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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The Bible doesn't say anything specifically about genetically modified foods, but it does address the role we are to play in caring for the earth. Genesis 1:26-30 tells us that God created Adam and...
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Grant Abbott
I believe the general guideline is given in Genesis 1:25. "God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. God provides one prohibition in Leviticus 19:19 "Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of fabric. God also declares his sovereignty over his creation in Ecclesiastes 3:14 " I know that everything God does will endure forever, nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so men will revere him. In the 20th century there were many experiments to improve the productivity of animal and plant foods. Some chemicals, like DDT, proved highly toxic to human life and were ultimately banned. The advent of mass production of animals such as cattle, chicken, turkeys, etc in feedlots has necessitated the use of antibiotics, steroids and growth hormones to maximise the productivity of these farming operations. These chemicals also get in human bodies when we eat these foods. Because of the fear of the unknown effects of these chemicals on human health, there is a big environmental push for organic production of plants and animals that we eat. Now the agricultural industry has turned to genetically modifying these plants and animals to maximise production of these products. All of the technological advances in agriculture in the past 100 years have substantially increased the world production of food. The UN says we produce enough food to feed the entire world but because of greed, corruption, etc the food doesn't always get where it is needed and millions of people are still starving every day. As Christians we have at least 2 distinct advantages when it comes to our food choices and the effects they may have on our health. 1) We have the Holy Spirit living in us to give us the wisdom of God in making the choices of the foods we will eat. 2) We can talk directly to God (the creator of the universe) about our health concerns. In addition to giving thanks for our food, we can ask God to protect our health from any contaminating elements that might be present in the food we eat. Missionaries in foreign countries around the world have been praying this prayer ever since Jesus first sent them out.
N S
There's something else about the GMO vs. Non-GMO issue that should concern Christians, and that is the fact that the Bible says we are not to lie, deceive people, etc, and we ought to be wise and not believe lies either. So, what does that have to do with this topic? Well, if you go into a grocer store and start looking at the food packages, you will find a huge number of food packages with a pretty little label -- a picture of an orange butterfly flying near or landing on some green plant which looks like grass -- and it proudly states Non-GMO. Well the trouble is, this is designed to deceive customers into thinking they are getting something special and different from all the other brands. For example, if you see a pack of carrots with this label, you might be deceived into thinking that the other carrots in the store are GMO. This is very deceptive, because there are only 10 crops in existence which are available as GMO crops. These are: Corn Soybeans Cotton Alfalfa Sugar Beets Canola Squash/Zucchini Papaya Potato Apple So if you are looking at a package of carrots proudly advertising that it is Non-GMO, you should say "So what, there's no such thing as GMO carrots," but hardly anybody knows that. The other thing is, that to be allowed to put that pretty little label on a food pack, the manufacturer has to PAY The Non-GMO Project to get permission to put that symbol on the packaging. So you are getting taken for a ride, and your cost is increased by the manufacturer paying for that label. Is that good stewardship of your money, to pay extra for that label? I don't think so. I don't think it glorifies the Lord to pay extra to an organization that is deceiving people into thinking they're getting something special when they aren't. I haven't been able to completely boycott the "Non-GMO" label on all the food I purchase because sometimes it's the cheapest or the only option. But I try to avoid it, because I see it as a big bad deception, designed to rip off innocent people. That is clearly not honoring to the Lord.
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