Day 1002 - Science and Theology - The Intersection of Faith and Knowledge

This blog frequently reports comments developed in a student discussion group on Science and Theology on the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga at the Hope House. We welcome anyone's comments or proposed discussion topics. 

 Last week (2015 09 02) we discussed the issue proposed by one of our participants of required or refusal of vaccination against childhood diseases.  This issue was originally framed (presented in this blog after these summary comments) as one of freedom (liberty to choose) versus imposed restraint for the “public good.” This led to a more general issue on The Dilemma of Christianity and Public Policy when public policy wanders from one’s sense of right and wrong. The discussion raised some very important points NOT contained in the framing summary below. 

We also touched on the issue of when do we believe “facts” as represented by scientific knowledge or rely on our internal sense of propriety. I have not heard a suggestion from anyone for tomorrow’s group.

I wonder if this second question of when do we “trust” knowledge derived from scientific work or our own sense of what is proper might be worth discussing. Last week I mentioned a study by the Pew Foundation that found on major public issues such as evolution, nuclear power, GMO foods, global warming, etc., that a large part of our society, regardless of education, relies on preconceived ideas rather than rational, or factual data, even scientists themselves. Please come with your comments on this issue, or bring another for us to discuss.

Here is a possible framing summary or tomorrow's discussion.

How do we form our opinion?

A recent article is Science summarized a Pew Research Center poll (Science 3 July 2015:  Vol. 349 no. 6243 p. 16, ““Politics doesn't always rule":

“Ideology is not the dominant factor in shaping what Americans think about most science-related issues, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center. Although a person's political views are a strong predictor of their attitudes on climate change and a handful of energy issues, their gender, age, religion, race, or education play a larger role on many other controversial topics.

Ideology takes a back seat on many other issues. Age is a much stronger factor than politics when people are asked whether childhood vaccinations should be compulsory. Some 41% of those under 30, compared with 20% of those over 65, think parents should make the call, whereas conservatives are only slightly more likely than liberals to hold that position.

“The poll also casts doubt on many scientists' belief that people would be more supportive of scientists' views on controversial issues if they just knew more about the topic. In only three of the 22 topics was a person's level of education or general scientific knowledge (as judged by answers to six questions) a significant factor in their views. One was animal research, where only 31% of persons with a postgraduate degree oppose the practice, compared with 56% of those with a high school education. (The other two issues where education appears to shape a person's stance were nuclear power and GM foods—in both cases, more knowledge leads to greater acceptance.)

If you are reading this on my blog, feel free to propose comments there.

A Framing Summary of the issues of Vaccination (2015 09 02)

We can generalize this issue with five questions. (There are likely more, so feel free to propose them.)

1.What the role of science in establishing public policy?

2. Why do some people not believe scientific results? (Even including some scientists!)

3. Does a Christian have an obligation to the public good to control or eradicate a disease by having one’s children vaccinated against the diseases?

4. Is a Christian who refuses to allow their children to be vaccinated guilty of causing the death or permanent disability of children who contract these diseases that could be eradicated by such widespread immunization?

Questions 3 & 4 (obviously contingent the answers to Q1 and 2) can be restated in this form for a lively discussion:

5. “ What is the role of Christian theology in establishing public policy?”

Formulating the answer to Question 5, poses a much more difficult dilemma. How, or do we apply it to other public ethical or moral issues?

Should we only consider issues where life and death are at issue? What about laws on abortion, or car seats for children and seat belt for adults?

How should we approach the issues that are not life-threatening but are widely held to be important for spiritual health?

I pose these questions to get you thinking about how complicated an issue can grow when we explore it in detail. We often find the theological boundary between right and wrong, freedom and restraint, citizenship and religion becomes quite vague.

Let’s keep that quandary in mind but just concentrate on the issue of whether we should require all children to be vaccinated against the common childhood diseases.

The recent outbreak of measles in California raises some ethical and moral questions for a Christian. Here are some facts from the CDC in Atlanta, GA. This year in 2015, the United States experienced a large, multi-state measles outbreak linked to an amusement park in California. The outbreak likely started from a traveler who became infected overseas with measles, then visited the amusement park while infectious; however, no source was identified. Analysis by CDC scientists showed that the measles virus type in this outbreak (B3) was identical to the virus type that caused the large measles outbreak in the Philippines in 2014.

In  2014, the U.S. experienced 23 measles outbreaks including one large outbreak of 383 cases occurring primarily among unvaccinated Amish communities in Ohio. Many of the cases in the U.S. in 2014 were associated with cases brought in from the Philippines, which experienced a large measles outbreak. For more information see the Measles in the Philippines Travelers' Health Notice.

The CDC data shows that persons some children whose parents did not require them to be immunized contracted measles probably from a Philippine tourist. California did not have a strict requirement for all children entering elementary school to be immunized. The other place where a large outbreak occurred was also in a group that refuses to have their children vaccinated (The Amish community in Ohio.)

Why is there so much opposition to vaccinations?

While it is clear that the Amish have a religious basis to avoid much of what we call modern technology, most public resistance to vaccinations arises from a discredited study in Britain suggesting vaccines cause autism. This study is so fraudulent that the medical license of its author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, was revoked.

He claimed a preservative in vaccines caused autism by grossly distorting or changing the results of a 12 patient study published in 1998. No one, including the original author was able to reproduce the results he first reported.

The British Medical Journal editor states this doctor received over $674,000 (435,000 pounds) from lawyers seeking client to sue vaccine manufacturers.

As a result of this fraudulent study, vaccination rates dropped and in the US, in 2008 the frequency of illness the vaccines prevent rose to its highest level in almost 10 years.

Even though that study was soundly rejected by all the studies of scientific experts, some continue to believe the results. There must be other considerations that form the basis for believing vaccinations are harmful.

One possibility is the suspicion of all technology. Such folks who are suspicious of technology are often now called “Luddites” a word originally used to describe self-employed weavers opposing industrialization of the textile industry in the early 1800’s. The term is now generalized to those who reject or are suspicious of all science and technology.

At the crux of the issue is the matter of fear of the unknown, or suspicion of the motives of scientists. The Luddite phenomenon shows that subjective factors rather than rational factors often play a role in decisions.

A recent article in Science, “Politics doesn't always rule,” summarized a Pew Research Center poll.

The large poll found that “Ideology is not the dominant factor in shaping what Americans think about most science-related issues…Although a person's political views are a strong predictor of their attitudes on climate change and a handful of energy issues, their gender, age, religion, race, or education play a larger role on many other controversial topics.

“Age is a much stronger factor than politics when people are asked whether childhood vaccinations should be compulsory. Some 41% of those under 30, compared with 20% of those over 65, think parents should make the call, whereas conservatives are only slightly more likely than liberals to hold that position.

“The poll also casts doubt on many scientists' belief that people would be more supportive of scientists' views on controversial issues if they just knew more about the topic. In only three of the 22 topics was a person's level of education or general scientific knowledge (as judged by answers to six questions) a significant factor in their views. One was animal research, where only 31% of persons with a postgraduate degree oppose the practice, compared with 56% of those with a high school education. (The other two issues where education appears to shape a person's stance were nuclear power and GM foods—in both cases, more knowledge leads to greater acceptance.)

 There are other possible reasons.

People may fear the possibility of having an adverse reaction, no matter how slight that probability may be.

The matter at the end of this post summarizes the incidence and type of serious adverse effects from vaccinations, and also the adverse effects of the diseases themselves. In every case, the probable adverse effects of the disease overwhelm the possibility of adverse reaction to the vaccination.

As even the discredited doctor shows, scientists do not always do themselves a favor of encouraging positive public opinion by their own actions. Scientists, while creating all the innovations that make life so comfortable for many, also has created the most hideous weapons of war imaginable.

The public, including both religious and political groups also does not always do itself justice because it fails to explore the available information to make an informed decision.

From a theological perspective, if we grant that humans are unable to act according to moral norms, even when the norms are recognized and affirmed, then we are always faced with the nagging uncertainty of a human decision being just.

I said in an earlier post that the only theology worth practicing is the one you forge for yourself. The issue of utilizing GMO crops presents important ethical issues. It is easy to allege the only reason they exist is to provide profit for industry, but GMO crops also provide food for people who have great difficulty growing it. Golden rice can go a long way to reducing blindness in vitamin-A deficient nursing children, but it is opposed reflexively.

So in searching for a moral answer, we have the option to ask, “Am I being a good neighbor, who loves my neighbor the way God loves me?”
Alternatively, if you feel GMO crops are bad, what personal positive steps are you taking to relieve world-wide hunger? 

You will have to dig for the answer to these issues to resolve faithfully the dilemmas posed by question 5. You will likely not find good answers only by listening to or reading words of interest groups who have a formed opinion or bias themselves, but by educating yourself on the issues and giving your answer sufficient quiet and prayerful deliberation.

Here are the potential complications of some childhood diseases offered by one organization:

Rubella: Adults also tend to have more complications, including sore, swollen joints and, less commonly, arthritis, especially in women. A brain infection called encephalitis is a rare but serious complication that can affect adults with rubella. However, the most serious consequence from rubella infection is the harm it can cause a pregnant woman’s baby.

Pregnant women who are infected with rubella virus also expose their babies. This can cause serious birth defects such as heart problems, hearing and vision loss, intellectual disability, and liver or spleen damage. Serious birth defects are more common if a woman is infected early in her pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks. Getting rubella infection during pregnancy can also cause a miscarriage or premature delivery.

Pertussis: The disease is most dangerous for babies and young children. From 2004 through 2009, there were 121 deaths from whooping cough reported in the U.S. Babies 3 months old and younger accounted for 110 of them.

More than half of babies younger than 1 year who get the disease need care in the hospital. About one out of five babies and children with whooping cough will get pneumonia (a serious lung infection). Whooping cough can also cause seizures (jerking or staring) and brain damage.

Measles: About 30% of measles cases develop one or more complications, including:

•    Pneumonia (5% of infected children), the complication most often the cause of death in young children.

•    Ear infections occur in about one in 10 measles cases, and permanent loss of hearing can result.

•     Can be a serious illness requiring hospitalization, even in previously healthy children.

•     about one child in every 1,000 develop encephalitis that can lead to convulsions, deafness or mentally retardation.

•     Measles also can cause a pregnant woman to miscarry, give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.

•    Measles at present kills nearly 200,000 people each year around the world.

Mumps: Most people with mumps recover fully, but complications in males can be encephalitis, meningitis, sterility in males, temporary deafness and inflammation of ovaries in pubescent females.

Flu: Complications from the flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes and death. Some of the most deadly pandemics have been from flu virus, surpassed perhaps by plague and polio. Older people, young children, pregnant women, people with certain health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), and persons who live in facilities like nursing home are prone to serious complications.

Diptheria: Myocarditis (an infection of the heart), polyneuritis (widespread inflammation of the nerves), and airway obstruction are common complications of respiratory diphtheria. Death occurs in 5-10% of respiratory cases.

Chicken pox (varicella): Complications from chickenpox are not as common in otherwise healthy people who get the disease. People who may have more severe symptoms and high risk for complications include infants, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems because of illness or medications, e.g., HIV/AIDS or cancer, Patients who have had transplants, are on chemotherapy, immunosuppressive medications, or long-term use of steroids.

Serious complications from chickenpox include dehydration, pneumonia, bleeding problems, infection or inflammation of the brain (encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia), bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissues in children including Group A streptococcal infections, bloodstream infections (sepsis), toxic shock syndrome, bone infections, and joint infections.

Chickenpox can also cause death. Some deaths from chickenpox continue to occur in healthy, unvaccinated children and adults. Many of the healthy adults who died from chickenpox contracted the disease from their unvaccinated children.

Polio: For most people infected with the polio virus, few complications will arise. However, for those who suffer paralysis from infection, permanent disability and death are serious possibilities.

Small pox:  Prior to the eradication of the smallpox virus, there were two clinical forms of the disease. Variola major is the severe and most common form with four types and an overall fatality rate of about 30%; Two types, flat and hemorrhagic usually are fatal. The second form, Variola minor is a less common and less severe disease, with death rates historically of 1% or less.

Vaccines themselves can cause side effects. The CDC has a detailed list .

Any vaccine: Any medication can cause a severe allergic reaction. Such reactions from a vaccine are very rare, estimated at about 1 in a million doses, and would happen within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.

DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis):

Moderate Problems (Uncommon)

•    Seizure (jerking or staring) (about 1 child out of 14,000)

•    Non-stop crying, for 3 hours or more (up to about 1 child out of 1,000)

•    High fever, 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher (about 1 child out of 16,000)

Severe Problems (Very Rare)

Serious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses, so rare it is hard to tell if the vaccine caused them) include:

•    Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness

•    Permanent brain damage.

Flu vaccine:

More serious problems following a flu shot can include the following:

•    There may be a small increased risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) after inactivated flu vaccine. This risk has been estimated at 1 or 2 additional cases of per million people vaccinated. This is much lower than the risk of severe complications from flu, which can be prevented by flu vaccine.

•    Young children who get the flu shot along with pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13), and/or DTaP vaccine at the same time might be slightly more likely to have a seizure caused by fever. (Tell your doctor if a child who is getting flu vaccine has ever had a seizure.)

MMR (Mumps, measles, rubella):

Moderate Problems (Uncommon)

•    Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever (about 1 out of 3,000 doses)

•    Temporary pain and stiffness in the joints, mostly in teenage or adult women (up to 1 out of 4)

•    Temporary low platelet count, which can cause a bleeding disorder (about 1 out of 30,000 doses)

Severe Problems (Very Rare)

•    Serious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses, so rare it is hard to tell if the vaccine caused them)

•    Several other severe problems have been reported after a child gets MMR vaccine, including:

                        Deafness

                        Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness

                        Permanent brain damage

MMRV (addition of chicken pox vaccine):

Moderate Problems

•    Seizure caused by fever (about 1 child in 1,250 who get MMRV), usually 5-12 days after the first dose. They happen less often when MMR and varicella vaccines are given at the same visit as separate shots (about 1 child in 2,500 who get these two vaccines), and rarely after a 2nd dose of MMRV.

•    Temporary low platelet count, which can cause a bleeding disorder (about 1 child out of 40,000).

Severe Problems (Very Rare, so rare it is hard to tell if the vaccine caused them.)

Several severe problems have been reported following MMR vaccine, and might also happen after MMRV. These include severe allergic reactions (fewer than 4 per million), and problems such as:

•    Deafness.

•    Long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness.

•    Permanent brain damage.

Polio: The risk of a polio vaccine causing serious harm is extremely small. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, could cause serious problems, such as a severe allergic reaction or even death.