Finding God in the Genome:
How Religion Informs the Applications of the Human Genome Project

James C. Peterson, C. C. Dickson Associate Professor of Ethics and Philosophy, Department of Religion and Philosophy, Wingate University. MODERATOR

Prof. Lisa Sowle Cahill, J. Donald Monan, S.J., Professor of Theology, Theology Department, Boston College

Arthur J. Dyck, Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Population Ethics in the School of Public Health and Member of the Faculty of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School

Abdulaziz Sachedina, Professor of Islamic Studies, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

William R. LaFleur, E. Dale Saunders Professor in Japanese Studies, Department of Asian and Midde Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania

Religion is often understood as an integral part of culture and society. Historically, religion has played an important and influential role in all disciplines ranging from art to the sciences. One important goal of the panel discussion is to identify popular religious concerns about the implications of the Genome Project and to ask scholars, theologians and writers to voice their perspective on the HGP and its religious significance.

The panel will address the following questions:

• What are the moral and ethical questions that arise with the ability to manipulate and/or make decisions based on genetic information?
• What roles do the church and other religious traditions play in this discussion?
• What are the identifiable morally ambiguous issues that arise concerning the HGP?
• What is the religious perspective on the business and legal issues raised by the HGP?

When and Where:

19 April 2001, 1:30PM, Sperry Room, Andover Hall, Harvard Divinity School

Click here for a *map. 

* The panel will be held in the Sperry Room, in Andover Hall, which is labeled "Andover-Harvard Theological Library" on this map. The main entrance to the building is on Francis Avenue; handicapped access is on the short side of the building
facing Rockefeller Hall.

RECEPTION

Time: Immediately following the event

Place: Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) Harvard Divinity School 42 Francis Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138

**Located directly across the street from Andover Hall**

Please RSVP for this event.

Directions

By MBTA Rapid Transit (the "T")
Take the Red Line to the Harvard Square stop. The Harvard "T" stop is located in Harvard Square. From the T stop, cross Massachusetts Ave and enter the gated green area, Harvard Yard, and walk northeast across the Yard past the Science Center and Rock Garden Fountain onto Kirkland Street. Walk down Kirkland 2 blocks and turn left on Francis Avenue. Walk 2-3 blocks down Francis to Andover Hall, the gothic building on your left just before Francis takes a hard left. If needed, there are taxicabs located outside the Harvard "T" stop. (Travel time: 15 minutes)

M2 Shuttle:
Get off the shuttle at Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square. Cross Massachusetts Ave into Harvard Yard and the directions above.

By Car
* * Please be advised that parking is extremely limited at the Divinity School. Public transportation is encouraged.

From the Massachusetts Turnpike:
Take Exit 18, marked "Cambridge/Allston." Follow the Cambridge signs off the ramp to the traffic lights. Stay in the middle lane while crossing the bridge. Proceed straight across the bridge onto River Street. Stay in the left lane and follow River Street about one mile into Central Square, the first major traffic intersection. Travel straight across the intersection. (Here River Street becomes Prospect Street.) At the second light, turn left onto Broadway Street. Follow Broadway until you must bear right at the fire station onto Quincy Street. Move into the left lane and turn left at the light onto Cambridge Street. Proceed down through the underpass and move into the far right lane which feeds into Massachusetts Avenue. Turn right onto Everett Street. Proceed down Everett one block and cross Oxford Street into the parking lot. Follow the road to the parking lots; Andover Hall is the gothic building connected to the construction project.

From I-93:
Take Exit 26 for Storrow Drive. Stay left on exit ramp. Follow signs marked "Storrow Drive/Back Bay," bearing left. Take left lane exit for "Government Center/Kendall Square/3 North" and bear right at sign marked "Kendall Square." Proceed across bridge onto Broadway Street. Follow Broadway for two miles until it ends at the fire station. Refer to directions from Massachusetts Turnpike.

From Route 128:
Take Route 2 East to Boston. Travel approximately 6.5 miles, approach rotary from the left lane. Bear left, following signs marked "3 North and 16 East to Medford." At first light, turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue. Proceed 1.8 miles to Everett Street, the 15th traffic light. Turn left onto Everett; go one block to Oxford Street. Cross Oxford into parking lot.

Case Study

Download our poster

Consequences of the Human Genome Project for Medicine and Society
20 February 2001

Genetic Privacy: Legal and Ethical Frameworks
27 February 2001

Commercializing the Human Genome: Making Money and Changing the Scientific Enterprise.
5 April 2001

Translating Genomics into Better Medicine
10 April 2001

Are Human Beings Born or Made? Screening of the movie GATTACA
11 April 2001

Read All About It! The Translation of Science into Public Knowledge: Media Coverage of the Human Genome Project
12 April 2001

Finding God in the Genome: How Religion Informs the Applications of the Human Genome Project
19 April 2001