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When it comes to vaccines - why are people talking about 'Appeal to natural order' ?

Vaccines interfere with the natural order of things or are against God's will

No major faith explicitly opposes vaccinations. On the contrary, all major faiths in the U.K. have urged their followers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Nonetheless, several concerns about vaccinations have been identified that arise from religious considerations. These concerns can be divided into four groups.

  • Violations of dietary norms, such as blood components and pharmaceutical excipients of porcine or bovine origin.
  • Violations of religious codes of purity, such as cell lines with foetal origins or HPV vaccinations protecting against a sexually transmitted disease.
  • Defence of the natural order by letting events take their course, which is often reflected in rejection of interference with divine providence.
  • Religious alternatives to vaccination, such as faith or prayer to fight diseases.

Although religiosity is not consistently associated with higher vaccine hesitancy when conducting international comparisons, there is tentative evidence that vaccine hesitancy is greater among the religious in an American sample. Vaccination rates are also particularly low among some fundamentalist religious communities around the world.

This theme refers to the will of a higher power and takes several forms, such as that vaccines interfere with the natural order of things or are against God’s will; one should have faith instead of resorting to vaccines.

Is there any truth in it?

People’s religious convictions must be respected and it is understandable to worry about the compatibility between vaccinations and the stipulations of one’s faith. Everyone wants their decisions to be consistent with their deepest beliefs and values. It can be confusing when messages from religious leaders and other authorities may seem to be in conflict.

What could I say to someone fixed on this belief?

Dialogue between patients and healthcare professionals is most productive if it is guided by empathy, and an opportunity for the patient to affirm the reasons underlying their attitudes and to express understanding for that. That’s why it is important to understand the attitude roots behind people’s overt opinions. To affirm a person’s underlying attitude root does not mean we need to agree with the specifics of their argument. For example, we can acknowledge that:

People’s religious convictions must be respected and it is understandable to worry about the compatibility between vaccinations and the stipulations of one’s faith. Everyone wants their decisions to be consistent with their deepest beliefs and values. It can be confusing when messages from religious leaders and other authorities may seem to be in conflict.



Having set the stage through this (partial) affirmation, we can then proceed to correct the patient’s particular misconception.

The main leaders of the world’s major religions support and encourage vaccinations, recognising that there is no contradiction between vaccinations and their beliefs—and this includes Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The protection of human life is always an act of love for other humans which is in line with the best moral values. Think about all the security measures we use in our day to day lives to protect our lives, such as wearing a seat belt or eating healthy food. We would not say that they also interfere with the natural order or are against God’s will.

Where can I find out more?

Additional information: 

Academic references:

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