For The Greater Glory Of God – Jesuits And The Debate On Genetically Modified Food Crops

• In Event: Being Religious, Being Scientific: The Dynamics Of Science And Religion In The Laboratory

Abstract

The issue of genetically modified (GM) food crops continues to be a global controversy. Proponents argue that GM crops ensure food security, higher crop yields and better economic returns. Critics submit that the long-term effects on health and biodiversity are unclear, and that farmers gain little from GM crops. The debate is often reduced to a dichotomy between “(scientific) facts” and “(socio-environmental) values”; but the cultural, political and religious preferences of scientists, farmers and consumers are not so easily demarcated.

This paper is an exploration into the science-religion dimension of the GM food debate. I examine a 2003 discussion between nine Jesuit priests – members of a religious order in the Catholic Church – who also happen to be “experts” in botany, biotechnology and agriculture. Published in Promotio Iustitiae (the magazine of the Social Justice Secretariat of the Jesuits) the priests debated if GM food technology could be considered safe and ethical. This discussion, occurring in the context of Jesuits’ global mission for social justice, offers a fresh perspective for STS research as these Jesuits are not only trained in Catholic theology and philosophy but also acknowledged as experts in their respective disciplines and countries.

Using thematic analysis, this paper explores the tensions between the missionary goals of the Jesuits and their response to the techno-scientific realities of agriculture in their missionary stations. Subsequently, the paper attempts to identify themes in the Jesuits’ engagement with the GM food crop debate and examines if this Jesuit discussion offers any scope to bring the debate to a satisfactory resolution.

Author

• Joseph Satish, University of Hyderabad, India