When it comes to the question of whether or not to vaccinate, people in churches across the country may find themselves considering that well-worn question, 'What would Jesus do?'

If they're not, maybe they should be.

Religious people are just as prone to mistrust "experts" as anyone else, no matter how extensive their qualifications.  Canada’s preeminent H1N1 scientist, Dr. Francis Plummer, (Scientific Director General of the National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada) is on record as saying that every Canadian should receive the H1N1 vaccine, and that the potential risks of an adverse reaction to the tested vaccine are miniscule when compared with the risks of the spread of H1N1 in an un-vaccinated population.

Despite this "expert admonition," the general tenor seems to be that each of us knows better.  We’d like to think that the sum total of what we’ve heard on the news, read on the Internet, or learned from our friend or neighbour makes for a more reliable plan.  As a result, many Canadians will not get vaccinated.  I understand scepticism.  I can be a bit of a "glass half full" kind of person myself.  There have been so many occasions of trust being broken by those in authority that many of us just don’t believe anyone anymore. Scepticism feeds the self-focused nature of individual decision-making. 

But what about our collective responsibility to be vaccinated for the good of community, so that any one of us doesn’t become an unwitting transmitter of the virus? 

Think of the unintended harm a person with H1N1 could cause to others. "If the pandemic plays out in full force, this will mean a reduced critical care capacity in the province," says Frank Markel, President and CEO of Trillium Gift of Life Network. He goes on to speak of the potential impact on Canada’s organ donation and transplant work. "Some health care providers will be absent from work, and those still at work will be caring for an increased number of H1N1 patients," he says. "Hospitals are now in the process of setting priorities to deal with that possibility, and to the extent possible we will carry on donation and transplant work. However, we may very well not be able to continue as we do today, and that would be a huge tragedy because those peoples’ lives who are in jeopardy would not be able to access proper care." Such considerations seem to be far down the list of important factors in the decision.

As a Christian, I have a deep responsibility—not only to care for my own body--but also to care for the needs of others around me.  I’m a healthy person, and I don’t think I’ll get H1N1.  I’ve never gotten a flu shot. Even so, I’ve decided that I have to enlarge the scope of my thinking on this issue and get vaccinated. I’ll wait my turn in line, and I’ll try not to get irritated when the process for vaccination isn’t perfect. I’ll do it for my own good, and for the good of the hundreds of people I meet on a weekly basis. It seems to me that’s what Jesus would do.

Should you think about overcoming that wonderful Canadian quality – rugged individualism – and do the same?

Jeff Groenewald is a blogger with Listen Up TV