Note: Based on availability of more resources and more experience getting exemptions successfully (particularly in medical care), we have updated our answers on 11/23/2021. We have added a new document on our COVID Vaccines Religious Exemption page which links the COVID jabs to the Mark of the Beast and to demonic forces.
Note: Based on more information provided, we have updated our COVID Vaccine Religious Exemption page to include two more reasons for exemptions – free will and following the saints. We have also updated this page with additional information. Update 10/18/2021.
As an Orthodox Christian, you oppose abortion. You are aware that the COVID vaccines all made use, in some way(s), of aborted fetal cells. Despite the fact that some sources still lie about this, having done your research, you know the truth and have applied for your religious exemption. If you are lucky, it is approved. If you are not lucky, you may get a request for additional information.
HR may pose as your friend, but rest assured, they are not. Treat HR like a police interrogation. The more information you provide, the worse it is for you. You need enough to indicate the sincerity of your beliefs and the fact that you do practice your faith, but not too much that you invite a challenge. Exercise your right to privacy as much as possible. The questions below are an example of what you could get from HR with some suggestions as to how to approach them. Remember – if in doubt, an attorney is often a very good investment.
Please provide the following information so that we may engage in appropriate interactive dialogue to determine how best to meet your needs as well as those of the company and its employees.
Your need is for a religious exemption, which they could have readily granted. This is not a dialogue that will be in your best interests. HR may pretend they just want to understand your request better. The truth is usually that they are looking for ways to deny the request. Don’t make that job easy for them by trusting them too much. Also, the questions below are frequently being used in place of allowing you to write up an exemption letter. We have put a lot of information to give you options to choose from among the various Orthodox Christian beliefs that prevent us (or anyone who even believes in the authority of Church, whether a member of not) from getting these jabs. Remember to always rewrite any answers in your own words, as many employees who copied / pasted from the Internet have been denied when HR found the source documents via a Web search.
A reader brought our attention to Lawyer Jeff Childers who gives excellent general information on religious exemptions at his website coffeeandcovid.com Here is a sample of some of his advice from his October 11, 2021 email/post that helps frame your interaction with HR and management:
“Let me be clear about something. There’s no such thing as a “religious exemption REQUEST.” You don’t have to REQUEST it. It’s the LAW. They have to accommodate your religious or moral beliefs. It’s the employer’s burden, not yours. All you have to do is NOTIFY THEM of your sincerely-held religious or moral beliefs. Stop thinking you have to beg for it.”
Please listen to this leaked call where a DOJ lawyer himself says that most of the religious exemption requests will be approved. They are simply too hard to challenge. Even if the employer asks about prior or ongoing product / medicine usage tainted with aborted fetal cells, the employees just have to say that they didn’t know and won’t use those products / medicines again. Listen to the call here on Twitter.
For additional perspective, we recommend Peggy Hall’s videos We also recommend visiting the Liberty Counsel Website. In addition to resources, you can get help on how to handle a rejection and you can register for legal help if you are suffering from religious discrimination.
1. Please describe your sincerely-held religious belief, practice, and/or observance that is preventing you from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
My sincere, deeply held religious objections to COVID vaccines are multi-faceted. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine would violate my sincerely held religious beliefs. I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian. According to the unwavering, almost two-thousand-year-old tradition of the Orthodox Church, abortion is an abominable act before God’s eyes that I cannot condone nor in any way participate. Eastern Orthodox Christianity condemns the harvesting of biological materials from an individual without their informed consent. Further, The Social Life Document of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is the largest Orthodox Jurisdiction on Earth, defines the absolute inadmissibility of medicines prepared using fetal cell therapy.
The same Social Life Document also states “The transplantation of organs from a living donor can be based only on the voluntary self-sacrifice for the sake of another’s life. In this case, the consent to removal of an organ becomes a manifestation of love and compassion. However, a potential donor should be fully informed about possible consequences of the explanation of his organ for his health. The explanation that presents an immediate threat to the life of a donor is morally inadmissible.” By definition, removal and use of the organs of a murdered child can never involve ethical consent. This is immoral in the eyes of a righteous God and absolutely prohibited.
Further, the Holy Canons of the Eastern Orthodox Church on abortion contain ecclesiastical rules according to Holy Apostles, the ancient Ecumenical Councils of the Church, and the testimony of revered theologians and bishops:
“A woman that aborts deliberately is liable to trial as a murderess.”
(Canon 2 of St. Basil the Great’s 92 Canons)
Anyone who assists her or participates in an abortion in any way would also bear her sin, and would also be considered a murderer.
All COVID-19 vaccines are produced using biological material and developed and/or tested using aborted fetal cells that date back to 1973 (the HEK-293 kidney cell line) and 1985 (the PER.C6 retinal cell line). Research confirming this can be provided upon request.
As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, because of my sincere belief derived from my Church’s teaching on abortion, the use of fetal therapy, and the use of bodily organs / cells without valid consent, I cannot receive these COVID-19 vaccines. By taking these COVID-19 vaccines, I would be an accomplice to the original acts of abortion and bodily violations (without consent) of the innocent the same as if I had perpetrated those acts myself. Taking any of these vaccines would violate my sincerely held religious beliefs.
As an Orthodox Christian, I am under obedience to my spiritual father. In counseling, my spiritual father directly warned me not to take these vaccines. To ignore this direct counsel, which is the Will of God for my life, and accept any of these vaccines would be a grave sin. In my personal devotions, God has also confirmed His Will that I am to avoid these vaccines. My free will, as an Orthodox Christian, must be directed towards obeying God’s Will or I risk falling into damnation.
Recent saints and holy elders not yet officially recognized as saints warned the Orthodox faithful not to receive a future vaccine that would be obligatory or anything associated with it. A quote from Elder Justin Parvu of Romania (1919-2013) published in 2009 summarizes this: “So, do not receive this vaccine or anything that the new political powers bring you today.”
Saint Paisios of Mount Athos is a saint that is particularly close to me and my family. We pray for his guidance daily. St. Paisos prophesied in the present tense, prior to his repose and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit: “And now a vaccine has been developed to combat a new disease, which will be obligatory and those taking it will be marked… My Spiritual fathers tell me that this is the system through which the Antichrist has chosen to take over the whole world, and people who are not part of this system won’t be able to find work and so on, – whether black or white or red; in other words, everyone he will take over through an economic system that controls the global economy, and only those who have accepted the seal, the mark of the number 666, will be able to participate in business dealings.”
As the Apostle John received revelations concerning future events that have taken place, are taking place, and will take place, holy elders of the Orthodox Church continue to receive similar revelations. Additional saints and holy elders warning Orthodox Christians not to partake of the Covid vaccines are: Metropolitan Augustinos Kantiotes of Florina, and Elder Savvas Achilleos.
Competent and discerning Orthodox spiritual authorities, including my own spiritual father, have declared, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that all of these prophecies apply to the COVID vaccines. I fully believe that this is true and believe sincerely and deeply that these prophecies are warnings directly from God that Orthodox Christians are not to take these vaccines. Our Free Will must be exercised to adhere to the commandments of God or we fall into severe sin and possible damnation.
Holy elders of the Orthodox Church, particularly on our holiest site Mt. Athos, have reported recent encounters with demons concerning the vaccine. The demons have revealed to them that the use of fetal cell lines from procured abortion is foundational to how the demons enter those who receive these vaccines. These holy men have cautioned that the vaccines and related passports are fundamentally changing us and leading to the Mark of the Beast. Taking the vaccine is tantamount to rejecting God and embracing demonic possession with the eventual goal of enslaving mankind. I cannot participate in an activity supported by demons without directly rejecting God. Nor can I participate in bringing the regime of the Anti-Christ into existence.
Also, my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I have been warned by many spiritual mentors that the COVID vaccines contain multiple impurities which are violations of my temple. These include: graphene oxide, metallic flecks, iridescent wafers, gelatinous material, live parasites resembling the Hydra vulgaris, HIV 1, Chromosome 8, a synthetic amino acid called “Pseudouridylyl,” and Hydrogel which composes the nanolipid particles that envelope the mRNA and which is used in Transhumanist experiments.
NOTE: Archpriest Alexander Webster (a former seminary dean) gives a great explanation of the morally unacceptable nature of the vaccines starting at 17:00 minutes in this Webinar. You are free to quote him as needed.
2. Please state how the COVID-19 vaccine requirement violates your sincerely-held religious belief, practice, and/or observance. Would complying with the COVID-19 vaccination requirement substantially burden your religious exercise? If so, please explain how.
Asking essentially the same question in different ways is a common tactic to get you to contradict yourself or to say things which can be attacked. You do not need to justify your religious objection. Restate your objection. HR cannot judge your religious beliefs or invalidate them in any way, so getting you on an “incomplete” application seems to be a trick for finding a way to reject. Before we continue with an answer to this question, read what lawyer Jeff Childers in his September 8, 2021 post on coffeeandcovid.com gave this excellent advice:
“— Do NOT try to be an armchair theologian. It is enough if you prayed about it and determined that God doesn’t want you to take the safe and effective vaccines. You don’t have to prove your encyclopedic biblical knowledge.”
“— Don’t engage in theological debates with anyone. Agree to disagree. THEIR beliefs are irrelevant. It’s YOUR beliefs that matter.”
With all that in mind, here are some sample answers to this question:
“To expand on what was articulated in response to question 1, I sincerely believe that if I received a COVID-19 vaccination, I would be committing an immoral act and grave sin. According to my faith, I would be prevented from receiving eternal life through Jesus Christ. I believe that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine would subject me to eternal torment in hell because of the grave sins of participating in abortion, partaking in fetal experimentation, partaking in the use of cells taken without consent (a violation of the image and likeness of God), ignoring the clearly expressed Will of God for my life and the lives of all faithful Orthodox Christians, and the grave sin of ignoring the express warnings of the Holy Spirit delivered through saints and elders not to partake of these injections, that taking these vaccines would be a grave sin of participating in demonic activity that could be leading to the Mark of the Beast, which is the ultimate rejection of the Kingdom of God leading to eternal damnation, and that I would be imbibing impurities that would violate the status of my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. At the risk of my immortal soul, I must avoid the COVID-19 vaccine at all costs.”
3. How long have you held the religious belief underlying your objection?
None of their business. What they are looking for is to build a case that you suddenly “found” this religious belief to avoid the jabs. If you want to answer this question, then tell them you have been opposed to abortion and the use of aborted fetal cells your entire adult life or at least since you have been an Orthodox Christian. The timeframe of your conversion (if an adult convert) or your since your age of becoming aware of sin (for cradles) has worked for this question. No matter how recently you found faith, you still qualify for an exemption. Same applies to accepting Orthodox prophecy or in Free Will / Freedom of Conscience as bestowed by God or concerning any other religious objection listed. No matter how recently you found the faith, you still qualify for an exemption.
4. Please describe whether, as an adult, you have received any vaccines against any other diseases (such as a flu vaccine or a tetanus vaccine) and, if so, what vaccine you most recently received and when, to the best of your recollection.
Alternative wording for this question is below:
If your sincerely-held religious belief, practice, and/or observance prevents you from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine but not other vaccines, please explain why.
Your medical history is none of HR’s business. However, after speaking about this extensively with an attorney from the Liberty Counsel, it is best to try and craft an answer for this. According to the lawyer, with many years of experience, a judge or judges may allow this line of questioning to help gauge whether or not the employee has demonstrated a pattern of adhering to his/her own professed beliefs. Now, it will need to be limited, so if your question tries to go back decades / whole adult life then that is most likely too broad for any judge to uphold as reasonable. Our suggestion is you consider a more limited time frame for your answer. If you are older, after all, who is going to remember a shot from 20 years back? Also, while it is very tempting to refuse to answer this type of question, as it is really a “gotcha” that is none of their business, quite a few companies are warning that failure to fully complete the request (all questions) can lead to a rejection. So if your company has that kind of policy, then a reasonable answer is needed. If you converted to Orthodoxy, then we suggest you start with your conversion period to limit the scope of your response.
All that said, here is a sample answer that has worked for others:
“The Orthodox Church has never objected to vaccines that have been developed, manufactured, and tested ethically. Since converting to Orthodoxy “X” number of years ago (or becoming aware of sin if cradle), I have taken only vaccines which were recommended to me by my personal physician as being medically beneficial, and which were known to be ethically sourced. (If you got approval from a spiritual father to take a vaccine, you can put that here. You can also indicate the steps you take to research vaccines prior to taking them, if that has been your practice.)
“Ethically Sourced” is defined as no use of aborted fetal cells for development, research, manufacture or testing of any kind whatsoever. For example, my most recent vaccine was (fill in the name) which based on my research (if consulting spiritual authority, mention that here) was ethically produced and acceptable as an Orthodox Christian. (If your most recent vaccine was not ethically sourced, or you are not sure it was, then explain that you were unaware that it was tainted. This was not something that was readily publicized about most vaccines / medicines prior to the current drive to jab every human in the world. See this article for how difficult it was even for doctors to know what was and was not tainted. You cannot be held accountable for what you did not know. God is merciful. You are aware now, and will be taking much greater precautions with future vaccines / medicines and involving competent spiritual counsel to avoid knowingly sinning. Knowing sin can lead to severe spiritual consequences.)
In taking the COVID-19 vaccine, knowing its connection to abortion, according to my church and my personal religious beliefs, I would be an accomplice to the original act of abortion and bodily violations (without consent) of the innocent the same as if I had perpetrated those acts myself. I cannot participate in an activity supported by demons without rejecting God.”
Do not let them use any past failures on your part to convince you that you are already morally compromised, so why not just take another couple of shots? Even prescribing physicians did not know the extent to which many modern medicines used aborted fetal cells. The fact that you unknowingly may have submitted to tainted vaccines in the past does not mean you must do so again.
5. If you do not have a religious objection to the use of all vaccines, please explain why your objection is limited to particular vaccines.
You have a sincere, deeply-held religious objection to abortion and the use of aborted fetal cells, not to mention all of the other objections listed above concerning these vaccines. You can freely admit that Orthodoxy does not reject all vaccines, because there are many reasons to object to these vaccines specifically. Do not enter into a debate over your beliefs or feel that you must justify them. For this type of question, restate a summary of the reasons from other questions that indicate why you are opposed to taking these vaccines.
6. If there are any other medicines or products that you do not use because of the religious belief underlying your objection, please identify them.
Again, as noted by an Orthodox physician in this article, there appears to be widespread use of aborted fetal cells in many products and medicines. There is controversy, however, over quite a few common drugs as to whether they are tainted or not. It is entirely possible that vaccine proponents are overstating the extent to which aborted fetal cells are being used. See this article, for example, for a discussion of some drugs that are said to be tainted, but which were developed before aborted fetal cell lines were even available. Below we have shown you a list of counseling questions for chaplains in the U.S. Coast Guard to talk sailors out of a religious exemption by highlighting all the drugs supposedly tested / developed using aborted fetal cells.
This is not HR’s business, and you may be tempted to tell them exactly that. For some companies, that may work. However, for companies that have a “must answer all questions” policy, you may not be able to do so. The answer below has worked for others in which they essentially consulted various lists of “tainted drugs” and selected some of them to list as being on their personal “avoid” list due to ethical concerns. Here is a list from an article by an Orthodox MD, but there are many more lists like it: Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Claritin, Benadryl, Albuterol, Pepto Bismol, Tums, Lipitor, Senokot, Motrin, Maalox, Ex-Lax, Sudafed, Prilosec, Preparation H and Zoloft.
As with the vaccine question, do not let them make you feel guilty for taking potentially ethically tainted drugs in the past when you were unaware.
Also, at 1:07:00 in this Webinar, an attorney deals with the prior use of products with aborted fetal cell links.
Archpriest Alexander Webster answered a question about prior use on Orthodox Reflections. His answer is excellent, and really addresses the fact that many jab supporters are way, way overstating the use of aborted fetal cells by claiming links to very old, common medications. He also addresses the potential charge of hypocrisy for those who have used tainted medicines in the past.
Sample answer below:
“Since my conversion to Orthodoxy “X” years ago (or since you became aware of sin if cradle), I have strived to use only ethically sourced medications and products. To the best of my ability, and through consultation with spiritual counsel, I have consciously striven to only use medicines with no connection to aborted fetal cells at any stage of research, development, production or testing. This can be challenging as the information is not always readily available, but as a matter of conscience before God, I have made every effort to assure I am not sinning through connection to the murder of children. Because of my deeply held, sincere religious objections I avoid drugs such as Drug 1, Drug 2, Drug 3, ….. which are incompatible with my spiritual beliefs.”
7. Please provide any additional information that you think may be helpful in reviewing your request.
You have a sincere, deeply-held religious objection to abortion and use of aborted fetal cells, you follow the teachings of Orthodox saints, and you believe Free Will / Freedom of Conscience is a gift and obligation of God bestowed on man. There are a host of reasons why an Orthodox Christian objects to these vaccines. Feel free to restate any of that or all of that if given an option to do so. Or simply rest on the information already provided, if this is an optional question.
Two other things to also consider. First, there is no federal vaccine mandate for the general public. But, you might ask, didn’t Biden announce one? He announced that OSHA would be formulating a mandate, OSHA tried to put one out, and it got suppressed immediately by the courts. It is unlikely to survive the legal challenges. There is a mandate for federal contractors and for healthcare professionals. All of that is being challenged by multiple states and private entities. Regardless of what the Biden Regime or anyone else says, you have a right to free exercise of religion under federal law (and some state laws such as in Florida):
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee because of that employee’s sincere religious beliefs. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1). Title VII provides for religious accommodation claims in its definition of religion, which includes “all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee’s . . . religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer’s business.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(j). Thus, whenever there is a conflict between employment requirements and an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, employers must seek to accommodate the employee’s belief as long as it does not pose an undue hardship on the employer. Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hardison, 432 U.S. 63, 75 (1977).
The other thing to keep in mind is the COVID narrative is failing fast. The vaccines are daily proving less effective than originally stated. New treatments are coming online, even from companies like Pfizer that are making billions off the vaccines. Countries around the world are opening up fully (all of Scandinavia), with no vaccine mandates. The countries and U.S. states with the most restrictive, mandatory vaccine policies are awash in COVID illnesses. Florida and other U.S. Red States are rejecting mandatory vaccinations. Time is against the vaccines and the mandates.
Do not give up your moral objections. Do not let them bully you into compliance with what you know is wrong. From all over the country, we are getting reports of individuals successfully asserting their Right to Free Exercise of Religion, even in the most difficult states / industries. Below is an example:
Nicholas – member of the Western Rite Vicariate, a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America
Since it seems so popular why not?
Romans 13
The Governing authorities are not an agent of fear to those who do good. That will suffice.
Paul the Apostle by this was saying that the common people were obeying the 10 commandments of God is a good thing to do, and which also the Governing authorities were also to be upholding. There is no conflict between the two.
Those who disobey the Law of God, still referring to the 10 commandments, are disobeying God’s authority and are the party guilty of doing evil.
For the lawbreaker Paul warns, will be subject to the authority of the State. But what happens if the State itself begins to break the Law of God? Does it not have a duty to self flagellate itself until it complies with God’s authority?
If the State cannot or will not hold itself accountable to God’s authority, who else can make it so? It only takes one decree by a King, Caesar, dictator, prime minister, president, or other titled nobility to turn a country against what was once a virtue. Any decrees, edicts, or mandates by those in power against freedom found in God’s Law are in rebellion to God.
Freedom of choice operating within the bounds of God’s 10 commandments is a right of all people and nations, although for now our founding fathers established this as a principle of the USA in its Constitution. Let it not be undone by mob rule and unlawful mandates.
So for those who so blithely read Romans 13 as submit to the Government no matter what it does, is a gross malfeasance not only to God, but to humanity itself.
No one should be mandated or otherwise coerced into receiving anything on or into their body that they don’t view as a benefit or safeguard to their health. Anything mixed in such a vaccine or preventative measure that is not vaccine or cure, as medically defined, should be considered by the patient to be ill-contrived and not in his best interest. Although a physician may advise otherwise, the State has no say in such matters. That is between a physician and patient.
Big Update: “Agencies should conspicuously note on Federal websites where they post job opportunity announcements that the vaccination requirement for Federal employees pursuant to E.O. 14043 is currently not being implemented and enforced. … Agencies should temporarily halt any active suspensions as of January 21, 2022, and should restore those employees to pay status.”
Full document here: https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/downloads/FAQs_compliance_injunction_EO%2014043_20220124.pdf
Hello, glad to find you all here, really great helpful info. I have a question: what if they ask for supporting material from an organaztion that I’m suppposed to belong to and I don’t have any? Who knows, missing that could be a decisive point since bureaucrats follow bullet points. Is there any online source who can help? Any advice or experience will be greatly appreciated.
Sure, start here: https://orthodoxreflections.com/for-covid-vaccine-religious-exemptions-your-sincerely-held-beliefs-are-what-matter/
We have multiple letters that are linked on that page from Orthodox clergy. Two in Australia, one in Canada, and Fr. Alexander Webster who is in Virginia. Those resources are available to use even if you are just interested in Orthodoxy and not even a member.
The Liberty Counsel also has great resources. Highly recommend using those as well. Link is on this page under additional resources:
https://orthodoxreflections.com/guide-to-religious-exemption-resources-for-covid-vaccines/
Thank you!
I am happy to inform you that my request was approved. Your website has been immensely informative and helpful, practically and also morally. You deserve to be proud. Thank you so much.
Hi, I came across your site and it has really good insights. I had put in my accommodation request with my company and they came back with these questions: How is your belief that your body is a temple related to your religion? How does your belief that your body is a temple conflict with your ability to comply with the COVID policy? How do you practice your belief that your body is a temple throughout your daily life, for example, with food consumption, use of hygiene products, etc.? Do you consume alcohol or tobacco? I feel these questions seems really invasive. I got some idea on how to answer the 2nd question, but the others I’m at a stand still.
Any insights on these questions is greatly appreciated.
This is what I put for similar questions:
“Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 establishes that this question is irrelevant.”
How you treat your body is none of their concern. According to Title VII, it doesn’t matter if you’re the only one that believes what you believe, so long as it’s a sincerely held belief.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that it is not a court’s role to determine the reasonableness of an individual’s religious beliefs, and that “religious beliefs need not be acceptable, logical, consistent, or comprehensible to others in order to merit First Amendment protection.”
An employee’s belief, observance, or practice can be “religious” under Title VII even if the employee is affiliated with a religious group that does not espouse or recognize that individual’s belief, observance, or practice, or if few – or no – other people adhere to it.” ~ https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/section-12-religious-discrimination#h_1221766545871610748636308
Thanks for your input, Dave. Would you suggest that it could apply for all 4 of the question?
I also like to sometimes respond to question # 1 as or to include:
As an adult and since I have been able to make informed decisions for myself, I have never knowingly used a product that contains Fetal cells or that used Fetal cells in its development.
Mike Chiaurro
That has been a very successful answer. It is essentially impossible to impeach it. It can be difficult to know what medicines are not ethically sourced, even for prescribing physicians. We do the best we can.
Hi, I had given my exemption but didn’t include any science , I got back this generic response and I don’t know how to answer especially the 2nd question.
1. A number of common drugs, cosmetics, and food utilize fetal cells in their development for example, vaccines commonly administered during childhood (chicken pox, rubella, hepatitis, and rabies)aswellascommonlyuseddrugssuchasAcetaminophenandIbuprofen. Pleaseexplainhow you consistently apply your avoidance of products that utilize fetal cells in their development or testing.
2. Please clarify, in your own words, how your inability to be vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine conflicts with your religious belief(s) and is not necessarily a personal choice or an act of concious:
1. Please explain how this impacts my exemption from the Covid 19 vaccine as the Americans With Disabilities Act protects me against discrimination based on a perceived medical status.
2. Bodily autonomy is a right granted only by the Triune God and no individual, organization, or government entity has the authority to force, threaten, or coerce me to inject anything into my body without my freely given consent. This is a right recognized and protected by the US Constitution, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Nuremberg Code of 1947.
This is how I would answer. The second question I did answer this way as but I didn’t have the first question in my packet.
Much luck and blessings to y’all!
I am asking for my husband. He got an exemption letter from the church and submitted it to his employer few days ago.
He was asked to explain about the delay- why he, knowing about his religious belief, did not inform his boss in advance?
The boss asked him about the vax status 2 months ago. The husband was suspended few weeks ago.
The real reason of delay is that my husband took the suspension as the fact and he thought he could not do anything about it. I helped him to contact the priest, get the letter, etc. How to frame the answer? thank you so much for any advice.
The truth is not a bad thing in this case. Your husband did not know his rights, and simply gave up at first on his job. Prior to consulting with the priest, was he aware that he qualified for a religious exemption? It is also possible that your husband needed more time, prayer, study, and consultation with the priest to fully understand the moral case for not taking the jab. Maybe he thought there could be a problem a couple of months ago, but needed more education on the subject. The fact that you got help from a priest is a good thing in this case. (You and your husband know his boss better, so these are just suggestions.) Quite a few people we talked to who got exemptions waited till the last possible minute to submit them. Religion is usually a personal matter. Many people don’t like to go around talking about their deeply held beliefs. Especially before they have had time to talk to competent spiritual counsel to help them articulate their beliefs. Non-experts are afraid they will look or sound stupid. So your husband keeping quiet prior to getting help is not out-of-line with what many others have done.
The key thing from our standpoint is that he has complied with notification requirements now, and he has a deeply-held, sincere religious objection to the jab. God bless you.
Not trying to be a wet blanket here, but I am thinking two things stand out to me in this whole debacle in which we all find ourselves in this crazy moment in history. Here’s my two cents:
First, notwithstanding the fact that vaccines are a toxic stew of garbage that never promote health in a human body – and after decades of vaccines, we are the weakest and sickest population ever – I think we need to get past the idea that aborted fetal cells are the only objectionable ingredient in vaccines (though they are certainly the most immoral!). We need to present a more well-rounded objection against vaccines (or forced pills, or forced inhalation, or forced anything that compromises our body) from the perspective of our genuine faith. It is not a stretch to say that some day in the probably-not-too-distant future, these dirtbag pharma companies are going to be able to produce these things WITHOUT fetal cells… And though these products will still be incredibly toxic and body/soul destroying, it will be expected that everyone can/will/must take them without a peep, as pharma has “solved the religious problem”… That is not going to be a good place to be stranded.
Second, based on personal experience in my own past, I caution anyone against deciding to “white lie” by saying they are not going to take any more (fill in the blank: Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, whatever) if they are not going to do so. Unlike, say, the people who lied to the authorities in WWII in order to shelter Jews or others whose lives were in danger, God cannot support this kind of lie and it leads to a breakdown in our relationship with God (again, from personal experience – not trying to be preach-y here). And also, the truth is that even if you have no moral aversion to stretching the truth, there is so much tracking of people’s purchases, it’s not a big leap to think that it could easily be found out that you are not living out what you stated and then have your exemption be revoked.
Big Pharma, Big Tech, Big Business, Big Government – they are all always ten steps ahead, so Christians ought to make it their business to be ahead by at least twenty in order to keep the sovereignty of our own God-given bodies and souls.
Thanks Petra, good points all noted. We have focused a lot on the aborted fetal cells, but we have included other aspects as well that include participating in the building of the regime that can birth the Mark of the Beast. We are also happy to publish new material, so if you would like to contribute another perspective on opposing these vaccines / immoral mandates, please feel free to reach out.
We totally agree with you – if you plan to say you are going to avoid tainted medicines / products, then you better mean it. We said this, “You cannot be held accountable for what you did not know. God is merciful. You are aware now, and will be taking much greater precautions with future vaccines / medicines and involving competent spiritual counsel to avoid knowingly sinning. Knowing sin can lead to severe spiritual consequences.”
Lying that you plan to avoid these tainted medicines in the future (genuinely tainted as there is a lot of lying on the pro-vax side at this point) is a severe sin! Do not do this if you plan to simply ignore the taint and continue to ingest filth. None of us would ever support lying like that. If that is not clear, please let us know.
Hello. I came across your site looking for help on what to answer in regards to my employer’s questionnaire. Thank you for the help you’ve provided. You have helped me regain my confidence in standing up for my beliefs against my company. Some additional questions that my forms have that I’d like to hear your thoughts on:
Does your belief prevent usage of other protection such as masks or testing? I was going to write that it is not an invasive medical procedure as vaccines are, thus approved.
Do you have a religious/spiritual advisor? If so, provide their contact information. If not, provide the contact information of anyone that can attest to your belief.
Here I was going going to reference the EEOC, “An employee’s belief, observance, or practice can be “religious” under Title VII even if the employee is affiliated with a religious group that does not espouse or recognize that individual’s belief, observance, or practice, or if few – or no – other people adhere to it.”
The one that I will have the biggest issue with is, “Have you received any vaccine since signing your pre-employment Notice to Applicant Regarding Mandatory Vaccine Requirements? Yes or No.”
I have received multiple vaccines but I read and I can’t remember where, that prior vaccination does not preclude one from religious exemption, so here, I’m not sure what to put down.
Hopefully you can give a bit more insight here. Thank you for your work and your help 🙂
So for my questions on the questionnaire I will respond:
Regarding masks and other PPE – Bodily autonomy is a right granted only by the Triune God and no individual, organization, or government entity has the authority to force, threaten, or coerce me to inject anything into my body without my freely given consent. This is a right recognized and protected by the US Constitution, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Nuremberg Code of 1947.
Regarding Religious advisor – Please explain the relevance of this question as it pertains to my sincerely held religious belief, a belief that is protected by the US Constitution and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
(Even if I am alone in my belief, it is protected by Title VII)
Regarding taking previous vaccines – Please explain how this impacts my exemption from the Covid 19 vaccine as the Americans With Disabilities Act protects me against discrimination based on a perceived medical status.
We’ll see how it goes!
My request was approved!
However, they do state that they will give me more info regarding my approved status after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Atty Robert Barnes has warned they may try to trap me into saying something to cancel the approved decision. Has this happened before?
First of all – Glory to God! Yes. It has. Don’t let down your guard, please. We have heard of resources getting into trouble by being accused of insincerity. Essentially “gaming the system” in HR’s opinion.
I would like advice on answering questions on my religious exemption form. I want to make sure I answer appropriately. Do I have the right to not answer? Thank you for your help!
You should answer, but you need to be smart about it. Don’t let them pry into your personal life or your personal medical history. It is okay to ask them why they need to know some information to reasonably accommodate your free exercise of religion. Do not get into theological or biblical debates with them. Your belief is what matters, not what they think of your belief.
Just wanted to update you that I received my acceptance letter on my exemption today. I am so releaved! Thank God!!!
Thank you again for your advice!
Can you tell me what you used to request your Religious Exemption?
Should I answer as; yes,I have received vaccines in the past however I didn’t realize these vaccines used aborted fetal cells nor was I informed of aborted fetal cells were used in these products and I plan on discontinuing their use. Or should I state; this question violates my privacy of my medical history. Thank you.
There is no reasonable basis for this question. It is clearly an attempt to try and pin the label of hypocrisy on you. We referenced a leaked call before where the DOJ lawyer himself says that even if they ask about fetal cell usage, the individuals just have to say that they didn’t know and won’t do use them again: https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1450596054290866183
This comes down to what you feel comfortable with. You can refuse to answer, or answer with a question, “Why do you need to know this to accommodate my free exercise of religion?” Or actually do both, “I do not share my personal medical information, and why do you need to know this to accommodate my free exercise of religious freedom?”
Personally, we would only answer that you have taken them and will not take them again, if your experience with your employer makes you think that is the better option for shutting this down and ending any further discussion. That is the goal – stop their harassment of you and honor the law. You are entitled to your exemption, and they are only entitled to limited questions. Let us know how it goes and which way you decide.
Just wanted to update you that I received my acceptance letter on my exemption today. I am so releaved! Thank God!!!
Thank you again for your advice!
Thanks be to God!!!!
Question, if I agree to answer these HR questions am I not allowing them to discriminate against me?
I could simply ask them the question before we get started with the questionnaire “Does moving ahead with these questionnaires self-incriminate me in any way?”
•If I agree to answer these questions, that means I agree to allow you to discriminate me against my sincerely, deeply-held religious beliefs and conscience.
•To make matters worse, if I say something that you do not agree with then apparently that gives you the right to deny my REQUEST. Again, you are judging my sincerely, deeply-held religious beliefs and conscience. That is discrimination.
Can I not say that and hopefully put an end to the questionnaire?
Shouldn’t that answer be good enough to say I do not consent to answering your questions?
Let me know your thoughts!
We actually refused to answer many of the questions, simply repeating that the vaccines violate our sincere, deeply-held religious beliefs. There is no reason to give detailed answers that we can see. It may be considered “uncooperative” if you refuse to provide any answer. If you do provide answers, then one option would be to pose a question back, “Why would you need to know this?” or “Why does this matter?” or “How can this help provide me a religious accommodation?” and then restate that you have a sincere, deeply-held religious belief for which you are within your rights seeking accommodation. It may not be to your advantage to be combative, but asking why any of these questions is pertinent to your exercise of free religion is certainly logical. You are absolutely correct, however, that detail answers in the current environment simply attract more scrutiny.
I am a federal employee. These questions are asked verbatim on the federal government accessibility compliance management system. The answers have given great guidance on how to respond to these intrusive/unlawful questions. I do have one question in regards to your recommendation concerning providing an “attachment” when completing the federal government form. There is a feature providing for an attachment. Many co-workers have attached form letters highlighting their specific objections to the vaccine due to their deeply held religious beliefs. My question is if I have responded to the questions as recommended above… is there even any need to provide an attachment? Wouldn’t this be a kin to providing HR with ammo to use against me?
At this point, your concern about an attachment is warranted. This is an evolving situation. The lawyers a few months back were concerned that providing too little information to HR on initial accommodation notices would be a “red flag” and provoke HR to take a closer look. What all of us failed to realize was how serious companies were going to take these mandates. Instead of looking over the form, seeing a well written statement of personal belief, and stamping it – HR departments have actually taken the time and energy to become the Inquisition in many cases. So trust your gut, the less information the better at this point, especially if you have already given them a request. Legally, HR can’t judge your beliefs so why bother getting into them? Why even participate in a debate? Technically, you qualify for a religious exemption even if you are an atheist. You prayed, God said not to take it. Your favorite saint said not to take it. Your beliefs don’t have to make sense to any one but you, and they don’t have to even be internally rational or consistent.
Also, please tell your friends above all to not copy/paste anything found on our site or any other site. Kaiser and some other employers (military also) based on finding similarities between submitted letters / attachments and things found online have attempted to deny accommodations on that basis. So anything submitted needs to be rewritten from a personal perspective. The way things have gone, however, less is definitely better.
Powerful Sermon on A Christian’s Response to Vaccine Mandates. (If you only have 3 mins, skip to 58:00)
http://youtu.be/9eR3_N9FtUY
It’s just gaslighting nonsense from this depraved DOJ. The COVID vaxes wouldn’t exist without the synthesis of the spike proteins. And organs from murdered babies were used specifically to research how to synthesize those proteins. Whereas most of the over the counter drugs they mention were developed a LONG time before aborted baby’s organs in where ever imagined to be used in “medical” research.
Do you recommend citing aborted fetal cells? I’ve heard they are challenging that
They are, but that is of consequence really. No one is in a position to challenge your beliefs. You can refuse to name your objection, merely stating that God told you not to take it, or Orthodox elders you follow have warned in prophecy not to take it. See our exemption page for supporting documentation on that. You are entitled to an exemption by law. Do not let them sucker you into a religious debate. You do not have to justify your beliefs. They cannot judge your beliefs. You have notified them and they are required to accommodate your deeply held, sincere religious belief.
Hello there,
Hr is asking if I get vaccine before. I said i am not sharing my medical information with them. Hr respond to this email and if i don’t answer the question according to the human rights accommodation request, my request will fail if i don’t answer it. What should I do? How do I answer them. Could you please help me?
You have a bully or two running your HR department. HR does not have a right to judge your religious beliefs. HR does not have a right to your personal medical history. You have a right to free exercise of religion, of which you have notified HR. You have asserted your right to medical privacy, and HR is refusing to accept that. So, our recommendation would be to hire an attorney. HR knows you are aware of your rights, but they are not listening to you. Now, in our opinion, you need your response crafted by an attorney. This may cost you some money, but getting a letter of response on an attorney’s letterhead is going to be worth it. HR departments hate lawsuits. Getting an attorney proves you are serious about asserting your rights and that you can’t be bullied into compliance with any part of HR’s agenda. May God protect you. Let us know how it goes.
As another resource, take a look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtqmFs5IqI
And if you want the vaccine / medicines questions covered skip ahead to around the 24:30 minute mark.
How would you respond when the HR department is testing your religious belief by connecting the use of fetal cells in vaccines to that in common household medications? They are asking me to affirm the future use of household medications like tylenol that use fetal cells with a yes or no answer.
So you could do this one of two ways. Before we answer, we recommend listening to this leaked call from a DOJ lawyer discussing religious exemptions based on aborted fetal cells:
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1450596054290866183
Note that the lawyer admits that challenging religious claims is so difficult, that most will be accepted at “face value.” If you look at it from the employer perspective, you realize that you are effectively challenging the free exercise of religion.
The lawyer mentions the tactic you describe of pointing out other household products / medicines that may have a link to abortion. As an aside, understand that these lists of products / medicines are greatly inflated. We have posted information on our site that Tylenol, for example, predates aborted fetal cell lines. Some research team not affiliated with the product did some testing using aborted fetal cell lines. That is not at all the same as the COVID vaccines being tested and developed using aborted fetal cell lines. So do not panic and do some research on products / meds you are concerned about. Do not be surprised if the research is frustrating. For years, those products / meds using aborted fetal cell lines did everything they could to cover up that fact. Then, when needed to prop up the COVID vaccines, the narrative switched to claiming EVERYTHING contains aborted fetal cells.
We recommend this article and this article for more information on aborted fetal cells.
Okay, aside over now back to the question at hand. The DOJ lawyer gave you one out. Simply state that you did not know about other products before, now you do, and you plan to discontinue their use. Who will know? Who can track that? Well, no one. So if it is your intention to research products / meds and discontinue those with a real link to abortion, then certainly that is a worthy goal and absolutely your right. You can take that route with perfect conscience.
The other route is medical privacy. You can refuse to discuss your medical history and medical choices with HR. We used to value medical privacy in this country. This tactic of HR’s is simply so much bullying, as they have no right to this information. They are attempting to make you back down and abandon your religious exemption. We have talked to individuals who have taken both ways, and each has worked. The choice of how to proceed is up to you. May the Holy Theotokos protect you and the Holy Ghost guide you.
Thank you for this response it is extremely helpful. God bless you!
It can also be helpful to look up dates of when the other medicines and products were made. For example, Bauer began selling Aspirib in 1899; Tylenol was invented in 1955; and fetal cells began to be used in the mid to late 1960s. You may not need that info in your response, but can help you to have a clear conscience and be confident in whatever your answer. Also, I shared a link in another comment to Peggy Hall’s YouTube page. She has many videos directly related to when employers ask for more information, which they legally have no right to do.
Additionally, Peggy Hall has many great videos on youtube with advice on religious exemptions, what the law is regarding them, and how to go about it and protect yourself from employers who don’t know or don’t follow the laws. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YG3bxsn0Ba0lTEmSNhEtA/videos
Wonderful and inspiring information, thanks so much,
Since the vaccine contains fetal cells what are the purpose to put in everyones body? Why do we have to be oblige to do it ! We are christians and we do believe in GOD ! And the way they are obliging ppl is a Mortal SIN and not be forgiving ! Plz take it unto consideration ! We believe in GOD dont take our christianism away ..