The Hidden Dangers of Fundamentalism

international | sci-tech | other press Wednesday February 15, 2006 14:30 by pat c

Some see religion as a disease of the mind. Richard Dawkins describes it as a malign virus of the mind spread through memes. But religion also spreads physical diseases and viruses. The article below might well prove to be an eyeopener for some.

You can find Richard Dawkins Viruses of the Mind at:
http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi//Dawkins/viruses-of-th....html

Jack Woodall who wrote the article below is the director of the Nucleus for the Investigation of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the department of medical biochemistry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. jwoodall@the-scientist.com

pat c

"The Hidden Dangers of Fundamentalism
By Jack Woodall

A connection exists between disease outbreaks and extreme religious practice

Polio could pose as much of a threat as suicide bombers. Religious fundamentalism is bad for your health. There are, of course, the ill effects suffered by suicide bombers and their innocent victims. Consider also the sarin gas attacks by the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) sect, which killed 12 people in the Tokyo subway in 1995, and sickened 1,000 more. (Yes, I know the media reported 5,000 casualties, but 80% of them were the “worried well” who sought hospital emergency departments because of contact with victims, or consequent anxiety attacks).

What concerns me, however, is infectious disease. Consider these case histories:?

» The last outbreak of polio in Canada and the United States, in 1978–1979, was the result of travel from the Netherlands, where an outbreak was ongoing, to Canada by members of the Reformed Netherlands Congregation, a religious group that refused vaccinations.

» In the fall of 1984 followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who had purchased the small town of Antelope in Wasco County in north central Oregon, plotted to take over the county. They tested a plan to sicken many of the county’s voters on Election Day by contaminating 10 salad bars with salmonella in the county’s largest town, The Dalles. Although no one died, 751 people fell ill. The commune panicked and gave up the plan. "

Full article at the link below.