The Amish or Jehovahs Witness are examples. Get daily news, in-depth reporting and critical analysis from the journalists, activists and thinkers who are working to improve our world.. I think its really important to remember that the Christian right is part of a larger conservative movement, Elizabeth Reiner Platt, one of the reports authors, told Truthout. 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. Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Novavax - HEK293 cells are not used in production of the vaccine. This shift toward religious exceptionalism is, in significant ways, a departure from precedent. The likelihood of the cell line coming from an elective (immoral) abortion is extremely low, because elective abortions were illegal in The Netherlands at that time and it would have been almost impossible for the scientists who developed the HEK293 cell line to have acquired them from an elective abortion. Its biblicalanthropology. But weve also seen Christian right firms advocating for a broader range of conservative policies.. 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. Even so, too much inconsistent behavior justifies questioning whether a persons stated beliefs are sincerely held. There are also those who are highly educated who refuse to get vaccinated. One way we do this is when we invoke God as an authority to justify something we want to do. I had to do a lot of reading to understand mRNA and I still think I barely understand it. In fact, the 22% refusal rate was among the highest of any demographic group the foundation measured. Understand this: A belief that something is a matter of conscience or personal choiceeven if that belief is religiously informedisnt itself a sufficient basis for a religious exemption. So, you and your family are going to risk unnecessary hospitalization and death because Juan Pablo crossed the border without getting a vaccine? American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is proud to be a founding member of the national volunteer COVID-19 Community Corps, which encourages people to get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as it is available to them. 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. The religious exemption from vaccine mandates for . In 1990, the Supreme Court issued a decision called Employment Division v. Smith that essentially concluded that religious entities have to follow laws that apply generally to the rest of the population, even if those laws happen to burden their religious beliefs. Appealing to a religious accommodation that is not sincerely held and uniformly applied dilutes legal options to appeal to when religious liberty is genuinely threatened in the future. 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. If you have elderly friends or family. 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. Under current law, thats enough for employers to turn them down. I think that there needs to be room given to those who are just plain ignorant about vaccines. No one else has to agree. Some may feel concern or anger at being told how they must handle important and personal medical decisions. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Help! I didnt just run out and get it, and Im not going to let my doctor push me into it without a lot more thought andconsideration. 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. Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel said true prophets dont allow for indifference and scream in the night against oppression. People came out with huge numbers, great stories of impending disaster, and the like, much of which turned out to be distorted and exaggerated and some of which was known at the time to be exaggerated anddistorted. If claims like the latter were adequate for religious exemptions, people could excuse themselves from nearly any rulesomething no one thinks is sustainable. 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. Three chapters later, Paul returns to the image of the temple, this time with individual Christians in view. This is a violation of the Third Commandment. "The most notable example was during the Vietnam and Korean [wars], people claiming religious exemptions from the draft.. There are legitimate religious exemptions. HEK293s origins are not absolutely clear. "Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for those around you., Baby Jonah in the hospital in 2007. It is a God-given responsibility and requirement for me to protect the physical integrity of my Body against unclean food andinjections.[3]. Maybe that isnt you. 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. Im not claiming religious or conspiracy reasons, and Im not considering them as part of mycalculation. Few, if any, plausibly assert that receiving the vaccine would violate the employees sincerely held religious beliefs. So, do not. In some cases the placebos are having a more profound affect than the drug that is being tested. Proponents cite the Apostle Pauls well-known remarks at 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19. Little matter, since such aid is not necessary in requesting a religious exemption. A lot of things happened. In this type of situation, they would claim the requirements violate their religious beliefs and seek formal religious exemptions. One Christian named Curtis Chang, who is a former pastor, wrote what Yosemite Sam would consider to be fightinwords: Christians who request religious exemptions rarely even try to offer substantive biblical and theological reasoning. NBC 7 Investigates reached out to the Awaken Church by phone and e-mail multiple times to ask about their religious exemption letters. Paul has something similar in view in his second letter to the Corinthians: let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). Its logical end is to eschew all medical aid in toto. More, Matthew Arbo has a Ph.D. in ethics from the University of Edinburgh, currently serves as a research fellow in Christian Ethics at the ERLC, and has taught at Southeastern, Midwestern, and Southern Seminary in Christian Ethics and Public Theology. If you loathe COVID vaccine mandatesas many dothen engage in public advocacy, use politics, and vote with your feet. To justify divorce in unwarranted circumstances, sexual immorality, sexual confusion, gender identity, and the like. J&J is a different story, because it does use a cell line which originated from an elective abortion - and it even uses them in production of the vaccine. If claims like the latter were adequate for religious exemptions, people could excuse themselves from nearly any rulesomething no one thinks is sustainable. I totally agree with this. What was scheduled as an hour-long chapel service last Wednesday has turned into a multi-day revival at Asbury University. The real problem is that when Christians present contrived demands for religious exemptions, they risk jeopardizing the whole undertaking. But anyway, imagine thisargument, The situation isnt precisely parallel, but the similarities are interesting. If faced with such a mandate, some Christians will likely consider objecting to vaccination requirements on religious grounds. AR-15-style weapons have been used in some of the deadliest shootings in modern U.S. history. 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]. 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 concern for physical well-beingwhile certainly validis a concern shared by everyone, religious or not. 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. "Do not [take] the vaccine. But What Counts as Religious? New York Times, 11 September 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/11/us/covid-vaccine-religion-exemption.html?smid=url-share. Amy Littlefield is a freelance investigative reporter focused on the intersection of religion and health care. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. This letter manages to encapsulate peak narcissism with its interpretivemethod: It is against my faith and my conscience to commit sin. Isaiah 43:2. As Christians with religious objections to vaccines, we share the goals of promoting good health for children and families, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. "For me . 1 Ruth Graham, Vaccine Resisters Seek Religious Exemptions. Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Instead, data suggests that refusing vaccination risks severe illness and possibly death. A relevant ethical question, drawn from scriptural teaching of the value of our bodies and treating them rightly, is whether vaccines harm the body. Perhaps most chillingly, at a time when Roe v. Wade and a host of other important rights are on the chopping block, the case shows how the Supreme Court can upend decades of precedent with relatively little outcry. I think it is 44% of white evangelicals have stated that they will not get thevaccine. The issues here have been around for a very long time," Evans said. The issue of food sacrificed to an idol does not actually affect one's interactive relationship with the Lord. this is just stupid FoxNews stuff where they call anyone who enters who is not a citizen an illegalimmigrant. As governments and businesses implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates, increasing numbers of people are seeking exemption on religious grounds. I would gather that most Christians have no clue about these and/or what they are taking. Presuming for yourself that you are doing the same thing when speaking about things that Scripture does not speak at all about is an entirely differentmatter. We know they have a therapeutic affect. Once downloaded, review all of the information and requirements for the exemption type you have selected. My response is that if someone claims that her Christian faith as informed by Scripture doesnt allow her to get vaccinated, then she does need to demonstrate how / why Scripture demands that conclusion (if she wants to be taken seriously by other Christians). Vaccine mandates have arrived, and so have questions about religious exemptions. While sin has allowed creation to kick back, man still has the ultimately ability and responsibility to subdue it. Some of those battles are important and worth fighting. 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. A gift of any size makes a difference and helps keep this unique platform alive. In order to keep myself from sin, and receive Gods direction in life, I pray and ask God for wisdom and direction daily. As has been already mentioned, we ingest all sorts of unhealthy foods and beverages without blinking an eye. There are no major religions in the United States that are officially opposed to the COVID vaccine, Evans said. This is a violation of the ThirdCommandment. I think it is 44% of white evangelicals have stated that they will not get the vaccine. Religious Exemptions. If it doesnt come from Tucker Carlson or Hannity than it is biased media and we cant listen to it. I know there are legitimate concerns, but there is plenty of information to address those concerns, if people understood how to navigatethat.. Tseng told NBC 7 that he and other San Diego County physicians are being asked to sign off on religious exemptions as well. Please think very carefully before answering this question. Fax: (615) 242-0065, 505 Second St., N.E. Religious exemption forms have no legal standing The exemption forms being produced by some churches and by Liberty Counsel have no legal standing and do not have to be honored by employers or schools, according to lawyers contacted by BNG for confirmation. The second argument. 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. I am one of the. 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? 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 . What has the global church said? 3 Health Freedom Idaho, Sample Letter for Religious Vaccine Exemption, https://healthfreedomidaho.org/sample-letter-for-religious-vaccine-exemption/. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. I cant speak for everyone, but I think youre being overly simplistic. While a few employees might be entitled to religious exemptions from their employers vaccine policies, most of the real-life religious objections Ive seen fall short of the standard. People look for us to be models of . But if you care deeply about religious liberty, please think twice before demanding a religious exemption. people cite religious reasons for their reluctance to receive the shot. The personal convictions carried by people who attend Awaken church are very real,. If they are legal, they have been processed at the border, given a court date and potentially released into the US. Jeffrey Denny. 8:8 that "food does not bring us nearer to God.". To justify divorce in unwarranted circumstances, sexual immorality, sexual confusion, gender identity, and the like. I mean, a cold for him is a big deal," Kirschner said. Rather, the drivers for evangelical resistance are nonreligious and are rooted in deep-seated suspicion of government and vulnerability tomisinformation. 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. 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. She just cant pull the God told me card or defend her position by twistingScripture. DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP October 5, 2021 . And when people say things like this, dont be surprised when people dont believeyou. 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? At the end of the 20 century you had this Lancet article published by Andrew . 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