The Times of Israel, an outstanding and objective English-language paper produced in Israel, reported how an Orthodox rabbi in Israel took to task an vaxxers congregant. My religion has always venerated science and medicine; one of our most venerated historical figures is the philosopher Moses Maimonides. Since the outbreak of COVID, religion in America has all too often been a source of anti-science and dangerous thinking, where congregants are fed a line about their religious beliefs being an effective weapon against a virus. The result? More people who have died because of bad religious teachings.
Click here to read the Times of Israel article (you’ll get much more out of this post if you do!)
My thoughts after reading the article:
A spiritual leader who accepts science is itself a blessing to the world. (Conversely, one who does not is an obstacle.) The Dalai Lama is famously quoted as saying “If science proves a Buddhist teaching to be wrong, we go with the science.” I’m glad to see there are other spiritual leaders sharing the same rational approach.They can reach an audience others cannot. Religious folk ought to understand that science is not our enemy; it’s our friend, and when it comes to vaccines, our savior. That’s science, not religion. Two entirely different things. Science may not be designed to bring inner peace in the spiritual sense, but it sure can stop a pandemic. Religion can bring that inner peace, but is useless against COVID 19, and becomes outright dangerous when used to dissuade vaccination. Spiritual leaders who use their influence to convince people to get vaccinated are indeed holy, because there’s nothing holier than saving a life. Those who use it to dissuade vaccines are doing the very “Devil’s work” they rail against.