Re: Christianity and vaccinations?

Three unrelated comments:

1) I have several friends of this same persuasion. In most cases, the real
reason has more to do with conspiracy and/or alternative medicine thinking
than with anything truly theological. However, I do think there is a
correlation of sorts between certain theological/devotional persuasions and
a tendancy to distrust science and modern medicine. I can't put my finger on
it, but I can almost guess one from the other in a person.

2) Jack said: "The only possible rationale I could see for not vaccinating
kids is because of the herd immunity and the relatively safe environment
they would be in here." This is a reasonable rationale, if not a little
selfish. It's the tragedy of the commons (which the overuse of antibotics
could be cited as an example of), but in reverse.

3) There is a third historical Christian response that hasn't been mentioned
yet in this thread. Here is an excerpt from one of my daughter's
homeschooling readers. It is a wonderful book called "Dr. Jenner and the
Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine" by Albert Marrin,
2002, Penguin-Putnam Books, p. 39. Regarding early inoculation experiments
and efforts in England, Marrin writes:

"Despite these early successes, inoculation had enemies. Some devout
Christians resisted efforts at preventing any disease. Diseases, they
argued, did not have natural causes but came straight from heaven. They were
'bolts of diveing lightning,' sent by God to punish sinners and warn others
to stay on the right path. Thus, trying to prevent disease was wrong on two
counts. It interfered with God's justice and it encouraged sinners in their
evil ways. A London preacher, the Reverend Edmund Massey, put it this way:
'The fear of disease is a happy restraint to men.... If men were more
healthy, 'tis a great chance they would be less righteous.' "

Fortunately, this is not the reasoning my friend (and probably not your
friends) use for avoiding inoculation.

Nevertheless, this book might be helpful for such people to read because it
shows the great value of vaccination.

Cheers,
Douglas

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