That you can prevent many diseases by washing and observing basic hygiene should be a matter of observation, as e.g. per Semmelweiss. If rules regarding washing really were a god-given piece of advice or commandment, why the hell should not this deity’s own “holy” scriptures say so explicitly, instead of camouflaging bathing and washing as something you do to honour your sky daddy? If this god fella really meant people to wash to prevent disease, why didn’t he express it clearly in his scriptures, then, as e.g. a commandent?
- “Thou shall wash your hands before eating or preparing food, or else fall sick yourself.”
- “Thou shall wash your hands after caring for the sick, or else risk falling sick yourself.”
- “Thou shall wash your hands before treating wounds, or else risk killing your patient.”
And why doesn’t the bible etc. give recipes for making soap if preventing illness is the godly reason behind bathing? And why choose a desert tribe, with uncertain access to clean water, to carry his divine knowledge? This just doesn’t compute.