Where does the LDS church stand on vaccinations?
Question
I know LDS members who do NOT vaccinate their children by claiming “religious beliefs.” Where does the church stand on vaccinations? Has there ever been a statement one way or another? Doesn’t the church help provide vaccinations for those in need?
May
Answer
The LDS church is very much in favor of taking advantage of modern medicine available to us today. Elder Russel M. Nelson, one of the Apostles, is a world-renown heart surgeon. I’m not sure where vaccinations could be seen against official church doctrine, but personal beliefs are another matter, and very individual.
The church has given great resources of time and money for vaccination programs in Africa, and they continue such programs even now.
As for those who refuse to accept them citing religious beliefs, it’s their call in the end.
The Church unequivocally supports vaccinations. In 1978 the First Presidency issued a message which said, “We urge members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to protect their own children through immunization” (https://www.lds.org/liahona/1978/07/immunize-children-leaders-urge?lang=eng).
The Church’s Provident Living website, which is current Church curriculum, says, “Prepare the body to fight germs that cannot be avoided by obtaining recommended immunizations (vaccinations), as encouraged by the First Presidency” (https://providentliving.org/self-reliance/health/managing-personal-health?lang=eng).
It links to the First Presidency statement. It also links to a section titled “Immunizations” which states “Parents should make sure that all of their children are completely immunized.”
Since 2003, the LDS Church has contributed more than US $16 million to the Measles and Rubella Initiative
(https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-makes-immunizations-an-official-initiative-provides-social-mobilization).
“Those preparing to serve missions should obtain all available routine vaccinations and booster injections at
appropriate ages” (https://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/03/missionary-health-preparation?lang=eng).
So sad to know that our church supports such medicine without question it.
Many vaccines in our day are made with aborted fetus. Are we ok to use these vaccines? I personally couldn’t accept it. No matter how little the babies are, they are children of God to me.
Maybe we should somehow follow Catholic Church and take a step to at least say no to this kind of vaccine but not blindly follow this world.
https://cogforlife.org/
Linda, what on earth makes you think that the Church supports anything “without questioning it”? Do you honestly believe that the First Presidency would make such a huge statement without careful study and prayer? Here’s what Elder Holland had to say about how such decisions are made:
“As the least of those who have been sustained by you to witness the guidance of this Church
firsthand, I say with all the fervor of my soul that never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between. I testify that the grasp this body of men and women have of moral and societal issues exceeds that of any think tank or brain trust of comparable endeavor of which I know anywhere on the earth. I bear personal witness of how thoroughly good they are, of how hard they work, and how humbly they live. It is no trivial matter for this Church to declare to the world prophecy, seership, and revelation, but we do declare it. It is true light shining in a dark world, and it shines from these proceedings” (https://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/11/prophets-in-the-land-again?lang=eng).
There is only one possibility here. Either your understanding of vaccines is incorrect, or prophets of God have knowingly chosen to recommend (and support with millions of Church dollars) a practice which is morally wrong. You have to choose one.
To each his/her own. It’s called ‘Freedom”. You have the freedom to vaccinate if you feel that protects your children. My children are very healthy. We also eat non-gmo/organic and filter our water. I don’t ask for you to do that because you have your own freedoms. The private school they attend is filled with many children who are not vaccinated. It seems the better informed people prefer NOT to vaccinate. I heard Dr Oz say he doesn’t vaccinate because of his wife. I do agree with you that we have a “Duty”.