(RNS)—News that scientists had for the first time recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos prompted dire warnings from religious leaders who say the research crosses a moral red line and could lead to designer babies.

Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, point man for the U.S. Catholic bishops on bioethical issues, said Wednesday (May 15) that “this means of making embryos for research will be taken up by those who want to produce cloned children as'copies' of other people.”

IRVINE, Calif. (RNS)—In more than 30 years as a believer, I’ve attended enough “Christian conferences” to expect at least a few of the speakers to be talking out of their … um … butts, if you will.

But Hollywood director Tom Shadyac was the first to do so literally when he began an address to several thousand young evangelicals by mimicking the posterior elocution of the lead character from his “Ace Ventura” films.