Uploaded August 2010 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
The sixteenth installment of my original series, "Discovering Religion". In this episode I discuss the current actions of Christian Americans to suppress modern-day scientific advancements. In particular, I address the movement by Christians to outlaw embryonic stem cell, a stance they have no justification from the Bible in taking -- a situation that very closely parallels the Church's suppression of Roger Bacon and Galileo Galilei's scientific discoveries.
Additional information I could not include in the video:
Diabetes:
Giving insulin to children with Type I Diabetes is a viable means of treating this disease, however; after 15-20 years of living with type I diabetes, the danger continues to grow, possibly leading to kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, brain damage, and premature death. This is why stem cell research is so crucial to patients suffering from this serious condition.
Bone Marrow Transplants:
There are many patients, both child and adult, in need of bone marrow transplants that would greatly benefit from the use of stem cells. For 2/3 of them, there is no donor with an acceptable genetic match. However, even when a match is found, it is never perfect. With stem cells, doctors could grow cells customized to the needs of the patient.
On a personal note, a good friend of mine mentioned that his best friend in high school needed a marrow transplant. Each one of his friends volunteered for the test to see if they were compatible; however, an acceptable donor could not be found and eventually the boy died. This terrible scenario is played out countless times, and it may be alleviated with help from embryonic stem cell technology.
Use of Antibiotics:
In the video I mentioned the use of antibiotics kills thousands of bacterial cells during an infection. Although these cells are foreign to the human body, causing disease, there are many kinds of enteric bacteria that can be affected by these antibiotics as well. For example, patients treated with clindamycin or ampicillin may also kill of beneficial, naturally occurring bacteria in the GI tract. Once these good bacteria die off it allows dangerous bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile, to take over the gut, producing a disease known as pseudomembranous colitis.
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VIDEOS:
Michael J. Fox Embryonic Stem Cell Research
youtube.com/watch?v=ujbLSt-7-9k
Bush On Embryo Adoption & Ethical Stem Cell Research Video
youtube.com/watch?v=4k0SMJf7lso
Politics: President Obama on Stem Cell Research
youtube.com/watch?v=2Gs39k0IxZ0
Dick Cheney on Same-Sex Marriage
youtube.com/watch?v=E5jefmsqBG8
Stem Cell Footage:
thevisualmd.com
----------------------------------
LINKS:
Stem Cell Info (wiki):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell
Texas Executions:
tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/executedoffenders.htm
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MUSIC CITED:
Donnie Darko (score) - 03 - The Artifact & Living
Donnie Darko (score) - 07 - Liquid Spear Waltz
Donnie Darko (score) - 08 - Gretchen Ross
Dexter OST - 07 - Need Time
Dexter OST - 12 - Changed
Bram Stoker's Dracula - Wojciech Kilar - Vampire Hunters
----------------------------------
PLAYLIST:
youtube.com/view_play_list?p=70E757541E8576D7
TRANSCRIPT:
discoveringreligion.net/?p=1399
WEBSITE:
discoveringreligion.net
FACEBOOK:
facebook.com/pages/Discovering-Religion/143122652390020?ref=ts
.
The sixteenth installment of my original series, "Discovering Religion". In this episode I discuss the current actions of Christian Americans to suppress modern-day scientific advancements. In particular, I address the movement by Christians to outlaw embryonic stem cell, a stance they have no justification from the Bible in taking -- a situation that very closely parallels the Church's suppression of Roger Bacon and Galileo Galilei's scientific discoveries.
Additional information I could not include in the video:
Diabetes:
Giving insulin to children with Type I Diabetes is a viable means of treating this disease, however; after 15-20 years of living with type I diabetes, the danger continues to grow, possibly leading to kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, brain damage, and premature death. This is why stem cell research is so crucial to patients suffering from this serious condition.
Bone Marrow Transplants:
There are many patients, both child and adult, in need of bone marrow transplants that would greatly benefit from the use of stem cells. For 2/3 of them, there is no donor with an acceptable genetic match. However, even when a match is found, it is never perfect. With stem cells, doctors could grow cells customized to the needs of the patient.
On a personal note, a good friend of mine mentioned that his best friend in high school needed a marrow transplant. Each one of his friends volunteered for the test to see if they were compatible; however, an acceptable donor could not be found and eventually the boy died. This terrible scenario is played out countless times, and it may be alleviated with help from embryonic stem cell technology.
Use of Antibiotics:
In the video I mentioned the use of antibiotics kills thousands of bacterial cells during an infection. Although these cells are foreign to the human body, causing disease, there are many kinds of enteric bacteria that can be affected by these antibiotics as well. For example, patients treated with clindamycin or ampicillin may also kill of beneficial, naturally occurring bacteria in the GI tract. Once these good bacteria die off it allows dangerous bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile, to take over the gut, producing a disease known as pseudomembranous colitis.
----------------------------------
VIDEOS:
Michael J. Fox Embryonic Stem Cell Research
youtube.com/watch?v=ujbLSt-7-9k
Bush On Embryo Adoption & Ethical Stem Cell Research Video
youtube.com/watch?v=4k0SMJf7lso
Politics: President Obama on Stem Cell Research
youtube.com/watch?v=2Gs39k0IxZ0
Dick Cheney on Same-Sex Marriage
youtube.com/watch?v=E5jefmsqBG8
Stem Cell Footage:
thevisualmd.com
----------------------------------
LINKS:
Stem Cell Info (wiki):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell
Texas Executions:
tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/executedoffenders.htm
----------------------------------
MUSIC CITED:
Donnie Darko (score) - 03 - The Artifact & Living
Donnie Darko (score) - 07 - Liquid Spear Waltz
Donnie Darko (score) - 08 - Gretchen Ross
Dexter OST - 07 - Need Time
Dexter OST - 12 - Changed
Bram Stoker's Dracula - Wojciech Kilar - Vampire Hunters
----------------------------------
PLAYLIST:
youtube.com/view_play_list?p=70E757541E8576D7
TRANSCRIPT:
discoveringreligion.net/?p=1399
WEBSITE:
discoveringreligion.net
FACEBOOK:
facebook.com/pages/Discovering-Religion/143122652390020?ref=ts
.
