The Blurred Lines Between Faith and Science

There are three basic knowledge systems that govern life: Spirituality, Science, and Religion. These three complements give life meaning and aid us in our existence. With science, we have explanations for the material world. With spirituality, we can explain the immaterial. With religion, we have hope, we experience humanity, and we strive to dwell in the positive.

Now, these three are distinct; each has its function, but then a problem arises when we see people try to apply these three concepts in a single context. While some people use religion to explain the material and immaterial, others use science to explain life and its wonders.

We also have those who adopt spirituality as a source of hope for humanity, succor and an explanation of morals. But this is not the context of this write-up. So, let's stay on course.

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You know, the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard from religious people is branding scientific inventions as satanic. This is very laughable. Too laughable in fact because what is satanic in medications? what is satanic in scientific advancement?

It's quite sad that what people don't understand, they are branded as evil. It's even more unfortunate that most of these religious people with crazy ideas are well educated in the science field.

I used to subscribe to the teachings of a dietitian on Facebook, as it was knowledge that resonated with me. She made sense about the human body being capable of healing itself. She also made some sense when she said our heavy reliance on modern medicine, to some extent, has done more harm to the body than good.

Before I came across her page, I had been doing some self-therapy with a home-cooked meal, which included specific cook time to avoid overcooking and loss of nutrients. I have also been heavy on my fruit and vegetable intake, and for a long while, my body felt different.

I felt lighter, and with a good amount of sleep, I was always whole. But then this woman lost me at the point when she said humans have deviated from God by embracing modern medicine. She lost me at the part when she said vaccines are a mark of Satan and whoever got vaccinated is going to hell.

The lady said a lot of things as she spoke about never being vaccinated and how none of her children were. I was interested in other alternatives she had to vaccination because right from when I was little, my mother had hammered on the importance of being vaccinated.

She would tell us stories of how children died of diseases such as chicken pox, measles and some who lived were even crippled from polio. My mother would always say that motherhood and infancy were tough back then until the invention of vaccines.

Today, we get infected with these once-deadly diseases, and our lives are not being threatened thanks to the availability of the vaccines.

Now, seeing this woman demonize vaccines made me wary of her, but my curiosity lingered, and thanks to it, I read her discuss the brewing of herbs and spices as an alternative to vaccines.

According to her, the herb and spice concoction, locally called Agbo, would strengthen the immune system against disease-causing organisms. After reading her, the question that arose in my mind was how effective it would be in the long run.

We see new diseases being discovered; would herbs and spices be just as effective? Well, at that point, I unsubscribed to her teachings because calling for vaccines to be boycotted is just a recipe for disaster.