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Those who felt the need to believe in God were at first reluctant to join in the euphoria. They remembered the bitter lessons of previous attempts to tinker with what it meant to be human: slavery, eugenics, and fascism. But they joined the revolution upon realizing that traits they found reprehensible could be eliminated in their offspring. One influential faction, for example, preached that it was God's will that homosexual urges be eliminated in utero.

Of course, religious groups disagreed fiercely over what constituted sin. That's what the Great Wars of Religion sorted out, while the Global Referendum determined socially harmful behaviors. The combined list included not only homosexuality but also anger, lying, lust, jealousy, disagreement with others, accumulation of personal wealth, eating more than 2,000 calories a day, deadpan humor, and ending sentences with a preposition.

On April 21, 2447, no one had these odious tendencies. The world had become a safe, knowable, fair place. There was no more sin. Or so it seemed.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christianity Today's special section on life ethics includes "Re-engineering Temptation," on the debate over whether genetic therapy should be used to reverse homosexuality.

Previous Taste and See columns include:

Desire Happens | You see, you want. Then what? (March 29, 2007)

'Ordinary' Delights | Let us praise the consoling banality of good. (March 13, 2007)

Dating Jesus | When 'lover of my soul' language goes too far. (December 6, 2006)

To Russia with Fury | Sometimes charity means anger. (October 9, 2006)

What (Not All) Women Want | The finicky femininity of 'Captivating' by John and Stasi Eldredge. (August 1, 2006)

A Velveteen Apologetic | How two creatures dig a rabbit hole in my disbelief. (April 1, 2006)

What Would Jesus Buy? | Saving the world one cashmere sweater at a time. (February 1, 2006)

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June 2007, Vol. 51, No. 6