From: Marilyn <marilyncalderon@gmail.com>
Date: January 6, 2024 at 5:01:22 PM CST
To: secretariat@bwc.org, books@devlp.org
Subject:concerns regarding JYSEP material "On Health and Well-Being"
January 6, 2022
Dear Beloved Universal House of Justice and DL Publicaciones,
I come to you as a United States trained allopathic family medicine physician, responding to the pre-published JYSEP material, “On Health and Well-Being.” I was very thrilled to see there was a book with a title that is dear to my heart and was surprised and disheartened by some of the content regarding prejudice against those who question the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
The acceptance of vaccines as safe & effective is not a settled issue among scientists. Although humanity, especially doctors, has been taught that vaccines are the primary tool for the longevity of individuals via the elimination of bloodborne pathogens, there is an abundant of solid data showing that vaccines are not safely studied before they are mass produced (e.g. vaccine studies lasting only 5 days, not enough subjects in the study to accurately test for prevalence of side effects, no true inert placebo used in the control arm); that they are not as effective in the long run as previously thought (e.g vaccine-associated enhanced disease, measles & mumps natural infections are associated with lower cardiovascular complications in adulthood). There is also the issue of how the negative forces of materialism, a theme discussed in Lesson IX, may be influencing the medical field and lawmakers (e.g. 45% of the United State’s FDA budget comes from Pharma companies and several FDA commissioners have, previous to or after their term, joined with pharmaceutical and biotech companies as directors, advisers, & consultants). Although it is not fair to assume that their affiliations to these money-making health companies biased their term of service, it is safe to say that wealth can affect one’s judgment and actions.
“Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the seeker and his desire, the lover and his beloved.”- Baháʼu'lláh
Given the above, I am concerned with some of the comments regarding the term “misinformation,” particularly in Lessons VIII & IX, where this word is used several times, synonymous with the term “half- truths,” stating such things as “Science is pushed aside, and opinions take the place of facts.” This is then followed, on pg 50, by some examples of “misinformation” regarding vaccines (i.e.”You get sicker from a vaccination than you do from the virus itself.” and “We do not need vaccines; our immune system gives us full protection against viruses.”). Many well-informed people would say these comments are true information, not mis-information, based, either on their own history of vaccine injury, or on their independent investigation of the scientific data. Furthermore, Lesson IX, #4 says “People in the community choose not to get vaccinated because of the spread of misinformation.” This simple comment may be perceived as a judgemental & prejudicial statement against the growing number of those who do not choose to vaccinate their children or themselves. Comments like this may be an unnecessary test to steadfast Baha'is and friends of the Faith who feel that their decision to not vaccinate comes from thorough research, reflection, and prayer.
I am reminded of two excerpts from Abdul Baha’s Paris Talks regarding seeking truth without compromising unity.“All are seeking truth, and there are many roads leading there to. Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever one. Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of thought to separate you from your fellow-men.”“we should love one another; that we should seek out our own shortcomings before we presume to condemn the faults of others, that we must not consider ourselves superior to our neighbours! We must be careful not to exalt ourselves lest we be humiliated.”
In addition, there are some statements in the book that are written as facts, yet published studies show otherwise. For example:
Lesson VIII, #4 assumes vaccinated people cannot pass on the disease (please see attached paper on Pertussis breakthrough infections),
Lesson VIII, #5 connects the almost eradication of polio to its vaccine (please see attached paper on vaccine-derived poliovirus),
Lesson VIII, #2 describes what is in vaccines but omits the other carcinogenic and immune disrupting materials listed in each individual vaccine package insert (ie- aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80).
I am also attaching a famous Harvard study showing that, in the current system of how side effects are reported, only 1% of true side effects are actually documented.
Lastly, a recent book by Kennedy and Hooker, “Vax-Unvax: Let the Science Speak,” reviews over 100 published studies of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, showing, time and again, that the unvaccinated fare better in the long run. Although these 100 studies are peer-reviewed, they have gone largely unnoticed and not referenced when vaccine safety and efficacy are discussed in the media or within regulatory agencies.
The above references are my attempt to show that the science is not settled; that “Medical science is only in its infancy.” There are well done published studies showing peer reviewed results in reputable western journals that contradict the dominant narrative of vaccines as safe, effective, and the primary reason for the elimination of diseases.
Although the medical school I attended was/is one of the best global research institutions, University of California- San Francisco (UCSF), we were not taught how to identify side effects of vaccines, that vaccines can cause harm and death, how to document side effects in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), how to use the system in order give patients true informed consent of the risks associated with vaccines, & how lawmakers and pharmaceutical companies kept poor vaccines in circulation for years after they knew they were causing harm. Unless aiming for a concurrent PhD, MD’s receive little training on how to thoroughly analyze statistics in medical research papers. Therefore, your average MD will read the abstract and conclusion of a paper and accept it as truth, without analyzing whether the data matches the written conclusion or if the appropriate statistical analysis tool was used to accurately present the findings. A doctor like myself has to do this research about vaccines on their own time: outside of school or after a long day of clinic. We cannot converse with peers about these topics because to say “vaccines may cause harm” is blasphemy and can cost a doctor their job or their license. This is all to inform you of the powerful forces affecting the narrative of vaccines.
I humbly ask DL Publicaciones, because of the controversial & inconclusive aspect of vaccines as “safe and effective”, and in order to continue to be a welcoming religion, one that promotes unity & continued independent investigation of truth, that it remove Lessons VIII & IX and substitute the chapters with themes mentioned in depth in the Holy Writings, such as nutrition. As it stands now, nutrition is mentioned briefly in Chapter VII, yet given the treasures found in The Lawh-i-Tibb and the extensive Writings of Abdu’l Baha, several chapters can be dedicated to this topic alone. Perhaps the junior youth in the story can have a nutritional educational campaign instead of a vaccine campaign. As a family medicine doctor, one of our main purposes is preventive medicine, and there is no better determinant of illness than the food we eat & the water we drink. It can cause, worsen, improve, & cure diseases, including diseases of bloodborne pathogens. Nutrition is the foundation of health and well-being, and what better way to spiritually empower junior youth around the world than to have them understand that their health lies not in an injectable drug, but in their everyday choice, just like their spirituality lies in their everyday choice.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Dr. Marilyn Calderon
# # #
RESPONSE:
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT
Bahá’í World Centre • P.O. Box 155 • 3100101 Haifa, Israel
Tel: +972 (4) 835 8358 • Email: secretariat@bwc.org
1 February 2024
Transmitted by email: marilyncalderon@gmail.com
Dr. Marilyn Calderon
U.S.A.
Dear Bahi’í Friend,
The Universal House of Justice received on 7 January 2024 your letter, together with its
enclosures, raising concerns about the discussion of vaccination in the text On Health and eell-
Being, which is used in the junior youth spiritual empowerment program. We have been asked
to convey the following.
The junior youth program aims to build the intellectual, moral, and spiritual capabilities
of young people, Bahi’ís and others. Toward this end, On Health and eell-Being is one of the
texts in the program focused on promoting scientific and mathematical concepts. While the text
includes some quotations and principles drawn from the Bahi’í writings, it is not a review of
the Bahi’í writings on health, nor do the materials constitute a “Bahi’í” presentation of
scientific principles, for no such thing exists. As Shoghi Effendi indicated in a letter written on
his behalf, “we are a religion and not qualified to pass on scientific matters”. The Bahi’í
teachings leave the findings of science to scientists. At the same time, the writings extol the
importance of science, recognize this knowledge system as essential for the advancement of
civilization, and instruct that children should receive education in the sciences. “Science is the
first emanation from God toward man,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahi explains. “The development and
progress of a nation is according to the measure and degree of that nation’s scientific
attainments.”
On Health and eell-Being presents certain biological concepts relevant to health that are
similar to what is offered in other science education materials on the same subject. The
references in the text concerning a campaign for measles vaccination pertain to a widely
adopted health practice of governments that is promoted by the World Health Organization as
well as other noteworthy public health agencies. There is no reason why such ideas cannot be
incorporated into educational programs offered by Bahi’ís. Similarly, other titles in the junior
youth program touch on other academic subjects that may be treated in educational programs
for young people. Animators or classroom teachers who use the junior youth texts can address
any specific questions or diversity of perspectives that may arise among program participants.
As you know, science, as a discipline, seeks to systematically advance knowledge about
the world through well-understood methods and reasoned discourse. On the frontiers of
scientific inquiry there are differences of thought and of interpretations of evidence; over time,
for many subjects, a general consensus emerges among scientists on particular matters in
different fields of study. However, once formulated, a particular scientific consensus is not
invalidated or overturned by the fact that contrary views are held by some individuals. Rather,
science advances when empirical evidence and more robust theories create a new consensus
within the scientific community. Texts on science education, especially for those students at an
early age, naturally concentrate on basic well-accepted scientific ideas and findings. Should
scientific consensus change on some point covered in such texts, authors would naturally have
to take the new findings into account and adjust the content accordingly. While the materials to
which you refer in your letter present the views of individuals or activists about vaccines, as
well as selected studies on aspects of scientific research, they do not indicate a shift in the
consensus of the scientific community.
Of course, in moving beyond basic scientific findings and concepts into the realm of
medical practice and the use of technology, matters become much more complex. There is a
difference between scientific findings and the way such findings are put to use by society,
which calls for unity, skill, and wisdom to navigate multiple and often conflicting requirements
across diverse settings. In this regard, on matters of health, Bahi’ís are encouraged to turn to
competent physicians for medical advice, and on that basis, they can determine what personal
course of action to follow. If specific questions arise in relation to the life of the Bahi’í
community, the friends should turn to their institutions and follow the guidance provided; in
this way the fruitless debates and contentious approaches that arise in the wider society can be
avoided.
As in the case of any educational program, parents should follow the progress of their
children and offer them any additional information and counsel they feel to be necessary to
ensure their sound material, social, and spiritual education and development.
It is noted that you have also sent your letter to the publisher, DL Publicaciones. As part
of its standard process for the review and development of materials, it will consider your
observations and make any adjustments it determines to be necessary. Be assured of the prayers
of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines on your behalf.
With loving Bahi’í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
cc: DL Publicaciones