Orthodox Reflections

Thanks to the Supreme Court, the OSHA vaccine mandate is dead. However, the CMS mandate is still in place which affects health care workers. At the state and local levels, mandates tied to employment are still active in locales such as New York City. Globally, vaccine mandates are being enforced in many countries. For Orthodox Christians needing religious exemptions, the process can seem daunting. Over the last year, Orthodox Reflections has compiled a lot of resources to assist our fellow Christians. As they have expanded, the resources have become difficult to navigate. This page is to help guide you where to find what you need, depending on the process you are asked to go through.

1. Sample Religious Exemption Letters – On this page, you will find multiple examples of religious exemption letters. You do not have to be in agreement with your hierarch or your priest. There is a quote from Harvard Law on this page that covers the fact that Free Exercise of Religion protects those who belong to an organized religion with whom they disagree on a “vaccine.” A practicing attorney gives a good overview of religious exemptions starting at 29:43 of this Webinar. Remember to write your letter in your own words. Also remember, your employer can probe the sincerity of your beliefs, but cannot judge your beliefs.
2. Support from Orthodox Clergy – You may be told that you must have a letter from a priest supporting your religious exemption. Keep in mind that Freedom of Religion in the United States also protects those who do not belong to organized churches. If you have an issue getting a letter, ask HR how they would handle someone who does not have local clergy? We have noted that when asked, many HR departments simply accept the exemption without the letter. There are many Orthodox Clergy and hierarchs that oppose the jabs that you can quote, if you need to counter a perception that Orthodox is “pro-vaccine.” Here are some resources:
   1. Multiple hierarchical quotes and links to their letters are on this page towards the bottom. Some of the letters specifically state that they are intended for use to support a religious exemption for Orthodox Christians, catechumens, and even inquirers. If you do not need a personally addressed letter, then one of these can work. As noted, HR can’t demand that you have a tie to a local pastor. Many people “do church” on the Internet or TV and follow pastors thousands of miles away. The letters also have excellent material to add as quotes in an exemption letter.
   2. 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.
   3. Additional links to quotes opposing jabs are in this article as well.
   4. Abbot Tryphon is very opposed to the jabs. His piece on not taking the vaccine is worth reading. He is in the United States and is very popular among Orthodox Christians.
   5. We have a page dedicated to HR questions which are sometimes asked in support of a religious exemption letter, or in some cases replace the submission of a letter. The first two questions require respondents to explain their objections to the jabs. The answers include quotations from Orthodox sources. You should read through them when preparing a letter.
   6. Archpriest Alexander Webster at 1:40:00 in this Webinar discusses Orthodox opposition to the jabs and mitigations. He also reads quotes from a new statement from Metropolitan Jonah that oppose the jabs and mandates on moral grounds. Feel free to quote Metropolitan Jonah.
3. HR Questions – We have compiled the most common HR questions and provided sample answers on this page. One of the biggest attempted “gotchas” in the HR process revolves around prior use of vaccines or other products which have links to aborted fetal cells. On the HR questions page, we provide a sample answer to that question. This could also come into play if you have previously taken one of the jabs, but now do not want to continue with boosters. Additional resources:
   1. At 1:07:00 in this Webinar, an attorney deals with the prior use of products with aborted fetal cell links.
   2. 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.
   3.  Prior to COVID, Pharma companies frequently tried to hide any connection to aborted fetal cells. This article from a physician explains how she had no idea that many drugs she was prescribing were tainted. Prior use of tainted products in ignorance does not mean you cannot say no to these jabs.
4. Additional Resources – These are additional sites we recommend using as resources:
   1. 1. Lawyer Jeff Childers who gives excellent general information on religious exemptions at his website coffeeandcovid.com
      2. YouTube commentator  Peggy Hall’s videos
      3.  Liberty Counsel – Particularly if you cannot afford an attorney.