Does God Put a Soul in a Petri Dish? Theological Questions About Embryonic Stem Cells

Does Every Fertilized Egg Have a Soul?

It appears as if the embryonic stem cell issue will be around for years.  It seems the crux of the argument has to do with the origin and definition of human life.  When I was in high school, our religion teacher really got us going with a theoretical debate about the definition of life as it relates to the soul.  A few critical questions popped up.

First, one wonders if it is okay to kill any living thing that has a degree of life.  As a Christian if it is theologically okay to harvest higher mammals, say, whales, and he is likely to answer yes, because whales don't have souls.   Based on such logic one is naturally led to a follow-up question: What exactly is the soul, then, and how does it get into the human animal as opposed to all other animals?  Theologians attribute the soul to a divine spark imparted by God.  Okay, let's say we agree with that the soul is a divine spark.  Next question? When exactly, then, does God ignite the human animal with said spark? At conception? At 3 months gestation? 7 months? 9 months? At birth? At 6 months of age, 12 months, 2 years? When exactly does this miracle of souldom take place?  Therein lies the rub.

Some who argue against embryonic stem cell research argue that fertilized cells in a petri dish are human beings.  The implication of their statement is that the soul pops in as an automatic response to fertilization, regardless of where that fertilization takes place.  In other words, the birthing of the soul is a done deal - when the egg is fertilized, even in a lab, in pops the soul, or thus blooms the soul, or however you wish to visualize it; the birth of the soul and the fertilization of the egg are simultaneous.

Unfortunately for the above argument, Genesis (Genesis 2:7) has a different set of rules. To my understanding, Adam was a biological entity first and then was endowed with a soul. The breath of God endowed Adam with a soul. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."