WHEN DOES LIFE START?
The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees every American citizen the fundamental right to enjoy Life, Liberty, and Property, as endowed by the Creator. That is one of the Constitutional clauses which set the USA apart from many if not any other “developed” world nations. And its importance could never be overstated!
The founding fathers of this country understood that life is the mother of all rights a human being may enjoy, since the dead not only have no rights (arguably), but most importantly, they cannot claim the same. So that we all are on the same page when discussing life, let us define that very term.
The Scriptures, the oldest and most important book for mankind declare: Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7, NIV).
From the above written and (arguably) self-evident truth, one may understand that life is the very right, directly given to every human being, as God “breathed in man’s nostrils the breath of life.” Since science is not the vehicle that could bring contrary evidence, nor provide an alternative, mankind has only that self-evident truth to work with. Therefore, it is reasonable to argue that the Creator made mankind a living creature, after making the same lifeless, by breathing into the nostrils of man. That truth stands, whether an individual believes in God or not. Man does not have a say in his own creation, since the Creator could not be part of the creation but, outside of it.
Mankind as created is made of a soul, a heart, and a mind, all housed in a flesh. Thus, mankind is made of a spiritual component, and a non-spiritual component.
Then, the next question would be: What are the components of life? That is to ask, what does it mean to be a living creature?
It is reasonable to propose that three functions characterize the status of a living creature: the thinking, the doing, and the relating to others. The first two are attached to and represent the individual signs of life. The last one represents the other aspect of the individual and represents the social aspect of the individual. Human beings are indeed social creatures, and it is almost impossible to live alone.
With the above in mind, let us address the question at hand: When does life start? The short answer is: It depends! It depends on whether one argues from the spiritual realm or the non-spiritual (meaning) physical realm.
From the physical realm: The text of Genesis cited above reveals that God created mankind in two movements: First, the Creator formed man, which is the physical nature of man, using dust that was created before mankind. The book of Genesis in the Holy Scriptures describe how God created everything (every THING) else before creating mankind who is not a thing, but in reality, is in the image of the Creator. God created physical man first. He’s name was Adam, meaning “dirt” in Hebrew. After God created man from dirt, then the same Creator gave life to the mortal physical man. Furthermore, the Scriptures declare in Genesis 3:19 (NIV): “… since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
From the spiritual angle: Because the Creator God gave life directly to mankind through the first man ever created Adam, man received his spiritual nature by the same act of God. The Scriptures state that God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26). Also, we know from the Scriptures that God is Spirit (John 4:24). Therefore, it is reasonable to propose that, since man is an image of the Creator, the Spirit of the Creator corresponds to the soul of the created mankind. As God is Spirit and eternal, so is man created in the image of God and given an eternal soul.
The answer to the question at hand, namely, the time of the beginning of life, has two competing approaches.
The proponents of humanity as made of flesh only: If all mankind understands that God created everything and everyone. We know from the Scriptures that the Creator designed mankind with the capacity to reproduce itself. That reproduction only occurs when the man reproductive seed connects with the female corresponding egg, and gestation ensues. The result of such a fusion brings about the existence of some new life, which is a completely new being. Regardless of what anyone calls that new life, no one denies the fact that that new life is neither of the parents. It is indeed a new and unique life, bright and beautiful, commonly called baby. Because the new life is completely a new one on its own, and different from both parents, the proponents of abortion as a right by some, arguing that it is their body, may find themselves in a difficult if not impossible position in trying to win new “converts.” Simply because the new life is not their body, although their body temporarily serves as an incubator for the new being. Therefore, it would be reasonable to conclude that, from the proponents of humanity as made of the flesh or matter only, life starts at conception, and the argument related to viability as a criterion to consider for ending a new life purpose becomes moot.
The proponents of humanity as essentially spiritual: Here, the spiritual nature of mankind namely the eternal soul that the Creator put in man, prevails over the non-spiritual nature of man namely, the heart, the mind, and the flesh which houses everything. This position has the merits of being strong and logical. The position is strong in the sense that it can hardly be opposed. It is logical in the sense that the spiritual is infinite, while the non-spiritual is finite. Due to the spiritual nature of mankind, one may connect the beginning of life to its Creator. Therefore, to the question when does life begin, the spiritual man could simply state that it begins whenever its Creator gives it to an individual. Indeed, the spiritual man may certainly answer that life begins with its Creator. Since the Creator gives life, no man should take another man’s life without justification, if any. The giver of life should be the only one who gave it in the first place, to take it back.
CONCLUSION
For those who consider mankind as being made of matter only, and to the question of when life begins, the answer could logically be, the moment the two essential substances connect and there is gestation, the product is a very new and unique being. The notion of viability does not deny the fact of the existence, the newness, and the uniqueness of the creature resulting from the union.
For the proponents of mankind as essentially a spiritual being, the logical answer to the question of when life starts would be that it starts when its Creator issues it and gives the same to an individual. In that sense, and because no man witnesses when the Creator issues life to a certain human being, the precise time is not known to man. One may take comfort in the fact that, it is not a coincidence that the Creator’s eternal Spirit, corresponds to the eternal soul of the created man.
In the end, the question of when life begins does not seem to be of much importance, unless the focus is a negative one, such as impeding its development, or worse, planning to end the same. Instead, the focus should be on the many advantages life offers. Therefore, once life is given by the Creator to an individual, the best attitude could be to take it, cherish it, nurture it, preserve it, protect it, defend it, and enjoy it to the fullest.
EACH ONE OF THE ABOVE IS A MARVELOUS MIRACLE!!!