Genetically Modified Organisms

[ST88]

The biotech industry has come up with numerous examples of how GMOs might offer the opportunity for better lives. Rice that contains beta-carotene, potatoes and corn that repel insect pests, tomatoes that have longer shelf lives, among others. These are plant examples, but it is certainly possible to alter animals in similar ways, such as beef with less fat, chicken with more protein, or fish that can eliminate mercury from their systems.

There are scientific as well as ethical objections to these practices, and many are uncomfortable with "accelerating the evolution" of different species. But some see a food supply in the world in danger. Pollution, deforestation, the rise of food-borne diseases, and corrupt food donation programs all contribute to human malnutrition and famine. GMOs offer a scientific solution to these problems, but at what cost?

Should GMOs be allowed or banned, and why or why not? Should we allow only plants to be modified? Or maybe limit the modified animals to seafood?

[Jose]

I'd still advise caution, John. Here's an abstract I obtained from PubMed:

Neurology. 2004 Apr 27;vol 62:1408-10.
Myoclonic status epilepticus following repeated oral ingestion of colloidal silver. Mirsattari SM, Hammond RR, Sharpe MD, Leung FY, Young GB.

Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

The authors report a case of a 71-year-old man who developed myoclonic status epilepticus and coma after daily ingestion of colloidal silver for 4 months resulting in high levels of silver in plasma, erythrocytes, and CSF. Despite plasmapheresis, he remained in a persistent vegetative state until his death 5.5 months later. Silver products can cause irreversible neurologic toxicity associated with poor outcome.

I appreciate your reasoning for not concerning yourself with long-term problems. However, I offer an alternate reasoning for why one might want to. If, as many believe, the Bible is the work of Man, and therefore God is a human construct, then our only hope for salvation is through our own work. Around here there are bumber stickers that say "Don't believe in God? Better live your life as if you do, just in case!" We can turn it around with equal validity, and say "Believe in God? Better live your life as if He's not really there to save you if you screw up your environment, just in case."

It's an odd thing...the logic of living your life "as if God exists, just in case," represents planning, if you will, for you own personal future. Others are not particularly relevant. On the other hand, the logic of living your life as if God does not exist presents you with the necessity of making your life mesh with that of the others who live on this small planet. The lives of your descendents are intimately intertwined with the lives of everyone else. I'd like my grandchildren to have a pleasant life, so why not do what I can to nudge things in that direction--rather than live hedonistically in an orgy of environmental destruction, on the off-chance that God will pluck us all out just before the final catastrophe?

That is, the best plan is to respect your biblical beliefs, and anticipate the afterlife you deserve--and at the same time treat the world and its other inhabitants in as respectful and moral a way as possible. If you see problems coming their way, do what you can to alleviate them. Drive a hybrid, not a Hummer. If you can increase the nutritional value of food plants, and save some people from starvation, isn't this the moral thing to do?

[Johnin Spain]

Josh,

I appreciate your concern, but a brief study of Myoclonic status epilepticus would indicate that it's more than likely that this man had sufferred from it for a considerable time. I would hesitate to recommend any person with nuerological complications from starting any new treatment, especially most of the drugs used by the 'professionals'.

We also have no idea what type of solution he was ingesting, which makes it hard to ascertain whether it was a correctly made CS.

Considering the number of CS users, one case of misadventure is slight when compared to the thousands of people who die annually from prescription medications.

One of the problems that non believers face is that they do not KNOW Christ, and Christ does not know them. Once one crosses (excuse pun) the line from unbelief to belief, that obviously changes and an abstract concept becomes a reality.

I, and all the other true believers I know (drawing a distinction between believers and Churchianity) have personal relationships with Christ which are as tangiable as yours may be with your best friend.

....the logic of living your life as if God does not exist presents you with the necessity of making your life mesh with that of the others who live on this small planet. The lives of your descendents are intimately intertwined with the lives of everyone else. I\'d like my grandchildren to have a pleasant life, so why not do what I can to nudge things in that direction--rather than live hedonistically in an orgy of environmental destruction, on the off-chance that God will pluck us all out just before the final catastrophe?

You misunderstand me, we live as if we will experience a ripe old age and I have a three year old daughter, hardly a case of living "on the off-chance that God will pluck us all out just before the final catastrophe"

I drive a Puegot 206 which I would wager is considerably more ecologically sound than most American cars, what do you drive?

I live in the mountains of Southern Spain amidst an oak forest which is a Nature Reserve, my water comes from the mountain and is pure as can be with no clorine or flouride additives to rot my mind and body.

We eat locally grown produce which is mostly what you would call 'organic' and we call (in Spain) normal, because we still run farms in a old fashioned way.

We are in the world, but not of it.

I am a citizen of the kingdom of God, born in the UK, currently residing in Spain and awaiting to return home to Gods kingdom.

I was a citizen of the world before I came to belief, then I renounced all my former citizenship and became a citizen of the kingdom of God.

When you are born you are a citizen of your birth country as well as a citizen of the world. Your birth nation has a 'call' over you and so does Lucifer, because he is the ruler of this world and it's citizens unless and until they renounce his authority over them and seek first the kingdom of God to become citizens of that kingdom.

Then Lucifer, and this world, has 'nothing on them' ..... they belong to Christ.

So I do not live 'hedonistically in an orgy of environmental destruction' like the world does, I live in quiet and peaceful contemplation that the one who has created the universe has also made a plan for me and every other true believer.

The worlds problem is that it worships the creation, rather than the ONE who created it.

Blessings,
John

[Jose]

You misunderstand me, we live as if we will experience a ripe old age and I have a three year old daughter, hardly a case of living "on the off-chance that God will pluck us all out just before the final catastrophe"

I think, rather than misunderstand you, I took the opportunity to poke another jab at the Bush administration's environmental destruction, and their followers. Your lifestyle sounds wonderful, and very much like something we should all seek to attain.

I suspect, though, that agricultural productivity is lower than needed to support the current population. Organic methods were the only ones available before the "green revolution" and the invention of chemical fixation of nitrogen. Indeed, it was the invention of chemical fertilizer, coupled with the discovery of antibiotics, that enabled us to achieve our current population. Cheap oil has probably played a role as well. If we go back to organic methods, shunning GM methodology, and run out of oil...I think there will be some nasty times ahead.

I drive a Puegot 206 which I would wager is considerably more ecologically sound than most American cars, what do you drive?

I suspect you are right. Most American cars are ecologically horrible. We tried to institute a system of labeling them as "high emission vehicles" or "low emission vehicles," etc., but in the last 4 years, the system was compromised by inventing a cute little rule of comparing vehicles only within their particular class. A massive SUV can be labeled an "ultra-low emission vehicle" if the others in its class are even worse than it is. A cute little political trick to hide the facts from the public. As it happens, I drive a Honda Insight.

[Johnin Spain]

Actually Spain is a major exporter of fruit and vegetables to northern europe, and Almeria is where most of it comes from.

It used to be a desert but the application of sheet plastic and chemical hydoponics has turned it into an unsightly but productive wasteland of plastic fields, where immigrant labour from Marrocco work in the chemical tents and suffer the consequences that the Spaniards no longer need to endure.

On a more positive note we are the largest producers of organic food also and that is also shipped north, where ever larger numbers of wised up consumers pay extortionate prices in order to avoid GM and chemically produced food. We are just blessed to get it at local prices.

If you follow the current New Age Globalist agenda, you will be aware that 'they' envisage depleting the world population by two thirds, from 6 billion down to 2 billion, which is the NWO way of handling matters.

If you read your bible you will know that in the end days tribulation there will also be a 2/3's decrease in humanity as the 'seven vials' of Gods wrath are unleashed upon the world.

In other words the ship is sinking fast, and ones only option is whether you want to be in the life rafts saving survivors or listening to the band play on.

Blessings,
John

[Johnin Spain]

Oh and as an afterthough I must tell you we only have 40 million people, here are some details from the CIA factbook:

Area:
total: 504,782 sq km
land: 499,542 sq km
water: 5,240 sq km
note: there are 19 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

and....

Population:
40,280,780 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 2,989,053; female 2,811,350)
15-64 years: 68% (male 13,748,998; female 13,652,852)
65 years and over: 17.6% (male 2,958,387; female 4,120,140) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.1 years
male: 37.8 years
female: 40.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.16% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
10.11 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
9.55 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.37 years
male: 76.03 years
female: 82.94 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
130,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,300 (2001 est.)

I'd say it was a sensible place to live!

John