Additional information
by Lea Povozhaev (Author)
I am an Orthodox Christian mother of five children. My first two children are vaccinated, three are not. My children without their shots are healthier with fewer colds, flu, ear infections, etc. When a sickness befalls them, it usually clears quickly. I do not support vaccination, and I do support holistic health-living whole and holy. Living holistically is a pro-life journey. The Orthodox Church is pro-life. I love the Church. Her Truth, Love, and Life saves us. The second edition of this book is endorsed by the Church with the intention to share the Truth with its followers. This book offers readers information to questions concerning fetal stem cells and vaccines, and it looks at this complicated issue in light of the whole person: body and soul. This work is timely, as the Holy Synod will soon convene to discuss vaccination. I have engaged this work prayerfully. Theotokos, save us! Some Christians vaccinate ignorant of the fact that fetal stem cells are used in the production of vaccines . Becoming Whole: Building Natural Immunity in the Body and Soul shares this fact and calls Christians, particularly the Orthodox Church, to reconsider vaccinating. Building natural immunity in the body and the soul profits the whole human person and pleases God. Back in 2001, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America issued a statement that in no case is the use of fetal stem cells acceptable for Orthodox Christians. Furthermore, as defenders of the Giver of Life, the Church has a responsibility to continue its deliberations over the very meaning and value of human life. "We cannot, however, condone the manipulation of embryonic cells in any form for research purposes, including lines developed from destroyed embryos. Rather, we can only express dismay at the fact that the debate over this issue has avoided major considerations regarding the very meaning and value of human life." People must realize that by vaccinating we are injecting fetal stem cells into our children at alarming rates, and as Orthodox Christians this violates a basic premise of our Faith. Steeped in deception from the start, it is not surprising that increasing vaccinations leads to wide-spread illnesses. Vaccines do not make one "immune" from disease. Vaccination compromises the immune system and leads to illness. It is not God's will for one to vaccinate. It never was. The vaccine controversy is deep, and Orthodox Christians, among others, don't know what to believe. Few people research the issue and instead ask their doctors, priests, and educated others for the answer. The culture has been led to believe that vaccines are life-saving. Generations have passed along this basic medical assumption, and so many do not question its erroneous belief. There are books that argue vaccination ultimately is not the way to wellness. There are older bodies of research such as Dr. Viera Scheibner's Vaccination: 100 Years of Orthodox Research (1993), and more recent works such as: Vaccine Epidemic: How Corporate Greed, Biased Science, and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health, and Our Children, by Louise Kuo Habakus (2012); Dr. Suzanne Humphries' Dissolving Illusions: Diseases, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History (2013); and Neil Miller's Review of Critical Vaccine Studies: 400 Important Scientific Papers Summarized for Parents and Researchers (2016). In Becoming Whole: Building Natural Immunity in the Body and Soul, the main message is that the Orthodox Church provides a unique answer to this spiritual disaster of our times, an answer that is simple and natural: honor life. With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Paul Gassios of Chicago and the Midwest to share my message with Church, and adding to the prayers of the Orthodox Sisters at St. Paisius Monastery who are praying for "this much needed book," I have hope in the Truth.
Author Biography
Lea is married to Dimitri and they live in Ohio with their five children. They believe in the sanctity of life and aim to honor the Life Giver, despite the struggle that is common in today's daily life. It is imperative that Christians recognize that the body and soul is one. Lea says, "It matters what we do in our bodies. As those who profess faith in the Giver of Life, there is no valid argument for using vaccines. They are not good for our health, and they are produced using fetal stem cells." Lea and Dima enjoy spending time in nature with their family: from hikes in the Upper Peninsula, MI, on summer camping trips, to national parks throughout Ohio, they find connection and release in nature. Lea holds a PhD in English and an MFA in Creative Writing. She has a memoir on becoming a multicultural family and converting to the Orthodox Church from Protestantism: Finding Love, Family, and God: Living the Orthodox Christian Tradition (2016).
