These deficient exemption requests tend to fall into three categories of objections: personal autonomy, my body is a temple, or abortion complicity. Johnson & Johnson uses PER.C6 in production of thevaccine. He posts form letters for U.S. workers seeking religious exemptions that have been downloaded from his website around 40,000 times, according to a screen shot of web traffic he shared with Reuters. Since then, the Christian right has been trying to do away with Smith in order to win ever-broader exemptions from laws that apply to everyone else. of that Friend On whom for heaven my hopes depend! Vaccines violate our ability to follow the teachings of the Bible. The Holy Spirit, in regeneration and sanctification, when he begins the good work of grace on a man, takes possession of his whole person, soul and body, and dwells therein as in his temple. When employees state abortion complicity objections to the COVID vaccines but have no qualms about using Tylenol, Claritin, or their favorite anti-aging skin cream, their employers are justified in withholding exemptions. A Christian student at the University of Alabama-Birmingham has challenged the university's mandatory vaccine policy after being blocked from registering for classes this semester despite having been allowed to register past semesters with no vaccinations. Please think very carefully before answering this question. Current employees may initiate a religious exemption request within the vaccination verification system. And it reflects differently on a population than reality does. In the context of vaccinations, this certainly includes seeking counsel, acknowledging the mounting evidence to the safety of vaccines, and contemplating the risks in refusing them, not only to oneself but also to ones neighbor. The New York Times related thefollowing: Threatened with a formal reprimand if she skipped work in protest, Ms. Holmes woke up in the middle of the night with a Bible verse from the book of 2 Timothy in her mind: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.[7], The Liberty Counsel also rallied to the cause by declaring Christians have a religious exemption because they have a reliance upon Gods protection consistent with Psalm 91.[8]. I care deeply about religious liberty. Now he is discussing specific sinful habits that are causing division among the Corinthians. (Proverbs 27:17). Could there be a point that vaccines are a gift of God? What is the conscience issue with the vaccine? The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me. Here is a sample of a Religious Exemption letter. Saying that people and their positions are cowardly, moronic, etc is nothing but repeated use of ad hominem statements. More, 901 Commerce Street, Suite 550 That means they mix and prepare a drug at the pharmacy. It was a challenge that we and many other pharma companieshave. The abortion connection has the most merit, but I again caution believers to avoid misusing Gods name and violating the ThirdCommandment. Im educated, and I read a lot (much away from the internet), but I understand that not having worked in your field means I dont understand medicines the way those that have worked with them do. (it seems like) there is a risk/reward calculation that causes them to skipit. Fair enoughwell get there. To be clear: Im not arguing Christians should be vaccinated, or that Christians should necessarily acquiesce to employer vaccine mandates. Scripture states that there will come false prophets, who will be strong deceivers, so much so that if it were possible the very elect would fall away. Amos 1:13, Matthew 18:1-4, and Matthew 19:13-15 are just a few verses that illustrate the aforementioned children as blessings from God that are valued and loved by him, their Creator, in . One way to be introspective here is to consider whether you were already against the vaccine before you learned about the abortionnexus. Supposedly thats actually a known side effect but who knows. Therefore, Psalm 91 says if we make and say (Mark 11:23,24) that the Lord is our refuge and fortress then no pestilence or plague or evil shall come near our dwelling. Yet asserting flimsy demands for religious vaccine exemptions will have the opposite effect. Employers must grant the religious accommodation request so long as doing so does not pose an undue burden to the employer, either economic or non-economic. Especially in the United States, the belligerent response on the part of many Christians to the public health efforts of the past two years looks rather different from this vision of wisdom. We are not our own because we belong to the crucified and resurrected Lord. There are also those who are highly educated who refuse to get vaccinated. . With this article, I will try to write a template for a Religious Exemption Letter, hoping it could be useful. This includes objections that invoke religious beliefs in general terms, but upon further scrutiny, appeal to other factors. *** *** Religious Exemption Letter (Template) *** Look anywhere, and youll find professing Christians using God as justification for their unholy ways. While sin has allowed creation to kick back, man still has the ultimately ability and responsibility to subdue it. The Bible says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17 KJV). 6:19. A relevant ethical question, drawn from scriptural teaching of the value of our bodies and treating them rightly, is whether vaccines harm the body. Just last month, Bishop Robert McElory issued a letter to San Diego priests asking them to decline any requests for religious exemptions to vaccines. Photo by Jay Yoo, John Evans is a professor of sociology and religious studies at UCSD. The truth of what Paul wrote should matter more to us than the use to which it can be put in court. Moses grew and was educated as a noble among Egyptians (1022). What has your faith community said? 8 Liberty Counsel, Sample Exemption p.1. It is worth repeating that there is no reason to think that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine involves bodily sacrifice. The argument seems to be that being injected with one of the available COVID vaccineswhich are characterized as manifestly unsafe or, at best, risky experimental potionswould defile the Holy Spirits dwelling. Please make sure all fields are filled out. In some cases its deception but, in many cases, its a lack of education. [2] Back to the New York Times articlenote that this woman fronts her remarks with a discussion of freedom. Also, notice that she apparently didnt consult her faith community about the veracity of her religious objection. A group called One Washington is holding seminars around the state to instruct people on how to ask for a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine. The personal autonomy objection turns not on the assertion that being vaccinated violates ones religious beliefs, but rather on the assertion that being required to be vaccinated violates ones beliefs. The author wishes to make sin Play-Dough; its anything the Holy Spirit impresses upon him to be wrong. Each of these, it seems, would violate the purity of their bodily temple, making it unsuitable as a vessel for the Holy Spirit. Platt said that the report, co-authored with Katherine Franke and Lilia Hadjiivanova, is intended to help activists, policymakers and the public prepare for the implications of the new legal regime ushered in by the Tandon case. What matters for such a request is whether a worker's belief is religious, not whether it deviates from their church's doctrine or makes logical sense to their employer, attorneys said. She and her family continue to wear masks, isolate and plan to get a booster shot when available. Matthew 22:36-40ESV / 673 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful In Isaiah 6:2 it tells us about a vision of heaven: "Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he . First, Pauls remarks about the body as a temple were directed to the Corinthian church as a body, as a wholethe you are Gods temple is plural! In the active duty Army, 2,910 permanent religious exemptions have been requested, with 266. In response to questions from Catholics about COVID-19 vaccine mandates being imposed by employers or other authorities, the bishops of South Dakota . The Awaken Church lists this as the most notably significant reason why the acceptance of these vaccines would be considered sinful.. 5:18, 20). Because their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19). Rather, the drivers for evangelical resistance are nonreligious and are rooted in deep-seated suspicion of government and vulnerability tomisinformation. Pointing to verses from the Bible's Book of Revelation, Maldonado suggested that the coronavirus vaccine would help lay the groundwork for the coming of the Antichrist. Ironic that in a post about truth being available, this line shows up. God hasnt mandated seatbelts, either. We are not our own because we belong to the crucified and resurrected Lord. Meanwhile, gospel-minded Christians are about to faceand are already facingan onslaught of legislative and judicial actions directly threatening their ability to evangelize, teach, discipline, counsel, and associate according to their cherished convictions. He is a supervisor in Theology and Religious Studies in the Cambridge Divinity Faculty, and he teaches courses for Ridley Hall and the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. As an attorney, I spend much of my time helping religious organizations understand and maximize constitutional protections and religious exemptions. A seatbelt and a life preserver are worn on the outside of the body and are visible. We have just been trying to get through the pandemic as best as we can, said Erin Kirschner, a Carmel Valley resident and mother. It is scarcely believable that unclean foods under the Old Covenant are a parallel to a COVID vaccine. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. If you're heartsick over racial injustice. Are you sure you are not violating the 3rd commandment in using God as your justification for condemning someone elsesconscience? Dr. William Tseng from Kaiser Permanente in San Diego said there are legitimate medical reasons for skipping the vaccine. Likewise, putting out a fire on ones body is obviously helpful to ones temple. Injecting something into your body that you dont fully understand is a different case. 3 Health Freedom Idaho, Sample Letter for Religious Vaccine Exemption, https://healthfreedomidaho.org/sample-letter-for-religious-vaccine-exemption/. Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. Why do people keep missing this? In some cases the placebos are having a more profound affect than the drug that is being tested. While the case received little attention outside of the legal world, it marked the culmination of more than 30 years of legal strategy by Christian conservatives who have sought ever-broader leeway to flout the law. In most cases, meds are not new to the user as the vaccines are. The vaccine effort has been plagued by falsehoods of all kinds. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of federally protected classes, including religion, and provides that applicable employers must provide a religious accommodation to an employee who holds a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance against a workplace requirement. This seems another fundamental misunderstanding of the religious exemption (in all cases, not just this one). But, he must also treat it with respect and care forit. Those cited here are largely specious; arguments in search of proof-texts. 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