Christian homeschoolers, especially, have been the ones to take this stand on vaccine refusal. There is no disputing that fact. How they came to the decision not to vaccinate leaves us only to guess. It is my opinion, they have been strongly influenced and even targeted by anti-government propaganda. It has been done carefully, because people that homeschool are not fools. They are smart and determined and strong in their beliefs. They cannot easily be swayed from their beliefs. But they are busy. They are typically busy with multiple children, their homes, church activities and community service. That is who they are. Those are all wonderful attributes, but in that busyness they often don't have time to research all that crosses their path. They tend to trust other Christians.
Homeshoolers also have always been extremely politically active, to the point that our politicians KNOW - "Homeschoolers vote". Therefore, they are always sought out and courted for their vote. They are also known to be bold enough to question the norm.
It is my belief, homeschoolers were purposely targeted with the vaccine issue exactly because of these reasons. Because of their deeply held beliefs and ability to do things on their own, as well as their disdain for what the government has done to our public school system they are the perfect candidate to question the government. They are absolutely correct in their decision to rebel from public schools, and they are to be commended for thinking for themselves and stepping out of the norm. But if not careful or caught off guard, it makes for an easy target for anyone promoting anti-government beliefs. It is almost a no-brainer to seek them out, because they have already bucked the system when they decided to homeschool. And this isn't the first time they have been targeted by anti-government, "the government is out to get us" politicians and others. And that is exactly why I feel comfortable saying this.
Further, homeschoolers are primarily Christian. And one thing I know, as a Christian, we are an extremely loyal people. We love to support and promote other Christians in their endeavors. We want to see other Christians succeed. But along with that, it is also true, as Christians we are not very careful in checking our sources. The only thing one really needs to do, is tell us he is a Christian, quote a few Bible verses and we are on his side. That can be a very good thing! Unless! Unless, the person is a fraud and using Christianity to bring about support for his cause. This is not going to be a popular thing to say, but I’m sorry it is true. We have seen it over and over and over again in politics. For example: Bill Clinton and Hilary bringing out their Bibles for a photo shoot on the beach. Barack Obama ensuring us he is a Christian. Jimmy Carter always touting his "born again" Christian status, because he taught Sunday School. But we must ask, do their actions reflect Jesus?
If one carefully checks, we will see a good majority of the multi-level marketing organizations claim their founders are Christian. It builds a level of trust to make this claim! Everyone knows Christians can be trusted. Therefore, this allows their items to be sold more easily. And again Christians love to support other Christians. That’s a good thing! But on the other hand, “they” don’t call us sheep for nothin’! We had better be careful who we as “sheep” follow.
I live in a state with a high number of families that educate their children at home. I am very familiar with homeschooling. Those states that have a high number of home educators have been the targeted states when it comes to the anti-vaccination movement. Because of this, my state and other states with a high homeschool population will have a higher rate of outbreaks for all diseases, due to a higher rate of people who refuse to vaccinate. The persuasion has been effective. In my own personal circle, I know almost no one who home educates their children that supports vaccinating their children. This is what began my concern for what is happening and influenced my decision to research this subject to the degree that I have.
In Clark County Washington, where the current outbreak took place, it has been reported to have begun at a church. This area is one of the more conservative areas of Washington with the liberal bent coming from King County and the west side of the state. I suspect with the high amount of immigrants that come into Washington to work in the orchards, coupled with the fact there were a high number of unvaccinated children in this county that that is why we see the outbreak here. And why we can expect more like this in similar areas and circumstances.
There are many problems within the anti-vaccine movement. The sources many anti-vaxxers are reading and quoting (besides liberal sites) are from independent bloggers, personal opinion pieces, or those who claim to have knowledge without having credentials. Many are selling books and vitamins on their websites, while claiming vaccines are all about “Big Pharma” making more money. It seems to me these very same anti-vaxxers have an agenda to make money with their books, magazines, and vitamins. It is frustrating and sad to me that people will believe these bloggers, who won’t even footnote any of their so-called “facts.” And really, the truth is there is much more money made by the medical community (including pharmaceuticals) from treating a disease as opposed to money made from cures or prevention. Curiously, the ones accusing "Big Pharma" of only being about making money, all themselves promote natural remedies that make - guess what? Money. That simply doesn't add up.
It is my belief, homeschoolers were purposely targeted with the vaccine issue exactly because of these reasons. Because of their deeply held beliefs and ability to do things on their own, as well as their disdain for what the government has done to our public school system they are the perfect candidate to question the government. They are absolutely correct in their decision to rebel from public schools, and they are to be commended for thinking for themselves and stepping out of the norm. But if not careful or caught off guard, it makes for an easy target for anyone promoting anti-government beliefs. It is almost a no-brainer to seek them out, because they have already bucked the system when they decided to homeschool. And this isn't the first time they have been targeted by anti-government, "the government is out to get us" politicians and others. And that is exactly why I feel comfortable saying this.
Further, homeschoolers are primarily Christian. And one thing I know, as a Christian, we are an extremely loyal people. We love to support and promote other Christians in their endeavors. We want to see other Christians succeed. But along with that, it is also true, as Christians we are not very careful in checking our sources. The only thing one really needs to do, is tell us he is a Christian, quote a few Bible verses and we are on his side. That can be a very good thing! Unless! Unless, the person is a fraud and using Christianity to bring about support for his cause. This is not going to be a popular thing to say, but I’m sorry it is true. We have seen it over and over and over again in politics. For example: Bill Clinton and Hilary bringing out their Bibles for a photo shoot on the beach. Barack Obama ensuring us he is a Christian. Jimmy Carter always touting his "born again" Christian status, because he taught Sunday School. But we must ask, do their actions reflect Jesus?
If one carefully checks, we will see a good majority of the multi-level marketing organizations claim their founders are Christian. It builds a level of trust to make this claim! Everyone knows Christians can be trusted. Therefore, this allows their items to be sold more easily. And again Christians love to support other Christians. That’s a good thing! But on the other hand, “they” don’t call us sheep for nothin’! We had better be careful who we as “sheep” follow.
I live in a state with a high number of families that educate their children at home. I am very familiar with homeschooling. Those states that have a high number of home educators have been the targeted states when it comes to the anti-vaccination movement. Because of this, my state and other states with a high homeschool population will have a higher rate of outbreaks for all diseases, due to a higher rate of people who refuse to vaccinate. The persuasion has been effective. In my own personal circle, I know almost no one who home educates their children that supports vaccinating their children. This is what began my concern for what is happening and influenced my decision to research this subject to the degree that I have.
In Clark County Washington, where the current outbreak took place, it has been reported to have begun at a church. This area is one of the more conservative areas of Washington with the liberal bent coming from King County and the west side of the state. I suspect with the high amount of immigrants that come into Washington to work in the orchards, coupled with the fact there were a high number of unvaccinated children in this county that that is why we see the outbreak here. And why we can expect more like this in similar areas and circumstances.
There are many problems within the anti-vaccine movement. The sources many anti-vaxxers are reading and quoting (besides liberal sites) are from independent bloggers, personal opinion pieces, or those who claim to have knowledge without having credentials. Many are selling books and vitamins on their websites, while claiming vaccines are all about “Big Pharma” making more money. It seems to me these very same anti-vaxxers have an agenda to make money with their books, magazines, and vitamins. It is frustrating and sad to me that people will believe these bloggers, who won’t even footnote any of their so-called “facts.” And really, the truth is there is much more money made by the medical community (including pharmaceuticals) from treating a disease as opposed to money made from cures or prevention. Curiously, the ones accusing "Big Pharma" of only being about making money, all themselves promote natural remedies that make - guess what? Money. That simply doesn't add up.
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