Hybrid or Genetically altered foods

[Mark]

Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
(Deuteronomy 22:9)

The word for "diverse seeds" is "kilayim" which can be interpretted as heterogenous (more than one gene). This could suggest that, biblically speaking, genetically altered or hybrid seeds are bad for us.

Are we as liable for this when buying our fruits and veggies in the grocery store as we are for planting them in our gardens? If Adonai condemns this for our good, then we potentially must be suffering the same health problems as a result.

Others interpret this passage that we are simply not to put peas and corn together in the row of our garden.

[Eliora]

I think it's a stretch to say that kilayim means more than one gene. First, heterogeneous does not necessarily refer to genes... it just means something composed of parts that are different. Also, people in those days knew nothing of genes. And finally, unless you have a very highly inbred line of a plant, there will be genetic variation even if all the plants look about the same. So if we take that to its logical conclusion, I guess you could only have one plant per field, which would be clearly ridiculous. So with that in mind, I guess the prohibition is against planting multiple species in the same field.

I think this law is in the Bible to test us to see if we will obey God even if we don't understand why He's asking what He is. Because I don't think we can understand the reasoning behind this law, I don't think this law can be an overarching principle that we ought to seek to apply to other things.

Thus, let's say you had two separate fields and you have seeds from two closely related species. Let's say these two species don't normally interbreed because they flower at different times. So what if you grow them both (in your separate fields) and save pollen from one to pollinate the other to produce a hybrid? Have you violated the prohibition? I would argue that you haven't, and I think genetic engineering is like that.

Of course, if you're introducing pig genes into your tomatoes, then that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

Let me know what you think.

[Bob]

I tend to take the bible very literally.
When Adonai tells us not to plant different seeds in the same field that is exactly what he is saying. This would include purposely altering plants by cross pollinating.
Scientifically it has been proven that this may indeed make our food source less nutritional.
As far as buying in the stores... this has a lot to do with what you are able to find or afford. The best scenario would be for us to go back to the form of life that Adonai intended for us... Gen 2 He put man in the garden to tend it. would it not be better for us to grow our own food instead of depending on mass producing mega crops for money instead of nutritional value?
There are some good studies on this topic online and most of them will show that if you grow your own or at least buy local organic you will get more nutritional value from your food.
God did not mean for us to grow specific crops only for profit. He meant for us to take care of ourselves and others with food. When we make the almighty $ the chief reason for growing crops (as has happend with industrialized food marketing) we take away the blessing of Adonai.

[jimmie]

Deut 22:9 appears to be an injunction to planting field crops in a vineyard. Grape vines imped the growth of vegetables and grains. Pliny the Younger wrote of this some 2000 years ago. What a johnny-come-lately.


I will post more on this latter.

[messianicmama]

I feel this way too. I don't know if it's technically a violation of to eat GMOs, but I certainly think a case can be made that if we can't sow seed together, we sure shouldn't genetically modify them.

[alon]

Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
(Deuteronomy 22:9)

The CJB reads: "You are not to sow two kinds of seed between your rows of vines; if you do, both the two harvested crops and the yield from the vines must be forfeited."

First off, this specifically speaks of vineyards. I have no idea why this injunction is in scripture, but really I think applying it across the board to other crops is a mistake, as it is other methods of agriculture.

There are two traditional ways to develop better, more resistant crops and livestock. One is to simply pick the ones that are healthiest or have the qualities you desire and use them to reseed or breed. I met a guy years ago that patented a rust resistant strain of wheat by simply walking through his fields and picking the healthiest heads and growing them in a separate field until he had enough.

The other is to cross breed or cross pollinate until you have the desired qualities.

I also subscribe to a type of gardening in which I plant high, low, medium and root crops together. This has several advantages- weeds are choked out, and pulling up root crops helps aerate the soil to name two. And everyone knows about planting things like marigolds in the garden to discourage pests. Simple, organic, saves energy and uses available space. Sounds pretty much like something of which God might at least approve of a Baptist doing ...

Us Messianics too?

Now cloning and genetically modifying seem to me to cross the line. I'm reminded of our arrogance when someone said after the atom bomb became a reality; "We can use it to move mountains." Hey, if it works in the back yard, maybe we can use it to feng shue the house too ... just a thought. Seems to me we are getting into God's job description here.

Dan C

[yiska]

this is an interesting topic. I didn't realize that G-d meant to plant the seeds separately ... I am learning... Was going to plant some veggies myself this year. My folks always had green thumbs, I do too, But was never into planting veggies. I have a plum tree in my back yard but I think it is losing its fruits.

When I buy veggies and or fruits from the store, I wash them thoroughly, I know sounds strange, every since I have been reading about what the govt does to our foods and the FDA, I have become more skittish about certain foods I eat.

I think specially here in America we are losing sight of what is good and what is bad. We have so many fast foods and not to really appreciate the food given to us form G-d himself. I'm not pointing fingers but we are a fast growing enterprise.

Maybe at the end of the road, THERE IS HOPE NOW THAT WE ARE FINDING OUT MORE AND LEARNING HOW TO DO THINGS HIS WAY!

[Micha'el]

Shalom all,
There's a lot to say about GMO in the food business. I have done only a little research. Beware of Monsanto and any "BIG" industry that can corrupt the federal gov't with big $. Here's what my family does: we eat Kosher meat/chicken, organic fruits and veggies, and shop a lot at Trader Joes where GMOs are absent. One particular test, results not all conclusive said that a GMO product cannot reproduce, thus many eating these products have similar symptoms when they attempt to have kids. Look deeper if you have concerns. See Heirloom products for seeds to reproduce.
Micha'el

[yiska]

Thanks for your input Micha'el.
We should eat more organic foods. I love chicken and of and fish too!
the fresher veggies and fruits the better off we are.