Jurassic Park

God creates dinosaurs.
God destroys dinosaurs.
God creates man.
Man destroys God.
Man creates dinosaurs.

Another big franchise making its return this summer is Jurassic Park. The original is still one of my all-time favorites, as I’m sure many of you would agree. We all know the story, but do we understand the message?

Take the character of John Hammond, who’s spent his life and fortune entertaining the masses. Though he plays on the biggest stage possible now, his career had a rather humble beginning. His flea circus was a hit with children who swore they could see the tiny fleas in action. But there were no fleas; it was just another sideshow illusion. Hammond wanted to build something that wasn’t smoke and mirrors. Something his guests could see and touch. Sparing no expense, his team made a giant leap in scientific research and resurrected dinosaurs.

At first it’s all “ooh” and “ah” but later there’s running and screaming. Hammond’s scientists thought they could control their prehistoric creations by limiting their diets and chromosomes, but as Ian Malcolm says, “Life finds a way.” Hammond’s hubris, combined with an over-reliance on automation, led to multiple deaths and his park being shut down for good. 

Big budget genre pics like Jurassic and The Terminator warn us against the dangers of misusing technology. Despite our familiarity with these potential pitfalls, we seem to be inevitably inching closer and closer to making them a reality. A recent article reported that a company called Colossal Biosciences has used gene editing to bring dire wolves back from extinction. What impact this breakthrough will have on our ecosystem is yet to be seen.

We know nature has a mind of its own, but so too does technology. We’re about to raise a new generation that won’t know life without the use of A.I. tools. Maybe this will make us all happier and more efficient, or maybe we'll become dependent on machines, a race of people unable to do anything for ourselves. Malcolm suggests, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

Many of us are cut from the same cloth as Hammond. We want to bring joy, to entertain, to give people an experience they can’t have anywhere else. Of course we want to create something lasting and meaningful. We're made in the image of God, the ultimate Creator. It’s when we try to take his place that we cross the line. We must constantly be examining if our practices are ethical. Are they responsible? Are we really benefiting humanity or are we inviting the next calamity to rain down on our heads?