The mandated vaccine, with its numerous additives and its mechanism for altering my body, is the equivalent of a prohibited unclean food that causes harm to my conscience. 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. 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. 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. They may feel the policy unnecessarily overreaching or discriminatory, or perhaps presumptuous and hasty. Paul warns the Corinthians not to deceive themselves, but to have true wisdom (1 Corinthians3:18). We Must Scream It Down. There is nothing distinctly religious about the fear of bodily harm involved in vaccine hesitancy. That definitely figures into my risk calculation, as does the fact that most vaccines have proven themselves safe overtime. I would never sign off on someones religiousconvictions. be this my shame, That I no more revere His name. As Christians, we have a vested interest in ensuring that it is not. This letter manages to encapsulate peak narcissism with its interpretivemethod: It is against my faith and my conscience to commit sin. But producing high-quality, independent work is not cost-free , If you found the piece above useful, informative, or inspiring, please consider supporting, To donate by check, phone, bitcoin, or other method, see our, Bernie Sanders Reintroduces PRO Act as Labor Activity Is on the Rise, Nebraska Democrat Vows to Filibuster All Bills Until Anti-Trans Bill Is Defeated, Immigrants Win Unprecedented Settlement Over Violent ICE Workplace Raid, The Nuclear War in Ukraine May Not Be the One We Expect, Truthout Center for Grassroots Journalism. Now, to the religious justificationsthemselves. The truth of what Paul wrote should matter more to us than the use to which it can be put in court. Essentially all of the conspiracy theories. But, it is true for too many Christians. Snow, Rain and Wind in the Forecast Yet Again. Even the pope says that is a more extreme condition than what is actually necessary, Evans told NBC 7. Smith, it appears that there is no constitutional requirement for the government, including the public schools that it operates, to provide religious exemptions when mandating vaccines to receive . He just asserts it as a deeply held belief. That isnt good enough. When I was 19-weeks pregnant, during an ultrasound, they identified a mass in his left lung, Kirschner said. This vaccine has only been in existence a short time, and even if you think theres almost no chance it could have long term effects, you have no proof of that, and neither does anyone else. I think the comment here is innocent and innocuous. I think the frustration that is out there, and maybe it isnt directed at this individual, is the lies that are posted out there and the ignorance that people have in trying to discern truth. If you dont want to get the vaccine, thats your choice. Washington, DC 20002 Johnson & Johnson did use a replicated fetal cell line in the production of its vaccine, and Pfizer and Moderna used them to test the effectiveness of their vaccines. people cite religious reasons for their reluctance to receive the shot. Here are nine things you should know about revival and the history of revivals in America. Were proud to publish real news 365 days of the year, completely free of charge to our readers. Still, some Christians find this horrifying. The issue of food sacrificed to an idol does not actually affect one's interactive relationship with the Lord. The Amish or Jehovahs Witness are examples. We know they have a therapeutic affect. Spreading the Word of God: A Guide for Religious Exemption to Immunization with Biblical Scripture Reference Paperback - January 14, 2020 by Tiffany A T Guay (Author) 4.6 out of 5 stars 33 ratings But others will not, and their prudential judgement still follows the religious teaching of the Catholic Faith. There may be people that think that Paul is talking about the Corinthians as a whole in this passage, but that is the wronginterpretation. This argument is a non-starter. This is absurd. There would have been no reason for them to specifically try to obtain the cells from an elective abortion. As it turns out, a large number of everyday productsincluding over-the-counter medicines, prescription drugs, and cosmeticsall have a similar attenuated relationship to these cell lines. 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 . I also think that many people would be surprised at the how rapid the placebo affect is getting better. It is worth considering the implications of Pauls words if they did mean what those seeking exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine take them to mean. I just dont get these arguments. With these goals in mind, in . A service of Logos Bible Software. Read 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. Guam, let's unite against arm-twisting tyranny and respect everyone's personal medical and religious choice. If they are legal, they have been processed at the border, given a court date and potentially released into the US. In this type of situation, they would claim the requirements violate their religious beliefs and seek formal religious exemptions. AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES USA. I also think that many people would be surprised at the number of drugs in the marketplace that are barely statistically better than a placebo. The Bible tells us that we are responsible for where our children go in life (Proverbs 22:6). 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? Theres a difference between an employee who says, Im unable to work Sundays because its my day of worship, and another who says, I object to working Sundays because I have a religious belief that what I do with my weekends is a matter of personal choice.. The abortion connection has the most merit, but I again caution believers to avoid misusing Gods name and violating the ThirdCommandment. Few, if any, plausibly assert that receiving the vaccine would violate the employees sincerely held religious beliefs. But religious freedom is distorted and in the long run can be imperiled when it is stretched to cover claims of individual liberty that do not have a religious basis. God gave us His word. She quoted a passage from the New Testament: Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.[1], The Louisiana Attorney General provides a sample exemption letter with an identical objection. It is free for your use with no guarantees that it will do anything for you other than successfully line your hamster's cage. Please make sure all fields are filled out. People with religious exemptions are not just looking for excuses, people get these exemptions because . Should Christian Parents Send Their Children to Public Schools? Philosophical exemptions: Also called personal-belief exemptions Religious exemptions: Based on the tenets of an organized religion that prohibits vaccinating its members Before You Decide to Homeschool Your Gifted Child Religious Exemptions At the end of the 20 century you had this Lancet article published by Andrew . My Body Is a Temple I've seen 1 Corinthians 6:19 quoted in countless vaccine exemption requests. A seatbelt and a life preserver are worn on the outside of the body and are visible. That word has content. It would be unreasonable for employers to expect people of faith to live by their religious beliefs with 100 percent consistency. It read, inpart: Accordingly I believe, pursuant to my Christian faith, that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. 3 in 5 white evangelicals believe that the election was stolen, despite absolutely no proof of it. Isaiah 43:2. You get it. This class of drugs impact dopamine and seratonin. Evans said he expects legal battles over religious exemptions. 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. Kirschner and others have concerns that people may try to misuse religious exemptions to avoid employer and government vaccine mandates, exposing loved ones to the virus. The goal is not to vaccinate illegal immigrants, it is to remove them from the country. He is warning them about the effect of their own divisive actions on the community. 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. Austin Stevenson is a PhD Candidate in Theology at the University of Cambridge. 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. (It should be noted that some versions of these requirements do allow for individuals to forgo the vaccine in exchange for submitting to routine COVID-19 testing.). In some instances, plaintiffs have cited specific Bible verses to support their opposition to the vaccine, such as I Corinthians 6:19, Psalm 139:13 and Isaiah 49:1. And while each person is free to live according to their sincerely held beliefs, Christians, in particular, should consider the call of Christ when weighing our decisions. Religious liberty is precious and should be protected. This makes policing religious exemptions to vaccination hard - and rightly so. The Supreme Courts ruling in the Tandon case could, at least in theory, open the door to religious exemptions from a whole host of regulations from gun laws, which make exemptions for security guards, to traffic laws, which make exemptions for emergency vehicles, the report notes. People misuse Gods name for all sorts of sins. Jackie Gale has never had a single vaccination because she believes that the Bible . The temple of God objection is not a matter of conscience, its cowardice. Second, the sample letter mistakenly interprets the temple motif to refer to physical pollution to ones body, when Paul is in fact interjecting a rhetorical question (an accusation, really) about sins that may destroy their community (the temple), among which Christresides. Its in thebible! Wrestling with the moral tragedy of vaccines, The problem of an ethically compromised COVID-19 vaccine, Christian ethics and the dilemma of triage during a pandemic, Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. And when people say things like this, dont be surprised when people dont believeyou. 6:19-20 is talking about the Corinthians collectively as the temple. Some may, for example, express concerns about infertility, or the lack of longitudinal studies, or that their employer has simply violated their rights. 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.. It is a God-given responsibility and requirement for me to protect the physical integrity of my Body against unclean food andinjections.[3]. He explains that the sins of sexual immorality and idolatry defile the body and the spirit, and he urges them to free themselves of it (see also 1 Thessalonians 5:19-24). Moses grew and was educated as a noble among Egyptians (1022). In our experience, the reasons appealed to by some evangelicals for refusing vaccinations are not, strictly speaking, religious, but personal, philosophical, or political. Claiming a religious exemption to the covid vaccine is not only asinine but it also weakens true religious exemption claims over legit issues forbelievers. What were doing (using we loosely here) is increasing our rapidly secularizing societys aversion to Christianity even as we win court battles here and there. Seeking a religious exemption should very clearly rest on apparent and applicable religious beliefs. Pauls warning is not about the pollution of their individual physical bodies, nor any threat from outside. We witness this most acutely on the cross. Unvaccinated employees may have any number of personal responses to a policy of vaccine mandates. When the Bible is placed in the hands of the people, void of any kind of authoritative religious community to guide them in their proper understanding of the text, the people can make it say. There is no Christian belief that the body must be kept free from physical contamination in order to be a fitting vessel of the Holy Spirit. I am pro-drugs, and worked in the pharma industry for nearly 20 years. 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. Commentators cited Murdoch's deposition as evidence that the network couldn't be trusted to report the facts. But the long-term consequences for religious liberty are what Im most worried about: that so many of these exemption requests seem mislabeled or disingenuous will invite courtsand the publicto place a tourniquet on religious exemptions generally (i.e., beyond the pandemic context). I understand I dont have *every* fact at my disposal, but I try to make as good a calculation as I can and stick by it, until or unless I see evidence that makes me reevaluate it. I made the comment, I think, but I probably should have checked itfirst. The entire family is now vaccinated against the coronavirus, but they worry that Jonah wont be fully protected until everyone around him gets vaccinated as well. In order to keep myself from sin, and receive Gods direction in life, I pray and ask God for wisdom and direction daily. The Awaken Church lists this as the most notably significant reason why the acceptance of these vaccines would be considered sinful.. The decision could affect everything from traffic laws to racial discrimination. Evans said the threshold for religious exemptions comes down to proving whether the person attempting to obtain one has sincerely held beliefs against getting vaccinated on religious grounds. one person sharpens another. Articles on religious exemptions. White Supremacist Christianity Drives Trumps Loyal Mob. 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. This is why, when appealing to religious liberty as the basis for an exemption, Christians should proceed carefully. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me. Now we come to religious exemptions for vaccines. Some Christians claim the various COVID vaccines have a connection to abortion. And in Washington state, some 3,800 state workers are have requested religious exemptions to Gov. So if we are going to talk about being careful with sources and data, then lets begin by being careful with sources and data. There is a reason why U.S.A. are God's country. James describes such wisdom as first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy (James 3:17). Each of these, it seems, would violate the purity of their bodily temple, making it unsuitable as a vessel for the Holy Spirit. You can see theproblem. Views reflected in this article may not reflect those of their current or previous employers. Regarding medications- in most cases theyve been around a while. In 6:19-20, however, it is clear that the individual bodies of believers is in view. But while this objection is coherent and religious, its usually deployed too selectively to qualify as sincerely held. We dont possess ourselves but are ourselves possessed by him (1 Cor 6:20). Jeremiah 29:11. We would like to bring to the readers attention our perspective and experience on these important issues as they navigate these difficult questions. Because their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19). If claims like the latter were adequate for religious exemptions, people could excuse themselves from nearly any rulesomething no one thinks is sustainable. More importantly, stop blaming God for your moronicdecisions. The temple of God objection is not a matter of conscience, itscowardice. The author provides no justification about why the vaccine violates his conscience. Could there be a point that vaccines are a gift of God? In . For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians6:19-20) Here, Paul is repeating a refrain from earlier in this same letter: Do you not know that you are Gods temple and that Gods Spirit dwells in you? (3:16). I think that is where their argument would breakdown. Here is a representative example from a professing Christian, quoted in the New York Times: My freedom and my childrens freedom and childrens childrens freedom are at stake, said Ms. Holmes, who lives in Indiana. This is a violation of the ThirdCommandment. Some have been saying I belong to Apollos (which is to say, Im a member of Apolloss faction), while others say I belong to Paul. According to this letter, if the Spirit has moved you then you have a free passpresumably about anything. The New York Times reports thefollowing: In rural Hudson, Iowa, Sam Jones has informed his small congregation at Faith Baptist Church that he is willing to provide them with a four-paragraph letter stating that a Christian has no responsibility to obey any government outside of the scope that has been designated by God.[6]. Help! 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. Tyler Robbins is a bi-vocational pastor at Sleater Kinney Road Baptist Church, in Olympia WA. Indeed, some bishops have opted for a heavy-handed, coercive approach, even prohibiting their priests from aiding local Catholics who seek a religious exemption. So, he is not referring to you as an individual at all. 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