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Our kinship with the living creation

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The Scripture reference in the Silliman Church services on Dec. 17 was Mark chapter 3, verses 31-35, where Jesus was reminded that his mother, brothers, and sisters were outside, asking for him. His reply, after looking around, was rather strange. He said: “These are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (NLT, copyright 1996)

Jesus was referring to people in this particular statement. But I suggest that his statement can be extended to the whole of the living creation in our world. 

One author of a textbook in biology calls this relationship between humans and the rest of living creation “kinship.” 

Indeed, the sciences of genetics and molecular chemistry provide the scientific evidence for this kinship with animals and plants. 

The evidence is this: The gene which is known as the triplet DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) works with the appropriate RNA (ribonucleic acid) to produce the proteins that are responsible for the phenotype (expression or appearance) in a species of organism. 

We now know that the molecular structure of genes, the particles of heredity, is common to all living things from bacteria to humans, and that genes are transferable from one organism to another through genetic engineering. 

This way, the phenotypic or expressed characteristic found in the donor species is transferred to the recipient species.

Examples of this transferability are many: a) a gene from a species of marine organism that has the ability to produce light if inserted into the gene system of a fish will cause the fish to glow in the dark; b) a gene in a species of bacterium that kills corn borers if transferred to the genome of corn will protect the corn from its corn borer pest; c) the same gene from bacterium if inserted into the gene system of eggplant will protect the eggplant from the insect pest. (The only problem in these examples is that responsible chemicals produced by the recipient species kill only the targeted pests. I am told that there are many such examples today.)

I have been told that if a gene from humans responsible for the synthesis of insulin in the pancreas is inserted into the bacterial genome, this bacterium will produce insulin effective in the control of human diabetes. 

It should be noted that the gene transfers in these examples involve species of organisms that are considered far from each other in terms of evolutionary history and therefore, do not make sense from our human point of view. 

But we can only point to the common factor, the gene that is found in all organisms — a wonderful evidence of unity in the structural make-up of all living things.

In summary, if we are related by kinship to other living things by virtue of having similar hereditary DNA, how should we view the other living members of creation? 

We feel proud in the belief that humans are the most intelligent of all living creatures, and that we are the only ones with eternal souls. 

The Bible tells us we are a little lower than the angels. And yet, we know that other so-called lower species surpass us in having superior senses. 

Dogs, for example, are able to detect chemicals by their keen sense of smell. And some species of sea snakes can detect incoming typhoons. We should allow them to co-exist with us in their own habitats or living places, knowing well they are related to us. 

This Christmas season is the time to begin to apply our moral and ethical principles not only to our fellow human beings but to other non-human creatures as well. 

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Author’s email: [email protected]

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