Disabilities in Religion: How do Different Religions View Disabilities Then and Now?
- Sam Shepherd
- Oct 21, 2024
- 10 min read
By Willa Reising
Disabled people in many religions have not been treated fairly, however many religious organizations are slowly adapting their scripture and beliefs to a modern perspective on disabilities. Many religious perspectives about disabilities come from their sacred books which were written in ancient times when society did not view disabled people in a positive light. In modern day many religious organizations do not blame disabled people for their disability but view their disability as a part of who they are. In this article, I will be discussing six different religious organizations and their perspectives on disabled people. The six different religious organizations will be Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. These are not the only religions in the world; however these are the most known worldwide, which is why I will focus on them.
Beginning with Judaism which “is a monotheistic religion, believing in one God. It is not a racial group. Individuals may also associate or identify themselves with Judaism primarily through ethnic or cultural characteristics. Jewish communities may differ in belief, practice, politics, geography, language, and autonomy.” [1] Tanakh is the sacred book in Judaism and it has different Hebrew scriptures that come from the Old Testament. The view of disabilities in Tanakh shows both a negative and a positive perspective. The negative perspective is seen through Yahweh who is a deity and is against disabilities because it is seen as a degradation against the body made for Adam. Furthermore, disabilities are seen in the Tanakh as a punishment for sins and as a pollutant. [2] An example of the exclusionary rhetoric is in the story of Moses when God says “No man of your offspring throughout the ages who has a defect shall be qualified to offer the food of his God. No one at all who has a defect shall be qualified: no man who is blind or lame; or a limb too short or too long.” This quote is stating that anyone who is disabled from Moses’s bloodline could not offer food to God. This was because Moses was disabled himself and had a speech defect.
An example of a positive perspective on disabilities in the Tanakh is also from the story of Moses when he says to God “Please O Lord, I have never been a man of words, either in times past or now that you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” and God replies “Who gives man speech? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing blind? Is it not I the Lord?” According to Matan Koch who is a Jewish disability advocate that had served during the Obama Administration on the Senate National Council of Disability, states that these texts show how disabilities like being deaf and blind are a part of God’s plan for individuals. [3] Which shows how the Tanakh has two different perspectives on disabilities with one seeing disabilities as a divine punishment and the other as part of God’s plan. It also shows how in the modern day these scriptures can be re-interpreted to fit a more modern perspective.
In the history of Judaism, the Jewish community has often been put into the same sector of society as disabled people from the medieval period up to the Holocaust where Jewish people and people with disabilities were targeted by the Nazis. This is why Jews often saw disabilities as bad because it would confirm that they were evil, immoral, or cursed. In the twentieth century disabilities were seen as a Jewish illness and this made it, so immigration laws were against Jewish immigrants in the United Kingdom and the United States. This was also because writers like Joseph Banister wrote about the chaos that the Jewish community would bring to the government in his book England Under the Jews. He also stated that Jews were “repulsive Asiatic physiognomy, their yellow oily skins, their flat feet, fat legs and loathsome skin and scalp diseases.” This shows that the Jewish community faced discrimination for their “disabilities” which likely caused them to be less open to disabled people because it would confirm others suspicions that disabilities were a Jewish disease. [4]
Then Catholicism which is one of the oldest institutions that came from the Roman Catholic Church and uses both the Old Testament and the New Testament as scripture. This is similar to Judaism because the Tonakh also has different sections of the Old Testament in it. Thus, Catholicism like Judaism both have a negative and a positive perspective on disabilities. However, there have been important disabled Catholic organizations like the International Deaf Organization which was formed in 1949. This organization was created because even though deaf people were welcomed in the Catholic Church, there were no accommodations during services. Since forming this organization there has been more of a focus on having sign language during mass and deaf ministers at the churches. [5]
Recently, in spring of this year the Vatican had a three-day plenary session on “Disability and Human Condition” with the members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. On the last day Pope Francis spoke at the session and noted that in society today there is a“tendency that leads one to consider their own existence a burden to his- or herself and to his or her loved ones.” [6] This was him noting that often in society disabled people are made to feel like a burden to their own existence and their loved ones. He advocated for a “culture of inclusion,” so that everyone has freedoms and basic rights. He also noted that “indeed, for him, every human condition, even those marked by great limitations, is an invitation to weave a singular relationship with God who makes people flourish once again.” This is meant that every human condition is an invitation to have a relationship with God, so that people could flourish. This shows how like Judaism, Catholicism perspectives on disabilities has changed to a more modern perspective.
Then there is Christianity which is similar to Catholicism because both use the Old Testament and the New Testament as their scriptures. However, the difference between the two is that Christians believe that their sins are forgiven because Jesus died for them. While Catholics believe that salvation and the forgiving of sins is something that you must continue to do through good acts. Christianity similarly to Catholicism is changing their perspective on disabilities, to a more modern perspective. According to Bible Study Tool there are passages in the Bible that are positive towards disabilities. For example, the Bible states that “for created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body…” (Psalm 139:13-16). This is used as an example that God made us thus, we should be happy for who we are even if we are disabled because we were created by God.
However, in the Old Testament it is noted that David who is the leader of the Israelite tribe Judah “said, 'Whoever gets up the tunnel and kills a Jebusite . . .' As for the blind and the lame, David hated them with his whole being. (Hence the saying: the blind and the lame may not enter the Temple) 2 Samuel 5:8).” This quote meant that David who is a leader in the Bible hated disabled people and would not allow them in the temple. In the New Testament there are also positive and negative views on disabilities. For example, in the New Testament Jesus saves a man who is blind by putting clay on him. Which is positive because he does help him, however it continues the rhetoric that because someone has a disability that something is wrong with their body.
The reason for this rhetoric towards disabled in people in the Bible is because ancient society viewed disabled people as being cursed for their sins or needing a holy miracle to heal them. Even recently, some Christians still have this perspective, on a website called Crippled Media Hilla Kauppinen shares her experience of being autistic and raised in the Christian church. She writes that someone from her church had told her that they would pray her autism away and this made her think about ableism and Christianity. She goes on to explain that she did not think that all churches were ableist. However, she noted that a religious organization that stands for inclusivity should be inclusive to all. Lastly, she also gave some ideas of how to make the church more accessible by having earmuffs, sensory toys, disabled ministries, etc. Kauppinen experience shows how some churches and the members of them are still changing and adapting to a more modern view on disabilities.[7]
Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions and is different from other religions because it is a compilation of many traditions and philosophies. The majority of people who practice Hinduism are Indian. Thus, Hinduism has a heavy influence on Indian society like the caste system and people with disabilities. In Hinduism, disabilities are seen as a karmic punishment for not behaving well. And according to an article from the Christian Journal of Global Health, this karmic punishment makes Hindus with disabilities less likely to receive medical treatment for it because they believe that they deserve it. [8] Karma is the idea that “all actions come into being as a result of other actions and that all actions are interdependent.” [9] Thus, this means that if you do something bad, then something bad will happen to you in return. This is similar to Judaism, Catholicism, and Christianity’s ideas that disabled people are the way they are because they have committed a sin. Also similar to these other religious organizations, Hinduism's perspective on disabilities has become more modern by India ratifying the United Nations Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This treaty reserves three percent of all government jobs for people with disabilities and accessibility for everyone in India. This treaty has also caused many different institutions to work to create accommodations for disabled people, like Jaipur Foot which creates prosthetics. [10]
Buddhism is similar to Hinduism because of the beliefs in reincarnation, karma, and that a life with honor and devotion leads one to enlightenment. However, the difference between the two are the caste system which Buddhism rejects, also the rituals and priesthood, etc. [11] This is because its founder Siddharta Gautama was a wealthy Indian prince who was bored by his wealth and wandered the world for understanding. There he found a man who was a corpse which made him realize that true happiness can be found at the end of one's existence. Thus, he swore off his title and his possessions to become a monk and later become Buddha who would spread his word around India. [12] Buddhism like Hinduism also focuses on karma and sees disabilities as a karmic punishment. However, one scholar Stephen E. Harris, noted that because Buddhism focuses on pain and the suffering of life that disabilities are a type of suffering in life and there should be no stigma attached to disabled people. This is a more positive way to think about disabilities because it sees the disability as something which happens in life.
Lastly Islam which is the second largest religion in the world behind Christianity and is also the youngest religion. The word Islam means “submission to the will of Allah” and Allah is their God. In Islam their main belief is that each of them were born in the body which Allah had intended them to have. This makes them a more inclusive religion whose early teachings show a positive outlook on disabled people, since it is believed that their body was not a punishment, but an intended body given to them by Allah.
Furthermore, disabilities are seen as normal aspects of the human experience by the Qur'an (Holy Book) and Islamic law. The Qur’an states that everyone who is Muslim is supposed to participate in all religious rituals no matter if they have a disability or not. An early Islamic law allowed an intellectually disabled man to own his own home, and it was the duty for the community to help defend his home. [13] However, not everyone who is Muslim is completely open to disabled people or is not prejudiced. Culture can influence someone’s ideas, and the different cultures of religion can do this as well. This means that even though Islam seems like a very open religion for disabled people it does not mean that everyone who is Muslim is as well. This can also be said about any other religious organization.
Religion is an example of how the perspective of disabilities has changed overtime because in ancient times disabled people were seen as evil and their disabilities were blamed on them. However, disabilities in the twenty-first century are seen as something which a person has, but it does not mean that they are less of a person or a bad person. Instead, it is just something that some people have, and they should have the freedom and accessibility like anyone else. Today, many of these religious organizations have shown support for the disabled community and come to understand the modern understanding of what it means to be disabled. However, not everyone is going to agree, and those prejudices may still be there. But it is still significant that while the world is changing its view on disabilities, so is religion as well.
References:
[1]. “Introduction to Judaism.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/introduction-to-judaism#:~:text=Judaism%20is%20a%20monotheistic%20religion,geography%2C%20language%2C%20and%20autonomy.
[2]. Blanks, A. Brooke, and J. David Smith. “Multiculturalism, Religion, and Disability: Implications for Special Education Practitioners.” Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, vol. 44, no. 3, 2009, pp. 295–303. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24233476. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
[3]. Koch, Matan. “Judaism and Disability 1 of 4: A Twisting of a the Branch of Life: Disability in the Bible.” Matan Koch: Igniting A Fire for Universal Inclusion. May 12, 2014. http://www.matankoch.com/blog/2014/05/12/judaism-and-disability-1-of-4-a-twisting-branch-of-the-tree-of-life-disability-in-the-bible
[4]. Brady, Samuel. “Moving towards Disability-Jewish Histories.” Jewish Historical Studies, vol. 54, 2022, pp. 101–28. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48733559.
[5]. Portolano, Marlana. “‘Shun Not the Struggle’: The Language and Culture of Deaf Catholics in the U.S., 1949–1977.” U.S. Catholic Historian, vol. 33, no. 3, 2015, pp. 99–124. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24584663.
[6]. Mclellan, Justin. “Pope Condemns Culture that Views People with Disabilities as ‘Burdens.’” National Catholic Reporter. April 11, 2024. https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/pope-condemns-culture-views-people-disabilities-burdens
[7]. Kauppinen, Hilla. “Don’t Pray for Me: Disabilities and the Christian Church.” Cripple Media. August 30, 2021. https://cripplemedia.com/dont-pray-for-me-disabilities-and-the-christian-church/
[8]. Wilson, A. “Barriers and Enablers Provided by Hindu Beliefs and Practices for People with Disabilities in India.” Christian Journal for Global Health, vol. 6, no. 2, 2019, p. 12-23, doi:10.15566/cjgh.v6i2.250.
[9]. Kain, Victoria J. “Babies Born Dying: Just Bad Karma? A Discussion Paper.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 53, no. 6, 2014, pp. 1753–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24485280.
[10]. Disabled Sages and Warrior Queens: India’s Disability Dignity.” Asia Media Centre. April 9, 2024
[11].”Hinduism,” History. November 16, 2023. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/hinduism#hinduism-vs-buddhism.
[12].”Basics of Buddhism,” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm#:~:text=Neutral%20karma%20has%20no%20benefits,that%20one%20should%20not%20forsake.
[13]. Blanks, A. Brooke, and J. David Smith. “Multiculturalism, Religion, and Disability: Implications for Special Education Practitioners.” Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, vol. 44, no. 3, 2009, pp. 295–303. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24233476.
