility of the international community to use scientific research and technological advances in a way that does not violate the “order of creation, to the point where not only is the sacred character of life contradicted, but the human person and family are robbed of their natural identity.”
Scientists, doctors, scholars and bioethicists met in Rome Sept. 14-16 for an international conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations. The congress addressed the scientific possibilities and ethical implications in the use of stem cells.
The pope challenged the "frequent and unjust accusations of callousness" aimed against the church for its unwavering stance against the use of embryonic stem cells. The church has always been dedicated to curing diseases and helping humanity, he said. The resistance the church shows toward embryonic stem-cell research is because the destruction of human embryos to harvest stem cells is "not only devoid of the light of God but is also devoid of humanity" and "does not truly serve humanity," the pope said. No matter how promising the goals of such research may be, he added, the ends can never justify means that are "intrinsically illicit." "There can be no compromise and no beating around the bush" when it comes to the direct destruction of human life -- even when it is just a freshly conceived embryo, he said.

Not satisfied with the amount of misery they have caused in the world through their stances on birth control and abortion, we now see the Catholic church imposing it's narrow minded attitudes and lack of imagination on the rest of us again, this time attempting to prevent embryonic stem cell research that might lead to effective treatments for Altzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases and many other conditions. This apparently would not "truly serve humanity".
Well I disagree! If I or someone I care about (or even someone I don't know for that matter) ever becomes ill with one of those terrible diseases I would wish that a cure had been discovered. I would not mind that some human embryos that would have been destroyed or died anyway were used in the research.
The church is really afraid that science will eventually discover how to cure and prevent illnesses, extend the human life span and even create life artificially. Finally one day science may discover what really happens when we die! or maybe even learn to prevent aging. Then their mysticism would become redundant and it would no longer be possible to invoke God to explain the mysteries of life and death. That would eventually destroy their power and influence as well as their livelihood.
Of course bioethics are very important. As in the case of abortion, destruction of living human embryos should not be taken lightly and should be heavily regulated. However we should consider the benefits instead of dismissing the idea out of hand on the grounds of unscientific assumptions and claims. The Catholic church tells us that the soul is created at conception. This is a ridiculous assertion that defies common sense. After all what doesn't have a brain can't very well have a soul. There is no justification for this claim at all other that the scriptural, which cannot be accepted as a rational argument when the scriptures in question are archaic, deliberately ambiguous and self-contradicting.
This is the twenty first century, you need to produce an argument based on science and sound reasoning. It is not acceptable for the Catholic church to make these pronouncements and for intelligent and open-minded people to let themselves be told what to do by them!