Freedom of religion plays an important role in our society, but it is always in danger of being abused and misused. The goal is not to vaccinate illegal immigrants, it is to remove them from the country. 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. Seemingly disparate anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice bills can all be traced to a handbook produced by theocrats. "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father." 1 Timothy 5:1. There may well be valid religious exemptions out there from a Christian perspective. Get daily news, in-depth reporting and critical analysis from the journalists, activists and thinkers who are working to improve our world.. We take pharmaceuticals (over the counter or prescription) all the time without pulling the temple of God card, and we have no idea what is in them that makes them work. Those statements were made by people (Jesus, Paul) who spoke and/or wrote under infallible and inerrant direction and filling of the Spirit. But my passion for religious liberty is exactly why Im concerned about the wave of requests for so-called religious exemptions from employer vaccine mandatesrequests that pastors around the country are being asked to write or approve. Encouragement for Anglican Pastors, Downplaying the Sin of Homosexuality Wont Win the Next Generation, 9 Things You Should Know About Revivals in America, When You Dont Feel Like Having Sex with Your Spouse, The Burning Question from Asbury Isnt About Asbury, Megachurch Marriage for the Bachelor Pastor: A Story of Love that Lasts, Ordinary and Extraordinary: A Day at the Asbury Awakening, Tim Keller on the Decline and Renewal of the American Church. Views reflected in this article may not reflect those of their current or previous employers. NBC 7 Investigates obtained a copy of the religious-exemption letter that Awaken is offering to its members. But a vaccine that does not reside in the body, has a significant statistical advantage, has had 20 years of testing, the biochemical functions are well understood and can be studied in real living people, are extremely safe, are manufactured in controlled environments regulated by laws and has been distributed to almost 50% of the worlds population is considered quackscience. If you have elderly friends or family. 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 . Current employees may initiate a religious exemption request within the vaccination verification system. 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. 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. Unvaccinated employees may have any number of personal responses to a policy of vaccine mandates. To justify divorce in unwarranted circumstances, sexual immorality, sexual confusion, gender identity, and the like. Jackie Gale has never had a single vaccination because she believes that the Bible . U.S.A. grants Religious Exemptions to not to take Vaccines. 2 Retrieved from http://ladoj.ag.state.la.us/Article/10941. These are what defile a person. (Matthew 15:11, 19-20). OPINION | JOHN BRUMMETT: Test of faith in exemption. He also works in State government. The truth is out there but people have becomedeceived.. There is a scriptural case to be made for not taking this vaccine. 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. You may object and cite an abortion connection, freedom of conscience, and the like. Many are not, and every ridiculous fight over an spurious religious objection does more harm to religious liberty than many measures fromsecularists. One way to be introspective here is to consider whether you were already against the vaccine before you learned about the abortionnexus. We dont know chemically how they impact a human, but we can see behavorially that they have an impact. But, it is true for too many Christians. Im happy to see how things play out first (and yes, time figures into my risk calculation aswell). Youth voting blocs are so powerful that most schools have enough students to easily tip an election in key states. 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. Options for the sacrilegious. The Awaken Church lists this as the most notably significant reason why the acceptance of these vaccines would be considered sinful.. A religious exemption played a critical role. I still can't bring myself to think that there is a religious reason you wouldn't get vaccinated or even consider the possibility of getting vaccinated," Kirschner said. There are legitimate religious exemptions. From my perspective, what I call the abortion complicity objection is perhaps the strongest case. A gift of any size makes a difference and helps keep this unique platform alive. The truth is out there but people have become deceived. If the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in a body that has been contaminated by chemicals or debilitated by injury (let alone in a body injected with a safe and effective vaccine), then countless people who have fallen victim to natural or manmade disasters would be bereft of the presence of God. I agree. Will the Equal Rights Amendment Finally Be Added to the US Constitution? Nonetheless, the question I would like to consider is whether a vaccine could, in theory, go against Pauls exhortation in this passage. one person sharpens another. 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 . What foolishness. A service of Logos Bible Software. Yes, some Catholics might believe the COVID-19 pandemic evil enough and the participation remote enough to justify the shot. The second argument. If youre using God as a free pass to escape a vaccine mandate, then youre violating the ThirdCommandment. Requests for religious exemptions from workplace policies were . Religious liberty is precious and should be protected. The service members argue that both the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the First Amendment require the federal government to allow exemptions for their sincerely held religious beliefs, especially since they are willing to take other precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in lieu of vaccination and the Navy is . 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. 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. An example would be drugs around depression. Photo courtesy of Erin Kirschner, Dr. William Tseng from Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. she does need to demonstrate how / why Scripture demands that conclusion (if she wants to be taken seriously by other Christians). Its logical end is to eschew all medical aid in toto. DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP October 5, 2021 . "The flu would most likely require hospitalization and COVID. The biggest class of drugs that are an exemplar of this is the CNS class (or Central Nervous System). But we certainly can explain the known facts to help them understand better, especially if they are being coerced into getting a vaccine they currently believe has immoralorigins. Various news outlets explain this connection is distant and far removed, and that the vaccines themselves dont contain fetal tissue. One little-noticed Supreme Court ruling upended decades of precedent. (Proverbs 27:17). And it reflects differently on a population than reality does. 3 in 5 white evangelicals believe that the election was stolen, despite absolutely no proof of it. This is a violation of the ThirdCommandment. Your information is being handled in accordance with the, How conspiracy theories undermine the common good. Roman Catholic and other Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders have advised followers to get the shots. People are unfortunately suspicious of newthings. Larry, youve mentioned this in several threads, and I have responded to this in several threads. He is warning them about the effect of their own divisive actions on the community. Many Christians are justifiably concerned about government overreach. Very clearly the Torah says choose life." City Moving Slowly 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. by John Brummett | September 15, 2021 at 3:17 a.m. That word has content. If we take Pauls words seriously, our main concern shouldnt be the physical purity of our own bodies, but the purity of our witness to the world around us. Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel said true prophets dont allow for indifference and scream in the night against oppression. The Corinthians have been drawing lines of separation based on who brought them to the faith. We are not our own because we belong to the crucified and resurrected Lord. The difference is that you dont have people screaming that blood pressure medication has computer chips, aborted fetal cells, changes your DNA, safety was skipped.. And why should they do this? 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. 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! Displaying all articles. Such statements have no place in the edifying speech that God requires ofus. Lets begin with Pauls first letter to the Corinthians itself. Read All rights reserved, San Diego and California's COVID-19 Emergency Declarations Expire Tuesday. White Supremacist Christianity Drives Trumps Loyal Mob. Like Bert, Im not ever going to be the first on my block to run out and get something. That makes absolutely nosense. Kirschners son Jonah, who is 13 years old, was diagnosed with congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation before he was born. They may feel the policy unnecessarily overreaching or discriminatory, or perhaps presumptuous and hasty. They, by nature and theology, belong to the individual. They consider vaccination a personal choice and argue the government shouldnt encourage or force employers to dictate this choice for workers. In particular, he commands them not to engage the services of prostitutes, and in general to shun fornication (6:18). Evans said he expects legal battles over religious exemptions. 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). We dont possess ourselves but are ourselves possessed by him (1 Cor 6:20). But, this woman isnt you. 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? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost,. But if you care deeply about religious liberty, please think twice before demanding a religious exemption. Supposedly thats actually a known side effect but who knows. We know they have a therapeutic affect. The Amish or Jehovahs Witness are examples. "There's several different religious beliefs and doctrines associated with evangelicals, especially the belief in inerrancy of scripture, which is the belief that the bible is the literal word of God," Campbell explained. Given the near ubiquity of this phrase in the sphere of health and wellness, most people are likely to have forgotten that it comes from the apostle Paul. Im reminded of an old public service ad campaign long ago that emphasized stop, drop, and roll if you find yourself on fire. 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 twisting Scripture. And I am not so sure the church is acting properly toward ittoday. I once had a friend who was a believer in my church. Thus, a strong religious exemption would be based on recognized scriptural precept or a particular church or traditions confession or teaching. Here is a sample of a Religious Exemption letter. 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. As Jesus explains, "it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth." He goes on to explain that "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. So the Jews (o) call the body of a righteous man the habitation of the Holy Spirit. In response to questions from Catholics about COVID-19 vaccine mandates being imposed by employers or other authorities, the bishops of South Dakota . Some of those battles are important and worth fighting. That being said, if a Christian thinks it is wrong to take a vaccine that involved a cell line that came from a miscarriage, then, logically, that Christian would also have to be against organ donor/recipient situations. All that remained was for the spoils from the culture war, among them tax exemption for churches, to be divvied among the victors, who would decide whether to be magnanimous or punitive to the. A religious nonprofit could claim it doesnt have to pay its workers a minimum wage, because the states minimum-wage law has an exemption for contract work. people cite religious reasons for their reluctance to receive the shot. My issue istwo-fold: First, calling it cowardice. . NBC 7 Investigates reached out to the Awaken Church by phone and e-mail multiple times to ask about their religious exemption letters. 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. Meeting together in person and singing together are commanded in the Bible, say church leaders. But these cell lines were isolated from two fetuses from the Netherlands in 1973 and 1985 and then replicated over decades, and are commonly used to create and test other medications as well. -Joseph Grigg (1720-1768). I think many people would be surprised that pharmacies still do compounding when directed by a doctor. And a Texas-based. The biggest thing we can do to those in our church is to help them understand how to discern truth. The Christian right filed a barrage of cases. 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