Comment on Researchers Find “Naming Of Allah” Prevents Certain Histological Changes in Slaughtered Broilers by Dave Langers

I completely agree with Jurgen.
To Q2 and Q3 the answer should be a resounding “yes”! Of course science should be allowed to investigate any claim that religion makes that lends itself to being tested. There are awfully few of them as it is, and even in this case I don’t think any statement in the Bible or Quran has much to say a priori about congestion in liver and pectoral muscles. But at least these authors now seem to be forwarding the testable hypothesis that there is a difference. We also have to consider the alternate hypothesis that chickens care about whether and how they are talked to, however, so the control condition leaves something to be desired. Also, whether such research should be funded from public resources is another question that I would be more inclined to answer negatively.
The answer to Q1 is about as obvious as that to “does water burn at room temperature?”. Of course I would not forbid the question to be considered, but in the absence of “extraordinary evidence for extraordinary claims” I would not spoil an otherwise okay blog with it.