Is Germophobia the New Kosher Laws? / Leah Archibald

In December my husband and I visited our hometown church with our six-month-old baby.  At the beginning of the service, the minister got up before the congregation and said "Welcome!  We're glad you came to worship with us today!  Just a reminder that during cold and flu season we are refraining from shaking hands at the peace.  And during communion, please refrain from dipping the bread into the communal cup - that spreads germs more readily.  If you don't want to drink from the cup directly, please just reverence it as it goes by."

As a person of faith, I had a profoundly negative reaction.  "Well DO THEY or DON'T THEY believe in transubstantiation!!?"  Yet as a mom I had a very real feeling of relief: "THANK GOD no one's going to try to TOUCH my BABY!!!"

Since my first child was born in June I've gone on and off with an intense fear of germs.  At first I wanted him to be a blessing to everyone: parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors, the whole world! Everyone got to hold the baby.  Then at around five months Harvey got his first illness, an upper respiratory infection, that lead me through some scary doctors appointments and chest x-rays and nights spent holding him upright in a foggy bathroom.  Suddenly I went feral.  The world is a scary place, I thought, filled with dangerous diseases that threaten my child!  I tried to haul up in my house as much as possible.  Heaven forbid I should bring him to the supermarket.  It's a minefield!  If anyone came into the house they couldn't approach until they thoroughly washed their hands.  Never if they had the slightest sniffle.  My husband came home from work and I gave him the cold shoulder.  You can get a hello once you wash your hands and change your shirt, mister!

Needless to say, the fear of germs put a real damper on my relationships.  When you start seeing others as a threat to your safety, it's no surprise when they feel as if you don't want them around.

And then I got to thinking: is germophobia the new kosher?

In old testament times, the kosher laws held some good tips for protecting dieters against unnecessary disease.  Don't eat dirty things! Don't eat scavengers that prey on dirty things!  Good advice in general.

Keeping God's people healthy sure is a commendable goal.  And yet, these good faith precautions quickly transformed themselves into a system that blocked human connections.  By Jesus' time the keepers of the kosher law were using these practices to separate themselves from other folks, creating a secret club that no one else could get in.   Which, I think we can agree on, is bad.  Boo secret societies.  Yeah eating with everyone.

Most Christians no longer keep Kosher.  But with the germ obsessiveness that comes with being a new mom (and living in a fear mongering culture among side flus named after every passenger on the arc) I find myself scanning a crowd of people thinking "UNCLEAN!  UNCLEAN!"

So what do you think?  Does God want us to do everything in our power to keep ourselves healthy?  Or does God want us to go ahead and kiss strangers' babies?  Or something in the middle but you don't gotta be all OCD about it, Leah?

Comments

[Ellen]

I recently wrote a blog post for the Daily Episcopalian (not yet published) asking the same question but in reference to healthy eating. As Christians, do we treat our bodies with reverence and work hard at healthy living, including disciplined eating? Or do we recognize that our bodies are mortal--they will die whether we are vegans or eat several kinds of pork fat each day--and that intense focus on our diet can pull our attention away from other, more important, things? My answer--both. Health, and the effort required to keep it, can honor God (b/c we recognize the body as a gift that requires care) but it can also become an idol or, at least, a distraction, if pursuit of physical health interferes with psychological, spiritual, or relational health.

And as a mother of three kids, I've learned that there is absolutely no way to keep the germs from them. They will sneeze on the cupcakes, wipe their noses with their hands, and trade toothbrushes no matter what you do! The world will never be a completely safe place. As Christians, though, we need to live as if it is, choosing trust and connection over limits and fear when at all possible.

[leah]

That's very well put, Ellen. I think a lot of us have big issues around fear of mortality that we hide in the pursuit of healthy living. And when it comes to that, I've got a big fear of my child's mortality that I hide in obsessing over car seats and safe outlets.

[Jeff]

I have two kids and I am the least germophobic person you've ever met, and our family hardly ever gets sick. That doesn't answer any of your profound questions. Also, really nice prose writing.

[leah]

Thanks for the ego stoke Jeff. I'll take that over answers to profound questions :)

[Ellen B.]

When my husband and I had our first baby in Mexico, I just had to let germ fears go and trust God. Mexican culture involves lots more touching than American culture. I still wash my boy's hands a lot, but he turned out okay, even when as an infant, I turned around in the grocery store to find him in the arms of total strangers!

[PB]

As one who works in church classrooms all the time, I really, really appreciate and maintain sanitary conditions. It was a real hoot when we found out 3 days after the fact that a child came to church with head lice.

That said, I also appreciate an anxiety-free, peace-filled life, especially with kiddos. Although I'm speaking out of turn because I don't actually HAVE kids yet.

[Rich]

I think it's 'something in between'
It's funny though how two trips to post-earthquake Haiti can soften any germaPhobeness...

[Otto]

Great post Leah, I totally dig it. I have lots of thoughts on this issue... this issue perplexes me, because it's been proven that kids that play in dirt, etc. have a stronger immune system. Now kids are brought up in a near-sterile environment and, for one, almost every kid I meet has some sort of allergy.

Maybe more later, need to go to work soon.

[Brent]

Those of us living in developed western nations live in incredibly clean societies where we generally practice good hygiene and have medical services and medications readily available.

Worrying about germs seems like something we can worry about only because we have the luxury to worry about it. Seems to me energies are better spent elsewhere. I say this as father of two, one of whom has a litany of allergy-related issues (foods, eczema, asthma). Sure, there are some simple, basic practices we can and should put in place and stick to, but I'd suggest that if this is a source of daily worry, then something should probably change.

[Peter Eavis]

Nice post. I liked your conclusion. But would have liked it even more if you'd asked: Is there something in the middle that we do gotta be OCD about? I sometimes wonder if the desire to lead a balanced faith can become a careful faith.

[General Kafka]

Germs are actually good for you. You should have some - they build your immunity.
Also, car seats are not that safe. What is safer is to build a life where you need very little driving.
Cars manufacturer should make seat belts adapted to kids instead...

Yes, keeping kosher or germophobia are bad for relationships. But there's another parallel.
Do we feel better because we are pro-active against something we fear?
Keeping Kosher (or being Religious) to earn God's favor?
Keeping Kosher (or being Religious) to feel that we've done our part and the blessings should follow.

Or do we keep Kosher (or have some religious practice), not for a shallow feeling of being in control, but because we simply love God ?

[Alcohol Free Sanitizer]

always use an alcohol free hand sanitizer!