General Authorities Statements on Vaccines, Part 2

President Harold B. Lee (and many other prophets and apostles) taught that the standard of doctrine is found in the scriptures: “If anyone, regardless of his position in the Church, were to advance a doctrine that is not substantiated by the standard Church works, meaning the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, you may know that his statement is merely his private opinion. The only one authorized to bring forth any new doctrine is the President of the Church, who, when he does, will declare it as revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve and sustained by the body of the Church. And if any man speak a doctrine which contradicts what is in the standard Church works, you may know by that same token that it is false and you are not bound to accept it as truth.” (1)

We have received no official Church proclamation mandating that we vaccinate our children and ourselves. This idea is not put forth in the scriptures. And IN MY OPINION, there are several scriptures which could be construed as teaching against this practice:

• Exodus 20:13- “Thou shalt not kill.” Many vaccines contain viruses that were cultured in the lung cells of aborted babies. Vaccines have also caused many deaths.
• Doctrine and Covenants 49:21- “ And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need.” Animal cells, embryos, and other animal derived ingredients are found in vaccines, a use which is for the most part unnecessary.
• Doctrine and Covenants 89:21- “And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” This is the section on the Word of Wisdom. The Lord tells us here that if we abstain from harmful substances and eat a wholesome diet of mostly plant foods that we will avoid disease.
• Doctrine and Covenants 89:10- “And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man”, Doctrine and Covenants 42:43- “And whosoever among you are sick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food, and that not by the hand of an enemy”, Alma 46:40- “And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate”. The Lord has created useful plants for treating diseases and intends for us to use them. These have been available to all of His children throughout time. How awful would it be to think that God only gave the chance for a healthy life to  His children born in the last 50-60 years?
• Genesis 3:17- “Cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” The Lord intended there to be discomfort and sorrow in this life and He intended it to be for a purpose, “for our sake”. Diseases such as measles and chickenpox grant lifelong immunity to the sick person after one instance of infection, and in this way certain illnesses can actually strengthen the immune system. If we were never sick, we would also never be able to appreciate the blessing of good health.
• Isaiah 55:8-9- “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Our Heavenly Father has created the viruses and bacteria that cause disease, He must have had a purpose in doing so. These viruses and bacteria are part of a natural order that God has created and even though our way would be to do away with them entirely, this is not how He has created our world. Vaccination violates the natural ways of disease that God has created by bypassing normal routes for infection and injecting live and killed viruses and toxoids into the bloodstream.
• 1 Corinithians 3:16-17- Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Our bodies are temples that our Heavenly Father has given us and are to be treated as such. Injecting our bodies with animal tissue, live and inactivated viruses, and harmful chemicals and metals defiles the body, in my opinion.
• Doctrine and Covenants 89:4, 21- Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation... And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” The Lord has told us that in the Last Days there will be people in positions of authority who will keep information from us that could have a serious impact on our health. So, He gave us the Word of Wisdom to tell us what we need to do to avoid disease.

Sources

1. FAIR article on statements by Church leaders http://en.fairmormon.org/Church_doctrine/Statements_by_Church_leaders#Standard_of_doctrine_in_the_Church

General Authorities Statements on Vaccines, Part 1

Church leaders have said many things about vaccination being a positive thing, even an article in the 1978 Liahona urging members to vaccinate their children. (1) Prospective missionaries are required to receive several vaccinations in order to enter the Lord’s service, and the Church has given millions of dollars and volunteers towards vaccination campaigns throughout the world. To many members, I’m sure it seems that the Lord has given His personal blessing to vaccines. And yet vaccines have been proven to be dangerous and unhealthy. How do we reconcile these two facts?

1. Prophets, not scientists- The Lord has called our prophets and apostles to be just that- prophets, seers and revelators, not scientists. Investigating scientific matters is outside of their calling. They are called to preside over the Church and foretelling scientific milestones and proving scientific theories is not in their jurisdiction. There have been a few incidents of science and statements made by prophets clashing. The “moonmen incident” is one of them. Brigham Young (in accordance with the scientific beliefs of the time) said he believed the moon to be inhabited. Many critics have held this up to be “proof” that Brigham Young was not a true prophet, because (they say) a true prophet would have known that the moon was uninhabited. Now if you really want a twist, note that as an apostle Joseph Fielding Smith said the thought it "doubtful that man will ever be permitted to make any instrument or ship to travel through space and visit the moon or any distant planet.” (2) Though, it seems obvious to us that man can travel to the moon, there was a time during the “Space Race” when it looked doubtful, especially with the tragedy of Apollo 1. Brigham Young and Jospeh Fielding Smith were relying on the statements of those who were in positions of authority in the field of science in their respective lifetimes. (3) The Lord reveals what is necessary for the administration of the Church. Furthermore, if He simply revealed every scientific fact to His prophets, no one would have to work to find out knowledge. I believe our Heavenly Father wants us to find out answers for ourselves. After all, He doesn’t come to each of us individually and reveal to us that this is His restored gospel; we are told to ponder and study it out and find out for ourselves.
2. The Lord does not “micro-manage”- There are many brothers and sisters who seem to wish that our Heavenly Father would dictate everything to us that is right, from the length of our hemlines to Utah’s liquor laws to healthcare decisions for ourselves and our children. But the reality is that we came to this Earth to make our own decisions. Our Heavenly Father will guide us if we ask and are open to His guidance but he will “force no man to heav’n” (Hymns 240). Indeed, the Lord has said, “ For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.” (D&C 58:26) Furthermore, what is necessary in one person’s situation may be different than what is necessary in another’s. How can we expect to inherit and preside over all God has if we don’t make our own decisions and take responsibility for them?
3. Agency- I take comfort in knowing that every word from a General Authority’s mouth does not constitute doctrine. They are not puppets, but prophets. Our Heavenly Father allows them their opinions and thoughts. They will never be permitted to lead us astray, but the Lord will not dictate every word say. If everything that the prophet or the Twelve were to say had to be exactly what Heavenly Father thinks, it would violate their agency.
4. What constitutes doctrine?- Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Approaching Mormon Doctrine (May 4, 2007)

In light of this, it should be noted that the 1978 Liahona statement does not claim any authority from the Lord, only from the First Presidency themselves who speak for themselves in this matter. Official declarations from the Lord will carry language defining themselves as such, as is the case with “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (“We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God”), the Word of Wisdom (“...showing forth the order and will of God...”), the Manifesto on Polygamy (“I, therefore, as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do hereby, in the most solemn manner, declare that these charges are false. We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage...”), and the 1978 Official Declaration on the priesthood (“In early June of this year, the First Presidency announced that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church.”) The article in the 1978 Liahona carries no such language and claims no authority from God. The First Presidency at the time was giving what it believed to be good advice to members.

Sources

(1) 1978 Liahona statement on vaccination (http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=889b5991d66db010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD)

(2) FAIR article on prophets and prophecy http://www.fairlds.org/Bible/Nature_of_Prophets_and_Prophecy.html

(3) FAIR article on prophets and infallibility http://en.fairmormon.org/Fallibility_of_prophetshttp://en.fairmormon.org/Fallibility_of_prophets