People misuse God's name for all sorts of sins. So we all know that the focus among Christian right law firms has been on culture war issues making sure that marriage equality, LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws, reproductive health laws, dont apply to conservative Christians. I religiously object to wearing a life preserver when I go canoeing because lugging that thing along causes undue fatigue and my body is a temple and besides, there are studies that question the effectiveness of life vests and besides, I know how toswim. But none of these reasons are overtly related with the individuals religious beliefs. Under current law, thats enough for employers to turn them down. we have no idea what is in them that makes them work. There is a reason why U.S.A. are God's country. In . A vaccine cannot go against Pauls exhortation, because it is not what goes into us that defiles us, but the sin that emerges from our hearts. Contact Us Email us Church Info Center: 888-843-5267 Staff Switchboard: 800-248-1930 Donor Care Line: 888-930-4438 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7226 Various religious doctrines direct people to take care of their bodies. There is no form necessary for employee religious exemption requests; you may select this option as you complete the vaccine verification process, and a request for a supporting narrative will be sent to you from the . This definition of sin is also specious. 8 Liberty Counsel, Sample Exemption p.1. What employers may not do is discriminate on the basis of religion. But, he must also treat it with respect and care forit. Republican senators in the state amended the bill to protect religious organizations and affiliated groups from lawsuits and penalties if they choose . He holds degrees from The Masters University, Talbot School of Theology, and the University of Virginia. Currently in the United States, it is legally permissible for employers to require COVID-19 vaccinations so long as there are medical and religious accommodations available in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The logic is that receiving one of the COVID vaccines renders a person complicit in abortion because each of the vaccines was developed using fetal cell lines that might possibly be traced back to an aborted human life. This should give Christians pause. A service of Logos Bible Software. Writing religious exemption letters would be the truly pastoral approach. You talked briefly about drugs that affect our mental state, and unless I was forced to take one of those, I would avoid ever taking one. 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. We dont possess ourselves but are ourselves possessed by him (1 Cor 6:20). He also works in State government. More importantly, stop blaming God for your moronicdecisions. One common refrain among those seeking exemption from vaccination is the assertion, My body is a temple. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. A church in California that has a history of defying pandemic lockdown orders is offering religious exemption letters for people opposed to being vaccinated against COVID-19. The faith community does not hold authority over a persons beliefs. I care deeply about religious liberty. Not to mention it is a bit ironic that people are insisting on the vaccine for others for fear of someone else making themsick. If you dont want the vaccine then put on your big boy pants and take the consequences instead of blaming God for not getting thevaccine. Were proud to publish real news 365 days of the year, completely free of charge to our readers. This is why, when appealing to religious liberty as the basis for an exemption, Christians should proceed carefully. I think many people would be surprised that pharmacies still do compounding when directed by a doctor. The first reason cites a Bible verse that says the human body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. The letter states, We are commanded to take good care of it, not to defile it, and certainly not introduce something into it. It goes on to say that taking this vaccine actually makes modifications to the body. This, in essence, would be trying to improve or alter what God made perfectly which is clearly a sinful practice., The most common argument against being vaccinated against the coronavirus is that aborted fetal cell lines were used in the production process. At present, the unvaccinated are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized. Furthermore, refusing vaccination could lead to others experiencing bodily harm as the unvaccinated are at increased risk of transmitting the virus to others. 5:18, 20). But weve also seen Christian right firms advocating for a broader range of conservative policies.. They, by nature and theology, belong to the individual. In particular, he commands them not to engage the services of prostitutes, and in general to shun fornication (6:18). Johnson & Johnson uses PER.C6 in production of thevaccine. Some may feel concern or anger at being told how they must handle important and personal medical decisions. 2 Retrieved from http://ladoj.ag.state.la.us/Article/10941. It has become common for Christians to claim that being forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine is a violation of their religious convictions because their body is a temple, and they are commanded to keep it pure. In its most robust form, such an exemption might rely on a provision within a churchs confessional statement explicitly forbidding vaccines or other medical interventions. This is clear from the references to the body in terms of a stomach and food, fornication and prostitution, and sins outside the body vs. sins against his own body. The context there is the individualsbody. On a Friday evening in April, the Supreme Court quietly issued a short decision that opened the floodgates for religious entities to claim an exemption from just about any law. Requests for religious exemptions from workplace policies were . Former Watergate Prosecutor: Trump Should Have Been Charged Upon Exiting Office, Media Orgs Demand McCarthy Hand Over Jan. 6 Footage He Gave to Tucker Carlson, As US Reengages Maduro, Oil Giants Earn Deals and Venezuelans Protest, GOP Lawmaker Uses Racist Trope, Calls Chinese American Colleague Disloyal, Republicans Unveil Bill to Make AR-15-Style Rifle the National Gun, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Subpoenaed to Testify in DOJs Trump Investigation, Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19, Religions Role in the Struggle for Justice. 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. Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The Bible calls the human body "a temple of the Holy Spirit." The New Testament makes multiple references likening the human body to a temple. The case made its way to the Supreme Court, where the justices sided with the Bible study group 5 to 4, writing that government regulations are not neutral and generally applicable, and therefore trigger strict scrutiny under the Free Exercise Clause, whenever they treat any comparable secular activity more favorably than religious exercise.. OPINION | JOHN BRUMMETT: Test of faith in exemption. Views reflected in this article may not reflect those of their current or previous employers. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? If you have to resort to hermeneutical gymnastics to prove God doesnt want you to get vaccinated, youve already lost, and other believers should be the first to confront you aboutit. Tseng told NBC 7 that he and other San Diego County physicians are being asked to sign off on religious exemptions as well. But if you care deeply about religious liberty, please think twice before demanding a religious exemption. I was recently prescribed a statin after a recent exam, for high (though not ridiculous) LDL, and Im still trying to decide whether I want to start that medication or not. The author provides no justification about why the vaccine violates his conscience. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. In most jurisdictions, employers are legally permitted to require vaccination as a condition of employment (and many employers may soon be required to do so under the anticipated OSHA emergency standard). Accepting the COVID vaccination into my body violates my closely held religious beliefs. She just cant pull the God told me card or defend her position by twistingScripture. To be clear: Im not arguing Christians should be vaccinated, or that Christians should necessarily acquiesce to employer vaccine mandates. As an ordained pastor of (Name of Church), I am writing to affirm (name of individual) sincerely held religious objection to any voluntary or mandatory Covid-19 . The answer, it would seem, is that there is a long-standing precedent for exempting religious communities from government mandates, so people have reached for religious exemption as a ready-made solution for their fears. And we think that not only violates the equal protection clause, but its just fundamentallywrong.. know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost,. Once downloaded, review all of the information and requirements for the exemption type you have selected. As Michael Bird would say, sweet mother ofMelchisedec!. A sign of common grace? HEK293s origins are not absolutely clear. The Christian argument for religious exemptions follows two tracks typically: first, that the vaccine shots at some point in their production used aborted fetal cell lines. Yet asserting flimsy demands for religious vaccine exemptions will have the opposite effect. Advice on asking for exemptions is easy to find online. He was a very intelligent man who nevertheless was poorly educated. Some Christians claim the various COVID vaccines have a connection to abortion. Austin Stevenson is a PhD Candidate in Theology at the University of Cambridge. The concern for physical well-beingwhile certainly validis a concern shared by everyone, religious or not. Some 24% of white evangelicals said in June they wouldnt be vaccinated, down from 26% in March, according to a study from the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonpartisan group that studies the intersection of religion and public life, and Interfaith Youth Core, a nonprofit focused on interfaith cooperation. Is mandatory COVID-19 vaccination ethical? He also affirms in 1 Cor. As part of my prayers, I have asked God for direction regarding the current COVID shot requirement. 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. A New Mexico state senator will "help you articulate a religious exemption" by pointing to the decades-old use of aborted fetal cells in the development of some vaccines. Seeking a religious exemption should very clearly rest on apparent and applicable religious beliefs. one person sharpens another. 4 Liberty Counsel, Sample Religious Exemption Requests For COVID Shot Mandates, 26 July 2021, p. 3. https://lc.org/Site%20Images/Resources/Memo-SampleCOVID-ReligiousExemptionRequests-07262021.pdf. His views dont necessarily represent those of his employers. In most cases, meds are not new to the user as the vaccines are. Far from suggesting that the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in a body that is physically contaminated by illness, microchips, medicines, or other substances, Paul is urging them to keep themselves free from sin. 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. There is a scriptural case to be made for not taking this vaccine. This makes policing religious exemptions to vaccination hard - and rightly so. I think that there needs to be room given to those who are just plain ignorant about vaccines. Flagging vaccination rates over the summer of 2021 combined with a sudden surge of the COVID-19 delta variant in recent weeks have prompted many businesses and organizations, and even some state and federal government entities, to implement vaccination requirements for employees. The average American has a 7th-8th grade reading level. But others will not, and their prudential judgement still follows the religious teaching of the Catholic Faith. "Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for those around you., Baby Jonah in the hospital in 2007. From my perspective, what I call the abortion complicity objection is perhaps the strongest case. Believe in divine immunity," Maldonado said in a bilingual sermon that was translated live and streamed on Facebook. Phone: (202) 547-8105 Such statements have no place in the edifying speech that God requires ofus. In Tandon, a Bible study group in California said it should be exempt from a rule barring in-home gatherings of more than three households. Chip Ellis, who protested the vaccine mandate at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, told The Sun Herald that belief is in part why he submitted a request for a religious exemption. With these goals in mind, in . Religious Exemption. If it seems far-fetched to think a religious entity would claim an exemption from a law that has nothing to do with religious beliefs, remember that religious corporations and institutions have, in recent years, won broad new powers to do everything from underfund their employee pension plans, to refuse to recognize adjunct faculty unions. I want to ask you to re-ask that same question againdoes this distant abortion connection really outrage you, or is it just a get out of jail free card youre willing to use? Logically, a Christian does not have solid ground upon which to stand to claim the non-J&J vaccines are tied to an immoral abortion. I want to do something, so I use God as a blank check, and I get my free pass. You should then print the exemption form to complete the required information and to sign the form. If a Christian is going to feel dirty by being vaccinated, thats the one toavoid. The Third Commandment tells us we must not misuse Gods name (Ex 20:7; Deut 5:11). Religious liberty is precious and should be protected. Some people have a deeply held belief that Arbys makes good roast beef sandwiches. The second argument. He explained he wasnt getting the flu shot because he read about it and they put like three kinds of junks in your arm. Should that person be scorned because he couldnt fully understand the science? According to research by Vanderbilt University, the Dutch Reformed, the Christian Scientists and a few lesser-known faith-healing groups are the only churches operating in the United States that have . Roman Catholic and other Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders have advised followers to get the shots. I would not say that they are unable to process the data out there. Please think very carefully before answering this question. It would be unreasonable for employers to expect people of faith to live by their religious beliefs with 100 percent consistency. The religious exemption from vaccine mandates for . 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. We Must Scream It Down. Health Freedom Idaho offers thisattempt: the New Testament requires of Christians that we, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods. (Mark 12:17). Indeed, courts are already rebuffing COVID-related religious-exemption requests, creating a harmful precedent that will be used against Christians in future cases. "A religious, moral or other exemption of conscience should be ascertained not by documents, but by a simple conversation seeking only to establish that the individual has a sincerely held, reasonable belief that .
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