The relationship between vaccination and religion is complex and multifaceted. While most major religions have issued statements supportive of vaccination, and no major religion explicitly prohibits vaccinations, some individuals cite religious adherence as a basis for opting not to vaccinate themselves or their children. Historically, both pro- and anti-vaccination groups have used religious arguments to support their positions. For instance, in Australia, anti-vaccinationists founded the Church of Conscious Living, a "fake church", in an attempt to claim religious exemptions, which ultimately led to the removal of such exemptions in the country. Similarly, a United States pastor has been reported to offer vaccine exemptions in exchange for church membership.
Historical
Early religious influences on vaccination One of the earliest documented cases of variolation involved a Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni) between 1022 and 1063 CE. She ground smallpox scabs into a fine powder and administered it through the nostrils of an uninfected person to promote immunity. Centuries later, the 14th Dalai Lama continued the tradition of disease prevention by personally supporting polio vaccination campaigns.
Religious figures and advocacy for vaccination
In 1721, the influential Massachusetts preacher Cotton Mather was the first known person to attempt smallpox inoculation on a large scale, inoculating himself and more than two hundred members of his congregation with the help of a local doctor. While his view later became standard, there was a strong negative reaction against him at the time.Blake, John B. "The Inoculation Controversy in Boston: 1721–1722." New England Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 4, New England Quarterly, Inc., 1952, pp. 489–506, .
Rowland Hill (1744–1833) was a popular English preacher acquainted with Edward Jenner, the pioneer of smallpox vaccination, and he encouraged the vaccination of the congregations he visited or preached to. He published a tract on the subject in 1806, at a time when many medical men refused to sanction it. Later he became a member of the Royal Jennererian Society, which was established when vaccination was accepted in Britain, India, the US, and elsewhere. John C. Lettsom, an eminent Quaker physician of the day wrote to Rowland Hill commenting: In 1804 during an outbreak of smallpox in New Spain Fr. Manuel Abad y Queipo personally paid for and brought the smallpox vaccine from the Capital to Valladolid.
In 1816 Iceland made the clergy responsible for smallpox vaccination and gave them the responsibility of keeping vaccination records for their parishes; Sweden also had similar practices.
Catholic and Anglican missionaries vaccinated Northwest Coast Native Americans during an 1862 smallpox epidemic.
Religious opposition to vaccination In 1798, several Boston clergymen and devout physicians formed a society that opposed vaccination.David P. Mindell, The Evolving World: Evolution in Everyday Life (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2007 ), p. 10 Others complained that the practice was dangerous, going so far as to demand that doctors who carried out these procedures be tried for attempted murder.
When vaccination was introduced into UK public policy, and adoption followed overseas, there was opposition from trade unionists and others, including sectarian ministers and those interested in self-help and alternative medicines like homeopathy.Durbach, Nadja. 2005. Bodily matters: the anti-vaccination movement in England, 1853–1907. Radical perspectives. Durham: Duke University Press. pp. 40–45.
Anti-vaccinationists were most common in Protestant countries. Those who were religious often came from minority religious movements outside of mainstream Protestantism, including Quakers in England and Baptists in Sweden.Bourdelais, Patrice. 2006. Epidemics laid low: a history of what happened in rich countries. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 25–26.
Jehovah's Witnesses condemned the practice of vaccination in 1931 as "a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that God made with Noah after the flood",Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, "Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain: Use and Abuse of Religious Exemptions from School Immunization Requirements", Hastings Law Journal, Vol. 65, Iss. 6 (2013), p. 1583. but reversed that policy in 1952. The decision of whether to vaccinate themselves or their family is left to individuals. Some more recent Jehovah's Witness publications have mentioned the success of vaccination programs., religioustolerance.org
Legislation and religious exemptions In the UK, a number of Vaccination Acts were introduced to control vaccination and inoculation, starting in 1840, when smallpox inoculation was banned. The 1853 Act introduced compulsory free infant vaccination enforced by local authorities. By 1871, infant vaccination was compulsory and parents refusing to have their child vaccinated were fined and imprisoned if the fines were not paid. Resistance to compulsion grew, and in 1889, after riots in Leicester, a Royal Commission was appointed and issued six reports between 1892 and 1896. It recommended the abolition of cumulative penalties. This was done in an 1898 Act, which also introduced a conscience clause that exempted parents who did not believe vaccination was efficacious or safe. This extended the concept of the "conscientious objector" in English law. A further Act in 1907 made it easier to obtain exemption.
Current
Christianity
Conservative Christian groups Some conservative Christian groups in the United States oppose mandatory vaccination for diseases typically spread via sexual contact, arguing that the possibility of disease deters risky sexual contact. For example, the Family Research Council opposes mandatory vaccination against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that causes various cancers: "Our primary concern is with the message that would be delivered to nine- to twelve-year-olds with the administration of the vaccines. Care must be taken not to communicate that such an intervention makes all sex 'safe'." This opposition is due to overarching ideological conflicts with the notion of the need to vaccinate against HPV, such as Christian sexual norms and parental obligations to "enforce the sexual norms" upon their children. These sexual norms are based on the Christian belief and biblical verse that individuals should not partake in premarital sex, promiscuity, or any other forms of sexual immorality, as stated by 1 Corinthians 7:2 (NIV). Although the verse does not explicitly mention premarital sex, it is widely interpreted to suggest that individuals should not have sexual relations outside of marriage. By taking the HPV vaccine, conservative Christians believe that the vaccination itself may promote increased sexual activity due to the notion that they are more "protected" from HPV infections. However, studies have suggested that HPV vaccination does not result in increased sexual activity or sexual behaviors.
Support for vaccination Other Christians have supported vaccinations and mask wearing in the wake of COVID-19 to stop the spread of the disease, even using scripture to support the position.In 2021, the former director of the National Institute of Health, Francis Collins, a practicing Christian, expressed his support for the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that the development of vaccines are a “gift from God” and an “answer to prayer”. Additionally, Dr. Peter Mack, a physician at Novant Health South Park Family Physicians, cites Genesis 41, the story of David and Goliath, as a justification that vaccines are a “modern tool from God”. Other religious leaders from around the world, such as the Pope and some American bishops, expressed support for the COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the pandemic. In 2021, then-Pope Francis advocated for individuals to take the COVID-19 injections because it was a "moral obligation" or a "moral responsibility" to protect the health and safety of others. Pope Francis also stated in a series of Tweets that COVID-19 vaccinations are an "act of love" for others, while also suggesting that opposition to the vaccines, no matter the ideological, religious, or political basis, was considered "suicidal denialism, as rejecting the vaccine puts both the individual and others in the community at risk of developing COVID-19.
The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made vaccination an official initiative in its humanitarian relief program. The Church has also called on its members to see that their own children are properly vaccinated."Immunize Children, Leaders Urge", Liahona, July 1978 (accessed 2August 2012). In March 2021, the Church added encouragement to vaccinate to its General Handbook of Instructions, noting that "Vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life.... Members of the Church are encouraged to safeguard themselves, their children, and their communities through vaccination." In August 2021, the Church again encouraged vaccination, specifically against COVID-19, in a public statement from the First Presidency: "We know that protection from [Covid and its variants] can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.... To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated."
Christian science Although the Church of Christ, Scientist encourages reliance on prayer, it does not outright forbid vaccination or any other medical practice,Schoepflin, Rennie B. (2003). Christian Science on Trial: Religious Healing in America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 192–193Trammell, Mary M. (March 26, 2010). "Letter; What the Christian Science Church Teaches". The New York Times. and in 2015 it did not renew its application for religious exemption for vaccinations in Australia because it deemed the exemption "no longer current or necessary". During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church of Christ did not make an official statement in support of the COVID-19 vaccine or an outright condemnation, even though the organization as a whole once advocated for religious exemptions for vaccinations in Australia. However, much of the vaccine hesitancy within the Christian Science community originates from religious beliefs rather than secular vaccine opposition. The decisions to vaccinate are up to the individuals themselves and not directly banned by the Church of Christ institution. Some members may reject vaccines or other medical procedures/interventions due to their belief that the onset of diseases are merely illusions, as humans are the reflection of the image of God. Therefore, according to that belief, diseases don’t exist and vaccines aren’t necessary to protect the health of the individual.
Islam and Judaism
Dietary concerns and medical exceptions