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The phrase "playing God" is not a theological term; rather, it derives from secular culture and functions as a naturalistic proscription against scientific or technological interventions into nature. It functions as a warning that manipulation of natural processes may precipitate a disaster, one ironically triggered by human action but uncontrollable by human remedy. The commandment against playing God appears most frequently at the intersection where new developments in genetic research meet public policy.

The phrase "playing God" carries at least three overlapping meanings. The first refers to the sense of awe rising from new discoveries into the depths of life. Natural mysteries are being revealed, and scientists, who are the revealers, sense that humans are on the threshold of acquiring God-like powers, especially in matters of life and death.

The second meaning of "playing God" supposes that scientists are substituting themselves for God. Like Prometheus, scientists are said to be overstepping finite limits; out of pride or hubris they are risking a backlash from nature. This leads critics to prescribe a new commandment: Thou shalt not play God. This commandment relies on the Bible: "pride goes before destruction" (Prov. 16:18). "Playing God" means confusing knowledge with the wisdom one needs to decide how to use knowledge. In the battle between science and society, critics point to the deterioration of the ecosphere as an example of the consequences of unwise employment of science and technology.

In the field of genetics, the phrase "playing God" refers to the sacralization of DNA, manifest in moral injunctions against altering human DNA, especially altering the germline that could influence future generations. The sacralization of what evolution has created appears also in the opposition to genetically modified foods (GMFs), wherein what is natural is presumed to better for health than what is technologically modified.

Even though it is a secular phrase, the three meanings of "playing God" prompt theologians to ask questions about the relationship between the divine creator and the human creature. Unlike a naturalism that treats nature itself as sacred and inviolable, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim theists hold that God as creator and lover of all things is alone sacred. Natural life, important as it is, is not ultimate. The creator, not the creation, is sacred.

See also GENE THERAPY; GENETIC DETERMINISM; GENETIC ENGINEERING; GENETICS; HUMAN GENOME PROJECT

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