Essay in WaPo - "Religious opposition to vaccines is rooted in politics, not tradition"
I wrote a piece for the Washington Post about religious exemptions to vaccination. Such exemptions lack any religious or theological justification, and they are also historically anomalous. Religious exemptions to vaccinations, however, have generally lacked a coherent basis, and those seeking them for coronavirus vaccination face an uphill battle. Religious beliefs have not historically been used as a justification to avoid vaccination, and the recent emergence of religious-based exemptions — animated by partisan politics, fear and debunked scientific studies — is an anomaly. This is not surprising, given that getting vaccinated (to protect yourself and others, especially the most vulnerable) fits neatly into the moral logic of the world’s major religions. This is one reason Pope Francis has called getting vaccinated against the coronavirus an “act of love.” Vaccine hesitancy that is purportedly grounded in religious belief is in fact often rooted in political identity. White evange