Editing Eden: CRISPR,the Image of God,and the Ethics of Genetic Intervention

Abstract

The advent of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing represents a transformative moment in biotechnology, enabling genome editing with unprecedented precision, scale, and accessibility. This scientific breakthrough holds genuine promise for curing heritable diseases and advancing personalized medicine, yet it also introduces profound moral and theological challenges. This paper offers a Christian bioethical analysis of CRISPR through the lens of the imago Dei, drawing from the moral reasoning of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. It contrasts utilitarian and autonomy-based frameworks in contemporary bioethics with a theological anthropology that grounds human dignity in the divine image rather than in genetic perfection or functional capacity. After presenting the scientific foundations of gene editing, the paper examines key ethical tensions—therapy versus enhancement, eugenic reasoning, the destruction of embryos, and intergenerational responsibility. Finally, it proposes a theological framework informed by virtue ethics, the principle of double effect, and a Christ-centered vision of human flourishing. The goal is not to reject gene editing categorically but to cultivate moral wisdom that upholds the sanctity of life, respects human limitation, and directs scientific vocation toward healing and justice.