Question 1. Ethics and Religion Relation.

To a greater extent, ethics and religion have a multifaceted and dynamic relation that is closely intertwined. The relation between morals and religion can be traced back to the beginning of religion and Greek philosophy. Overall, their relationship varies among various people and societies, given that some people are religious while others are atheists. Arguably, religion and ethics cannot be separated. Various philosophers have proved this notion over the years. For example, in his theory, “Divine command theory,” Plato demonstrates that religion relies on ethics (Ahmadu, 2021). To Plato, ethics originate from laws and the will of spiritual deities like God. In addition, the theory also demonstrates that principles of ethics are attained from religious texts and divine authorities. Fundamentally, what is considered moral is based on religious beliefs and tenets. That is to say that religion determines whether an act is ethically right or wrong. This way, religion acts as the foundation of moral principles.

Most importantly, the majority of religions possess their ethical codes and frameworks. These ethical frameworks and codes often dictate the behaviors of their respective followers. In most cases, the moral framework and codes are derived from religious texts like the Bible, Quran, and sacred texts. For instance, the Ten Commandments among Christians and Jews guide their adherents on how to conduct themselves within society. From this perspective, religion acts as a moral compass that shapes ethical norms and how people behave within society. Additionally, religion contributes significantly to the development of ethics among various people. Similarly, it guides individuals in making ethical decisions. As people explore religious education and practices, they learn about ethics and virtues that lay their foundation of ethical conduct. In general, ethical and religious relations are closely intertwined. However, religion often serves as a source of ethical guidance for people within societies. It is important to note that religion is not the sole determinant of ethical conduct.

Question 2. Ethical and unethical path of conduct.

John Doe’s cloning

Considering John Doe’s case, the ethical path of conduct is for John to avoid cloning himself. This is because the results of cloning would bring up psychological and mental issues for the cloned child, which goes against ethics. Studies point out that the resulting child from the procedure will be at risk of developing psychological and mental issues as they figure out their identity (Iqbal et al., 2020). Given this lens, the ethical path for John is not to go ahead with the cloning procedure.

 On the other hand, the unethical paths that would be considered unethical include John Doe cloning himself without taking into consideration the impacts of the act just to fulfill his desires. It also includes neglecting the ethics surrounding the cloning procedure. Cloning would also be unethical as it subjects the cloned child to health risks, including psychological issues.

John and Mary’s IVF

In the case of John and Mary, the ethical path is to avoid the IVF procedure. Notably, the couples are religious, and their religion prohibits the use of IVF. Thus, it is ethical for the couple to respect their religion and avoid the scientific IVF procedure as it goes against their religious teachings. Additionally, avoiding the IVF procedure eliminates the chance of the child suffering from a similar rare disease; hence, the path is ethical.

On the contrary, choosing to have a child through the procedure is unethical since the majority of rare diseases are genetic and hereditary (Frederiksen et al., 2022). Neglecting the possibility of the child inheriting the same rare disease that ended the life of their first child is an unethical path. This is because the couple would subject their child to potential health issues, which is unethical.