Re: Christianity and vaccinations?

Point 3. Typical conflict argument. Forgets the Edwardss and Mathers who
supported inoculation. You will always find at least one daft Christian as
you have YECs today. I hope the book mentioned pro-Vaccination Christians.
If it did not, bin it.
Don't believe popular books on the history of science and medicine in
relationship to Christianity

Michael
----- Original Message -----
From: "D and K Hayworth" <dahayworth@insightbb.com>
To: "Freeman, Louise Margaret" <lfreeman@mbc.edu>; <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 3:42 AM
Subject: 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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Received on Wed Mar 8 02:40:30 2006