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Chances are you’ve heard the term GMO (genetically modified organism) lately. In most cases this is in reference to scientists and major farmers growing plants that have been genetically modified. This is very different from hybrid seeds. Genetically modified seeds are injected with DNA from completely unrelated species. I’m talking animal cells, bacteria, and even viruses.
The reason for this is they can inject an entire crop so that they can simply spray the whole field with a pesticide and it won’t kill the crop. Which means the plant soaks up the pesticide and then we get to eat it.
This is supposed to save the large companies money and time, which brings this verse to mind.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. (NIV) 1 Timothy 6:10
While hybrid seeds aren’t necessarily GMO, they are created by scientists paring together two kinds of plants from the same species hoping the new strain will have the best traits of the two separate strains. They gained popularity when farmers were trying to meet the worlds increased demand for food.
The problem is hybrid seeds are unstable. You can’t save the seed and replant them the next year and get the same plant. Other traits will manifest (usually undesirable) if the plant grows at all. So you have to buy new seed every year, though they’re not harmful like GMO’s are.
“Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kids of seed.” (NIV) Leviticus 19:19
I think this verse is pretty explanatory on it’s own.
Is the Bible against GMO? Yes, I believe it is.
God created all of the plants on earth. In His word, He gives us pretty clear instructions on how to take care of what He gave us.
When we start to alter what He created, how do we not think it’s going to cause harm? [Tweet this]
I believe the Bible governs everything in our lives and is there for our benefit. When we choose to ignore it, we find ourselves in trouble. Sadly, we chose to ignore it a lot.
Our garden is all heirloom seed. Meaning it hasn’t been touched by the hand of science at all. It is exactly as God made it, has better taste, the seed can be saved (for years), and replanted without any Frankenstein results.
Does this mean your going against God if you’ve planted, eaten, or bought hybrid or GMO crops? No, I don’t believe this and I hope that isn’t the take away.
I believe Jesus set us free when He became our ultimate sacrifice on the cross. But, I don’t think that means we should ignore the Old Testament. It doesn’t change the wisdom there or that it is still God’s word.
If your interested in learning more about heirloom seeds and growing your own veggies and fruits to save money and become more self-sustainable, then I’ve got some fun news.
I’m working on a new FREE ebook for my newsletter subscribers that will dive into this topic. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you get it as soon as it comes out. Right now you’ll receive my free ebook 7 Days to Simple:Purify Your Life (which includes my Thin Crust Heirloom Tomato Pizza recipe that only takes 20 minutes to make and bake) and Once Upon a Snow Storm-a short historical romance.
What are your thoughts on GMO and Hybrids? Do you only buy organic, why or why not? Do you grow any of your own food?
This post is featured on The Better Mom.
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I love your post today reminding us of some of the things that the Bible tells us of how we should do things, I am with you if we search we will find many things we need to know…
thanks for sharing
Paula O
Thanks, Paula. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve read the Bible, I’m constantly discovering new truths. Blessings to you!
Great information! Thanks for explaining it. I think that in order to stay away from GMO foods, we have to buy organic only for most items because GMO ingredients are hidden in so many foods that we may not be aware of. Growing our own is best.
Thanks, Sylvia. Unfortunately, GMO’s are hidden in a lot of things.
I completely agree that we should grow as much as we can and preserve it ourselves. While I can’t do this for everything, what I do saves me enough money I can afford to buy the safer organic versions of most things.
Great post Melissa! I am moving away from hybrid seeds and have been adding more and more heirlooms. I also have been saving more and more seeds. My only difficulty is finding heirlooms that do well in our climate. I have gradually learned from people in my area as well as trial and error what works well. To be honest I never looked at it from a biblical perspective but I do find value in Heirlooms for many reasons. Thanks for a post that inspires me to learn more about our tendency to change God’s creations.
Glad you enjoyed it, Larry! Our growing season varies so much that it can be a challenge to find heirlooms that adapt. Most of the cold weather seeds do fine. Saving seed from the best plant also helps you winnow out the ones that aren’t producing the best. If you can swap with gardeners in your area, that’s a plus as well.
This article is good. Larry, hybrid seeds doesn’t mean they are GMO seeds. The gmo have products from a different species in them. Hybrids mean 2 kinds of for example green beans that have certain good traits are combined. Gmo”s are from a completely different species , say fish genes added to tomatoes. The heirlooms are good , but all hybrids are not bad. A good catalog to order from is Baker Heirloom seed . They have a great catalog with much info on how to grow also and some recipes& beautiful pics.Happy gardening.
Excellent info, Lisa. I love Baker Creek Heirloom. I order from them what I haven’t saved from my own supply. You can request their catalog at http://www.rareseeds.com Thanks for stopping and chatting!
I love to grow my own food because then I know that it is fresh and safe with no chemicals. We do a large garden in the summer and I freeze a variety of veggies for later use. I love reading thoughts on the Biblical ideas about growing food and your use of heirloom seeds. I would love your suggestions on where to get some great heirloom seeds!
Jen, congrats on your garden.
I cover places to get heirloom seed in my free bonus gift- Heirloom Gardening Guide-Plant to Save Money. The sign up is on the right hand side bar at the top of this page. For variety and price, an excellent place to start is the Baker Heirloom Company at http://www.rareseeds.com
I just came across this blog post this afternoon while researching all kinds of things. I am very interested in moving my family to a GMO free diet as well as a gluten-free diet for the same reason. I’ve not been diagnosed with gluten allergies but recently spent a weekend with some friends – one who does have gluten allergies. I ate gluten free for the weekend as a challenge of sorts and found the bloating problem I’ve had for quite a while had gone away. I am also lactose intolerant so have cut that out a long time ago. We just recently moved to some acreage and I’m hoping to build some raise beds this week for our garden. This year I’m starting slow – raising what we’ll eat – and hope to expand next year for canning/freezing. I’m doing this to control the bad stuff I know is in the produce and foods I buy in the store. I already have several “safe seed” catalogs I’m about to shop from in the next week. I want to buy GMO safe, heirloom seeds. Sorry for the long post! I’ll have to bookmark your site and read more. I agree that even though we live in “New Testament” days that there is so much we need to heed and can learn from the “Old Testament”. Much of it is reiterated in the New Testament.
Leslie, welcome and congrats on deciding to create a healthier diet and life for you and your family.
You’ll find lots of tips on growing and preserving your harvest here. If you didn’t get yours, I have a free ebook for readers called Heirloom Gardening Guide-Plant to Save Money that should give you a great start on learning about heirloom gardening and knowing which plants are best for your family. The sign up is in the upper right sidebar of this page or at http://www.melissaknorris.com/freebies I look forward to hearing about your success and feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll try to help.