COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN THE TRANSGENIC PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY
Today, human are able to use genetic engineering to create new organisms, which normally it is very difficult to do. These organisms that named genetically modified organisms (GMO) are very extensive applications in various sciences and technologies including medicine, pharmaceuticals, industry, agriculture… One of the most applications of these organisms is in agriculture and food production. Development of transgenic foods have made some concerns in many different aspects of ethical, social and biosafety and acceptance of the new foods. On the other hand, religious views have a significant role in the public acceptance of this technology. However, the views of various religions and their influence are different on decision making of consumers. In the present paper, the divine views of three great religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) are discussed in the context of transgenic technology. The studies show that there is no general consensus on this issue within the three religions. Overall, however, it appears that mainstream theology in all three religions increasingly tends towards acceptance of GM technology per se, on performing GM research, and on consumption of GM foods. However, all of them are believed on there being rigorous scientific, ethical and regulatory scrutiny of research and development of such products, and that these products are properly labeled. Furthermore, the results show that several other factors also influence the religious aspects the acceptance of genetically modified crops, such as media, environmental activists, scientists and food industries as well as all of information sources.