As a number of writers have pointed out, the pervasiveness of religion-based exemptions doesn't reflect reality. No major religion has explicit, doctrinal objections to vaccinations.
John Grabenstein, Senior Medical Director for Adult Vaccines for Merck Vaccines, published a paper on religious beliefs surrounding immunization in the peer-reviewed medical journal Vaccine in 2013.
Anti-vaccinators could argue that Grabenstein's role with a company that manufactures and distributes vaccines poses a conflict of interest, but the paper notes that the researcher is himself a practicing Roman Catholic and has spent decades investigating the religious aspects of immunization.
Read Full Article »