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Increasing numbers of parents are finding plenty of arguments against vaccination, including the reality that vaccines go against what the Bible says and what God wants for His creation. In this article, Danielle sheds some light on why Christians may want to rethink vaccines, and why it is essential to protect our religious freedoms.

Most parents don’t even think about questioning the modern medical care system. You have a baby; you get vaccines and whatever treatments your doctor says he needs.

But how about investigating the arguments against vaccination? Is society’s current paradigm what Christians are called to follow? Does the Bible even talk about vaccines?

I would argue that yes, the Bible talks about pharmaceuticals, trusting in man, the holiness of our bodies, keeping our hearts and hands clean, and what happens when God’s creation is altered in depth.

And that, my friends, touches on the issue of vaccines.

How did vaccines get on the scene?

The very basic premise that began the notion of needing vaccines is called “the germ theory.”

In the mid-1800’s, Louis Pasteur developed the “germ theory,” the idea that germs are the cause of all disease. He then developed pasteurization, a way to heat food and kill microbes that may cause illness or disease. But, pasteurization also kills beneficial bacteria and enzymes.

His contemporary, Antione Beauchamp, came out with an opposite theory called the “terrain theory.” This theory highlights that healthy food, hygiene, and lifestyle affect a person’s terrain or immune system.

Interestingly, it’s widely accepted that Pasteur said on his deathbed that Beauchamp was right, “it’s all about the terrain.” However, the germ theory flourished and is still accepted today. It is what our modern medical system, and vaccines, are based on.

What does the Bible say about vaccines? Biblical arguments against vaccination

Aren’t vaccines saving lives? We are only using the wisdom God has given us, right?

The Bible contains stories showing how God’s people relied on their own wisdom to do what was good in their own eyes, only to find out they hadn’t asked their Heavenly Father what He thought.

The golden calf (Exodus 32-34), King David (1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings), and King Solomon (1 Kings) come to mind. But vaccines? Where does it talk about that?

Let’s explore some verses that may bolster the arguments against vaccination for Christians.

God doesn’t make mistakes

“And God saw that it was good.” [Not one but four times] Genesis 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:25

Let’s start at the beginning, when God created the Heavens and the earth, and then he created Adam and Eve.

Did God create Adam and then realize He made a mistake? Did He miss something in the immune system? Do we really think we can improve on His creation?

That sounds more like pride rather than wisdom to me. God stated that His creation was “good” four times, not just one.

His good is just that – entirely good, without blemish.

Human nature is to want to improve on things. We think that we can make things easier and better for ourselves (remember how the tower of Babel turned out?). But the Bible is clear that God has it down – and doesn’t need our help.

Abortion is an integral part of the vaccine industry

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

The Bible makes clear that life begins at conception. It says that every child is a gift from God (Psalm 127:3). If Jesus were here today, I am not sure if He would be carrying a sign, but we can agree He would be pro-life.

Many are surprised to find that in fact, vaccines do contain aborted fetal tissue, including lung and kidney tissue.

This is because scientists grow live vaccines in living tissue. You can find aborted fetal tissue in 23 total vaccines, including:

MMR
Chickenpox
Shingles
Rabies
DTaP
HiB
Hep A and B
Polio

Today, many pro-vaccine Christians will convince themselves that aborted fetal cells in vaccines is just a sad part of the history of vaccine creation, as these “designer cell lines” (one of the names given to make them sound innocuous) were derived from elective abortions in the 60s. However, there is evidence that this is an ongoing practice.

Even more concerning are the implications of using cells from fetuses, as DNA fragments in vaccines have been implicated in autism spectrum disorders, as well as increasing gender identity disorders.

Vaccines contain DNA from animals too

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Leviticus 17:11

Consider that God forbade His holy people to drink blood, eat blood, or even mix it with certain other sacrifices.

He explains in Leviticus 17 that the life of the animal is in its blood, and thus is what atones them from their sacrifice, pointing to the ultimate Atonement, Jesus.

Yet, we find that there are animal by-products in vaccines. Not only are vaccines contaminated with DNA fragments from aborted fetuses, but also from animals, as they are grown in things like monkey and dog kidneys.

Vaccines contain ingredients that assault the body God created

“Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

These ingredients include carcinogens, neurotoxins, animal viruses, animal blood, allergens, and heavy metals. These ingredients can cause serious harm and even death to the body.

But the vaccine industry gets a free pass to include them in vaccines in the name of “health.”

Vaccines are man-made

“Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” Isaiah 2:22

We all know and have our own stories about how hard it is to trust in God in difficult times.

But, we have to trust Him. As Christians, we believe He is sovereign. He knows all. He sees all.

We have to believe that He has our best in mind (Jeremiah 29:11) because He does. We are called to be in this world, but not of it. And that often means going against the grain, walking the narrow path, and seeking His will alone. This applies to our relationships, our words, our work, our actions, and yes, our health decisions.

We should never make decisions out of fear

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

The fear created by overzealous vaccine campaigns is real. Those advertisements are designed to provoke an emotional response, to make you fear your child becoming sick.

However, when we make decisions due to fear, we miss out on hearing from God about what He wants for our lives. When we instead trust His perfect design, we can make decisions from a place of education, with a sound mind, and empower ourselves to make healthy choices for our kids.

It is essential to protect religious vaccine exemptions

As Christians, there are plenty of arguments against vaccinations that are supported by biblical truth. Sadly, some states have already removed religious exemptions from vaccines, and still others have also removed vaccine exemptions based on philosophical beliefs, leaving parents to rely on doctors willing to support a medical exemption, which are hard to come by.

That means that parental freedoms and choices are limited, and children may not be able to attend public school without receiving vaccines that may violate a parent’s religious beliefs.

Vote your conscience and learn what your representatives believe about parental rights when it comes to vaccines.

What are your arguments against vaccination? Share in the comments below!

You’re not good enough.

You have no self control.

You’ll always be addicted to sugar.

Your kids deserve better.

They’re going to resent you.

You’re too strict about what they eat.

You’re not strict enough about what they eat.

On and on and on it goes and on and on and on I listen. And the guilt washes over me… and there’s no room for grace.

On guilt… and grace… and doughnuts

See, when you’re told that your son needs medication at the tender age of three because he can’t control himself, not for one little second, you begin to doubt yourself. It’s not him; it’s you. It’s your parenting.

And when you can’t bring yourself to put that tender little boy on mind-altering medications, you dig in deep and you decide right then and there that you’re going to fix it. Because you’re a fixer, because you’re a mom and that’s what moms do. They fix.

And then you take the weight of the world on your shoulders as you fix your little boy.

And you fix him. Really fix him, from the inside out. And you soar… and you dredge through the valleys and you learn it’s all worth it.

I did that. I took the weight of the world on my shoulders and it worked and it was messy and rewarding and wonderful and hard.

And all the while guilt whispered in my ear: “You’re not doing enough.” “You’re not working hard enough for this.” “You’re not cut out for this.”

And I hid in my closet and cried and ate my secret chocolate and gluten free cookies and resolved to do better. (And envied moms whose children had a semblance of self control even though they ate red dye.)

Grace wins

Years of shouldering the world became an obsessive and incessant need to control everything: every bite that passed my or my children’s lips. It led me to tsk tsk my husband’s occasional indulgences and look down my nose at fellow grocery shoppers loaded up with all the things I used to eat but never do and recoil in horror at friends’ pictures of their children eating food dye and white flour.

So He told me to give it to Him. And it hurt… this thing I had held on to and shouldered for so long had to be free so I could be free. Because what I didn’t know is that I had been free all along.

So I had to fight for the freedom I was already given and His grace gave it to me and it was glorious, if fleeting because I’m a stubborn woman and tend to pick things back up that I’ve already put down. But I’m learning.

On doughnuts…

One day while walking through the grocery store, headed for the doughnuts because you have to pass the dreaded bakery section to get to the health food section, I heard a Holy Spirit whisper: “Let them get doughnuts.” The scary and exhilarating thought raced through me, and I knew in an instant I would let them have doughnuts, and even though they never ask because the answer would never be yes, one of my little men asked. He did the unthinkable and asked for a doughnut.

And then they nearly fell over when I said yes. And as I began to say “But only the glazed ones!” I heard another Holy Spirit whisper: “Do you trust me?”

So I let them get the really bad doughnuts in all the brightest colors and it was fine and they were delicious (because mama doesn’t gift her children with doughnuts and not have one herself!) and no one was worse for the wear, honest. No food dye meltdowns. No gluten-y gluten tummy aches. Because grace wins and Jesus said yes.

He said yes to me on the cross so I don’t have to live shackled today.

The truth is, I’m still walking through the muck of figuring this food and grace thing out. It’s been six months of ugly, faith-testing growth, watching hard work seemingly go down the drain as old symptoms began to crop back up.

Never before have I questioned my faith as much as I have over the past six months. Because of food, y’all. But truthfully, you can’t grow if you’re not working through the hard stuff. And for me, food is hard stuff. Because food has so much power over how I feel and how my child behaves.

But maybe I’ve given food too much power.

Is food important?

Of course it is. We can’t change biology just because grace and freedom exist. There are still foods our bodies were meant to eat and food-like products no one should ever consume because our bodies really don’t know what to do with them.

But every once in a while? Grace says go for it. Grace says the gluten free pizza is good enough on the days I’m too tired to whip up a ~~gourmet~~ decent meal. Because sometimes good enough is just that… good enough.

Funny I’m writing this days before we’re slated to begin the GAPS intro diet again, because if I’m being honest, GAPS is the epitome of strict eating. And I really don’t have this all figured out just yet and I’m not sure I’m really, totally free from my controlling ways. The kids will hate it and I’ll have to bribe, beg, and force every cup of broth.

Yet…? There’s peace in knowing we’ll be nourished and our bodies will reach another level of healing. Because we were made for more. And we’re offered the gift of being whole; that’s what He gave us on the cross. If eating soup for a few weeks helps us receive wholeness that much more, I can eat soup.

But it’s not because I have to, or because He’ll love me more if I do. It’s because it’s for my good. He loves me whether I’m eating doughnuts or vegetables (and no matter my pants size), whether I lovingly cuddle up with my kids and read them a story or fly off the handle and lash out at them like a crazy person (because I do).

His grace means I’m loved, whether I’m at my best or my worst. And while I’m still in the muck, I’m going to snuggle up with that grace and roll around in it a while. With one last doughnut before the soup starts.

Arguments Against Vaccination: What Does the Bible Say?