"Do not [take] the vaccine. I see pastors offering to sign letters of religious objection. But ask yourself, Is [insert religious justification] really why I dont want the vaccine, or is [insert religious justification] a convenient pass for me to avoid something I just dont want to do? If the answer is yes, then youre in danger of violating the ThirdCommandment. Could there be a point that vaccines are a gift of God? In particular, he commands them not to engage the services of prostitutes, and in general to shun fornication (6:18). The Bible says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17 KJV). Commentators cited Murdoch's deposition as evidence that the network couldn't be trusted to report the facts. 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 author wishes to make sin Play-Dough; its anything the Holy Spirit impresses upon him to be wrong. I think the comment here is innocent and innocuous. Dr. William Tseng from Kaiser Permanente in San Diego said there are legitimate medical reasons for skipping the vaccine. In our experience, the reasons appealed to by some evangelicals for refusing vaccinations are not, strictly speaking, religious, but personal, philosophical, or political. 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. Psalms 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Fairenough. People are unfortunately suspicious of newthings. Im only arguing Christians shouldnt demand religious exemptions if they choose not to be vaccinated. With that said, many people might be surprised at the number of drugs that are in the marketplace that we have no clarity around what makes them work. Another popular search during the pandemic was Jeremiah 29:11, which says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm . News organizations expressed concern that Carlson would use the tapes to push an "ideologically-based narrative.". Lets start with the basics. 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! Now we come to religious exemptions for vaccines. Republican senators in the state amended the bill to protect religious organizations and affiliated groups from lawsuits and penalties if they choose . These deficient exemption requests tend to fall into three categories of objections: personal autonomy, my body is a temple, or abortion complicity. Arbo has represented individuals and entities in a wide variety of corporate and nonprofit matters, as well as teaching at a number of religious universities. Statement of Religious Exemption. Vaccine-resistant workers are sharing tips online for requesting exemptions to the requirements on religious grounds; others are submitting letters from far-flung religious authorities who have advertised their willingness to help. It must not be! This is why, when appealing to religious liberty as the basis for an exemption, Christians should proceed carefully. Some people argue getting injected with a foreign substance such as a vaccine would defile their bodies, which they say is sinful. The move is a gamble, as the gathering is seen as a means for presidential hopefuls to gain support among conservatives. 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. This seems another fundamental misunderstanding of the religious exemption (in all cases, not just this one). In the meantime, Kirschner is pleading with those who havent gotten vaccinated yet to reconsider, for her son's sake and others like him. Tseng told NBC 7 that he and other San Diego County physicians are being asked to sign off on religious exemptions as well. And that was challenged when they mandated that all health care . 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). 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. 6:19-20 is talking about the Corinthians collectively as the temple. 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. They use FDA approved drugs, but their compounded has never been tested andapproved. It is a God-given responsibility and requirement for me to protect the physical integrity of my Body against unclean food andinjections.[3]. PER.C6 came from an elective (immoral) abortion at 18weeks. From my perspective, what I call the abortion complicity objection is perhaps the strongest case. Because their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19). 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. It is a God-given responsibility and requirement for me to protect the physical integrity of my Body against unclean food and injections.[3]. She just cant pull the God told me card or defend her position by twisting Scripture. I just dont get these arguments. Its in thebible! 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. 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. Nor the Bill of Rights. There may be people that think that Paul is talking about the Corinthians as a whole in this passage, but that is the wronginterpretation. The pastor owes it to his congregation to provide a more robust argument than this. HEK293 cells are only used in testing to confirm antibodies are produced when the cells are exposed to thevaccine. What is the conscience issue with the vaccine? Lost in the weeds was a legal bomb. Ashli Arbo has been practicing law since 2007 and is a graduate of Union University and Liberty University School of Law. "There's also a general kind of theological belief in the sovereignty of God, that He is the one who knows best. 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. But attributing it to cowardice is misguided and unhelpful, and in some cases not even true. Please think very carefully before answering this question. An example would be drugs around depression. There is a reason why U.S.A. are God's country. Its about the bigger picture that has been talked about all through COVID. 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. The failure of the government to grant religious objectors an exemption from nearly any law or policy now amounts to religion-based discrimination, no matter the importance of the public interest being protected by the law even the publics interest in staying healthy during a global pandemic, concludes the report, titled, We The People (of Faith): The Supremacy of Religious Rights in the Shadow of a Pandemic. Under this broad conception of religious liberty, policymakers could be constitutionally required to exempt religious adherents from regulations enacted to protect labor and workers rights, public health, civil rights, and other critical policy goals., The report outlines chilling examples that could result from this broad new religious power. With these goals in mind, in . He blogs as the Eccentric Fundamentalist. The challenge facing those making the abortion-complicity argument is that the relationship between tainted fetal cell lines and at least two of the available COVID vaccines is highly attenuated. In this type of situation, they would claim the requirements violate their religious beliefs and seek formal religious exemptions. One organization, called Health Freedom Idaho, published a sample exemption letter on its website that used this objection and cited these passages. Couple that with the massive disinformation peddled at their reading level and I can understand why manyrefuse. 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). 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. He's had, you know, reduced breathing capabilities since then, Kirschner said. Should Christians be opposed to vaccination? We have just been trying to get through the pandemic as best as we can, said Erin Kirschner, a Carmel Valley resident and mother. Is mandatory COVID-19 vaccination ethical? There is nothing distinctly religious about the fear of bodily harm involved in vaccine hesitancy. Christian notions of purity are not about food laws and physical cleanliness, but about the heart. Many people are using Bible verses to justify their stance against vaccines. Their conscience may still bind them because it is true that no man knows for sure if HEK293 involved an immoral abortion, and we would be wrong to try to convince them otherwise. 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. If you're heartsick over racial injustice. Whatever reasons a person may have for refusing vaccination, it is important to resist the temptation to endow those reasons with religious significance merely as a strategy for securing exemption from an employer mandate. Universities have so far indicated nervousness about religious claims, even though a judge has ruled that Indiana University, which did offer religious exemptions, could implement neutral COVID . I think it is 44% of white evangelicals have stated that they will not get the 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. He holds degrees from The Masters University, Talbot School of Theology, and the University of Virginia. In August, she submitted an exemption request she wrote herself, bolstered by her own Bible study and language from sources online. Those statements were made by people (Jesus, Paul) who spoke and/or wrote under infallible and inerrant direction and filling of the Spirit. I am pro-drugs, and worked in the pharma industry for nearly 20 years. Fax: (202) 547-8165, there is little to no evidence that they do. Some of us definitely are making a calculation as to risk/reward. The New York Times, Sept. 11, 2021. After all, natural illness is one of the main causes of impurity in Leviticus. Theres more at stake here than whether any particular religious exemption request is approved or denied (no doubt many employers are rubber-stamping these simply to avoid labor shortages). And when people say things like this, dont be surprised when people dont believeyou. One way we do this is when we invoke God as an authority to justify something we want to do. As Christians with religious objections to vaccines, we share the goals of promoting good health for children and families, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. We just hope the behavior improvements are better than the side effects that practically everyonefaces. What should Christians think about them? Options for the sacrilegious. A relevant ethical question, drawn from scriptural teaching of the value of our bodies and treating them rightly, is whether vaccines harm the body. "The most notable example was during the Vietnam and Korean [wars], people claiming religious exemptions from the draft.. Third if the immigrant has entered the US, has lawful entry, and has been processed appropriately with the correct visa status and has a right to work in the US, then they will fall under the OSHA guidelines that are being developed and will be vaccinated in accordance to those guidelines just as with every other worker at thatcompany. No such direct prohibition exists within wider Christian theology, but these religious groups are able to appeal to a unique teaching wholly adopted by their specific faith tradition. 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. 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.. Whenever he gets a cold, even just a minor cold, it just lingers in his chest, and he has a really hard time.. 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. In Washington the process to receive a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine is determined by the individual human resources department of the agency, school district or health care facility. Such a claim might be motivated by the belief that their constitutionally protected rights are being infringed upon and that their religious sentiments are sufficient grounds for refusal. Look anywhere, and youll find professing Christians using God as justification for their unholy ways. These are what defile a person. (Matthew 15:11, 19-20). But if youre a federal employee, if youre a marshal, a Border Patrol agent, wherever you work, you have to get it. In some cases the placebos are having a more profound affect than the drug that is being tested. Amy Littlefield is a freelance investigative reporter focused on the intersection of religion and health care. 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. Once downloaded, review all of the information and requirements for the exemption type you have selected. Were proud to publish real news 365 days of the year, completely free of charge to our readers. That makes absolutely nosense. 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. (it seems like) there is a risk/reward calculation that causes them to skipit. of that Friend On whom for heaven my hopes depend! 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. Twisting Scripture something we want to do and when people say things like this, dont be when. Been tested andapproved stated that they will not get the vaccine not about food laws and physical cleanliness, about! Of situation, they would claim the requirements violate their religious beliefs and seek formal religious exemptions well! 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