The concept of eugenics – selectively breeding humans for desired traits – raises complex ethical issues that the Bible does not explicitly address. However, there are several biblical principles that can inform a Christian perspective on eugenics:
1. Human life is sacred
The Bible teaches that all human life is sacred, as human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This intrinsic dignity applies to all people regardless of their abilities or attributes. As such, any practice that treats human life as a commodity to be optimized and engineered purely for utilitarian ends would be concerning from a Christian perspective.
Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
2. Eugenics can promote elitism and discrimination
Efforts to selectively breed humans, even those aimed at eradicating disease and disability, can promote ableism and communicate that some lives are more valuable than others. The Bible rejects ableism and values all human life equally (Galatians 3:28). Christians should be wary of any practice that labels people as “undesirable”, as all people have equal worth.
Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
3. Humans have limited wisdom
Attempting to engineer “better” humans reflects pride and a belief that we can improve upon God’s design. The Bible warns against this pride, teaching that God’s wisdom far exceeds our own (Isaiah 55:8-9). We are unable to fully predict the consequences of manipulating genetics and should approach the matter with humility.
Isaiah 55:8-9 – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
4. Health difficulties can have spiritual purposes
Some advocates of eugenics seek to eliminate diseases and disabilities. Yet the Bible teaches that God can use physical limitations to display His power and glory (John 9:1-3). Suffering is part of the fallen world, and overcoming challenges can build Christlike character. Christians can appreciate life’s fragility without seeking to “perfect” it through eugenics.
John 9:1-3 – As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
5. Human efforts cannot “perfect” a fallen world
The Bible teaches that the world’s brokenness is the result of humanity’s sin and rebellion against God (Genesis 3). No human-driven effort can ultimately fix the problems in the world and perfect human nature. Lasting solutions will only occur through Jesus (Revelation 21:1-5). Until then, Christians find hope in God’s grace despite life’s pain and disappointments.
Revelation 21:1-5 – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
6. Children are gifts from God
Children are presented in Scripture as blessings from God, not products for us to manufacture (Psalm 127:3-5). While parents can make general choices about health during pregnancy, the ultimate designer of each life is God. Efforts to tightly control or “optimize” human genetics may reflect a lack of trust that God’s design is good.
Psalm 127:3-5 – Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
7. Human life should not be commodified
Modern eugenics relies heavily on IVF, genetic screening, and embryo selection. Christians disagree on the ethics of IVF, but all should be wary of potential commodification and destruction of embryos involved in seeking “ideal” traits. Human life is not a commodity to be optimized but a gift to accept, protect, and nurture.
Psalm 139:13-16 – For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
8. Coercion in reproduction violates consent
Government policies that pressure or coerce citizens to breed selectively violate consent and could enable abuse, as seen in some past eugenics programs. Reproductive freedom that infringes upon individual rights and dignity is contrary to biblical values of justice and compassion.
Micah 6:8 – He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
9. Judging by outward appearance is wrong
Eugenics focuses on breeding humans based on external traits. But the Bible teaches that judgments based on outward appearance alone are misguided and reductive (John 7:24). True righteousness is a matter of the heart, not physical characteristics or abilities.
John 7:24 – Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.
10. Identity is found in Christ, not genetics
Our innate value and purpose are based on being made in God’s image, not on intellectual capacity, health, or other attributes. Believers find their identity in Christ (Galatians 2:20), not in their genetic code. Efforts to reduce people to their biological traits diminish the theological basis for human dignity.
Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In summary, while the Bible does not directly address modern concepts of eugenics, its theological themes suggest significant ethical concerns. All human beings have sacred worth, and efforts to “optimize” humans reflect dangerous presumptions. Christians affirm the goodness of life as designed by God, while rejecting ableism and recognizing that suffering can have redemptive purposes. Seeking to perfect human genetics through coercion would conflict with moral considerations of consent, justice, and human dignity.