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COMMENTS:
Voted : Yes
Of course in my book eat whatever, whoever you want that you are not allergic too:)
LMAO
Voted : No
Probably not. You can't skirt God's laws. But, I never bought the whole food law thing anyway. Why would God care if you ate Shellfish? It's the same with Catholics and not eating meat on Friday. I don't know where that came from? Some say the Pope, still others say it's because of the Last Supper. Who knows.
Voted : No
There is only one kind of engineering that is truly kosher.
^ I don't know, there's lot of plastics in there....
by LCD on Thu May 15, 08 11:07am
[+]
As this appears to be a serious ballot, I will attempt to address this seriously. This issue is of concern to not only Jews, but 7th day Adventists, Muslims and often others concerned with food purity because of allergies. The answers are not simple and vary based on the amount of genetic engineering. Generally speaking, the transfer of a very small amount of genetic material (eg, one gene to confer some disease resistance) does not affect kosher status. The answer can also vary based on whether we are talking about plants, animals or fish. In the example you give of some type of sea animal being given only scales and fins, most authorities would say that it is not kosher because it has not fundamentally changed it's status as an oyster or shrimp despite now having fins and scales. It is still an oyster/shrimp. It still acts, breeds, lives and eats, etc like an oyster or shrimp. It can mate or produce babies with other oysters or shrimp. It is still fundamentally an oyster of shrimp. The same would be true with an animal like a pig. You could conceivably make a pig that chews it's cud, etc. However, despite genetic intervention, the parents of that pig are still pigs which are not kosher.
Small amounts of genetic engineering (to add a certain characteristic) to plants are generally ok. More significant changes to animal are subjected to more serious study and consideration. Various kosher authorities like the Orthodox Union (has the "U" inside an "O" on kosher certified products) have groups of people with extensive knowledge an experience with genetics, agriculture, food prep, etc) that study the issue and make rulings on whether a animal, plant or product can still be considered kosher. Case by case basically. Sorry there isn't a simple answer I can give you.
Voted : Yes
If a carp is genetically engineered so that it has no scales, is it still kosher? After all, fins and scales are what make a fish kosher in the first place.
The question might not have as wide an application as whether a tree that falls to a forest floor without anybody hearing it makes any noise, but the theoretical issue is making some waves.
Abraham Steinberg, a leading Jewish medical ethicist, says the scale-less carp would still be kosher.
Steinberg argues that altering a carp's genes so that it does not have scales does not change anything fundamental about the fish.
Since we know carp is kosher, he said, it doesn't matter whether it actually has scales.
The carp example was part of Steinberg's larger point that Judaism does not forbid genetic engineering, an argument he made at the first Chief Rabbi Jakobowits Memorial on Medical Ethics. (Back in 1999)
In a wide-ranging lecture that also covered abortion, medical confidentiality, eugenics, genetic screening and genetic determinism versus free will, Steinberg emphasized that science and technology per se are morally neutral.
"The morally determining factor is their use," he said.
The Jewish approach, he said, is extreme caution in accepting innovations and changes.
^good answer but you essentially stated what I did. LCD's question was about oysters and shrimp. They are still fundamentally shrimp and oysters so their status hasn't changed. Therefore the answer is 'no'.
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