Reflection 3.19.18

As the argument of whether we should be vaccinating versus not vaccinating our children has been a large debate amongst our society as of late, it is interesting to see the opinion and views that people whom practice religion view this topic. As the age old point of science and religion “not going together” is constantly brought up, you can see that this conflict has a lot to do with this viewpoint. According to Rene Najera, from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, “Of the major religions practiced in the United States, only the Church of Christ, Scientist…and the Dutch Reformed Church are the two religious groups that openly discourage vaccination” (Najera 2018). Though these two religious organizations are the only ones who have openly expressed their opposition to vaccinating, I personally know some parents who practice Christianity whom are opposed to certain vaccinations (not all). As people are contracting diseases and spreading it amongst others within their communities, it is surprising that their opinions cant be changed to deciding to vaccinate. However, seeing the affect that the beliefs of many people have on their opinions regarding this topic have, opens up the door to more conversation on how times are changing, the life expectancy rate has increased, and how people who practice a religion have more recently been more open to political ideas that don’t exactly coincide with what they practice. Science and religion are two parts that have influence on each other whether people agree to believe that or not, and as more diseases are spread it should be interesting to see what people have to say about vaccinations.