Why has the kosher slaughter been criticised because modern practices are not consistent?

Answer 1

There are two main schools of thought within Judaism - orthodox Judaism and reform Judaism. Both hold the Torah sacred and follow the law according to Moses, but there are significant differences between the two.

Reform Judaism could be considered analogous to progressive or liberal Judaism, in that the Word of God is considered living and to some degree needs to be interpreted with an understanding that several millenia have passed since Moses received the tablets. Reform Judaism follows the requirement for a ritual cut during slaughter, but then allows the animal to be immediately stunned so that it is rendered insensible. There are also differences in the carcass checks that are performed.

Orthodox Judaism, in contrast, could be considered analogous to traditional or conservation Judaism, in that the Word of God is considered immutable and transcending the passage of time. Orthodox Judaism follows the exact protocol for ritual slaughter that was practiced in the time of Moses, as it has been passed down from rabbi to rabbi over the centuries. Orthodox Judaism does not allow stunning of the animal after the ritual cut is made and tends to be more stringent in the carcass check requirements.

Because there are significant differences between the ritual requirements of reform Judaism and orthodox Judaism, some have criticized the various requirements as being hypocritical. However, this is not a fair criticism - there are thousands of different denominations within Christianity, so it should be expected there are also several different branches within Judaism. Each branch of Judaism will follow their own understanding of their faith and therefore some variation within ritual slaughter requirements should be expected.