Friday, January 13, 2012

Faith and Technology: Some Initial Medical Thoughts

One area where faith and technology frequently find themselves meeting is in the field of medicine.  Today, our medical technology can do some truly outstanding things.  We have research into things that help our bodies grow and be strong and healthy.  We have research into drugs to combat pain and disease.  We have research that seeks to understand how we think, and how we react to different stimuli in our environment.  We have research on the development of a child (of which I have become even more knowledgeable of late!).  And we have abundant research on extending life.

I realize that I could easily become rather long-winded in this post, so for the sake of brevity, we will be spending a fairly considerable amount of time on this topic of faith and medical technology.  In many respects, this is where much of the rubber of our faith hits the road.  Here is where we see examples that impact our lives in dynamic ways, and even in ways that amount to life and death decisions.  That alone makes it a topic worth discussion.

As I've mentioned in a few previous posts on this topic, technology isn't confined to electronic, technical things.  When you think of it, eyeglasses are technology that allows us to see better.  Even the types of shirts, shorts, socks, and shoes that I wear when I run involve technology, such as wicking sweat away, preventing blisters, cushioning for the foot, and such things.  Even our soaps and shampoos nowadays are technologically created to add scents, to combat germs, and other such things.  All of these affect us in a way related to the medical world.

Over the next number of posts, some will be simply bringing awareness of how much technology, creativeness, and innovation has infiltrated our world and life and existence.  Others will bring up controversial topics, to which I will give my two cents.  One thing that I hope you realize as you follow along is that these things are rarely black and white issues, but introduce the opportunity for us to think about how our faith impacts the use and expectations of technology around us.

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