Facing COVID Giants with a Religious Exemption

The Lord your God fights for you, just as He promised. (Joshua 23:10)

At some point in our lives, we all have to face giants. Doubt, fear, poverty, oppression – we can’t be sure when our confrontations will come, but come they will. We need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable battles. 

Right now, across our nation, tyrannical forces are issuing directives that tell us where we can go, what we can do, who we can see, where we can worship, and even if we can keep our jobs. Now, more than ever before, we need to be prepared to give an account of our faith and stand up for what we believe in – no matter the cost. 

Earlier in the year, as more and more workplaces were pushing their staff to become vaccinated against COVID-19, I gave thanks to God for providing me with a job where I could work from home. Surely, such measures would never affect me. How very wrong I was.

When the federal vaccination mandate was announced, I was stunned. This was a line in the sand that I couldn’t cross. I knew I might have to take a stand for my faith in the workplace but prayed it wouldn’t come to that. It did.

A little over a month ago, my employer announced that all U.S.-based employees – even those working from our homes, like me – would be required to become fully vaccinated by a specific date or lose our jobs. I knew I couldn’t do so in good conscience but wasn’t sure how to put my petition into words. 

And so I prayed, researched, prayed again, and asked all my Christian friends and family members to pray for me, as well. 

With a religious exemption request deadline looming, I began writing my letter, praying that God would give me the right words to say to express my beliefs. And so He did. 

What began as a directive that invoked fear and trepidation ultimately became a testament that strengthened my faith. While writing my letter, I was filled with joy in surrendering the outcome to my Heavenly Father. I knew God would see me through this challenge, no matter how the battle ended.

Even more than that, I knew that this letter afforded me an opportunity to express my faith to individuals that may never have heard such things before – especially in the workplace. Across the country, countless others are articulating their faith in a similar fashion – precisely because of this mandate. 

Perhaps this is the good that God is bringing out of this time of oppression. As in the life of Joseph, I believe that what “[the devil] intended to harm me…God intended…for good to accomplish what is now being done…” 

It doesn’t matter if those who read this letter believe everything I do. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 14:5, “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” These are my beliefs, and I stand by them.

Our country was founded under the guise of religious liberty. With each passing day, we lose more and more of our established freedoms. Students can no longer mention God in graduation ceremonies without being censored. Teachers can’t talk about Creationism alongside Evolution without being fired. Bakers can be sued, fined, and forced out of business if their faith can’t endorse the fabrication of products to support same-sex unions. Pastors can even be jailed for holding in-person church services amidst COVID restrictions. Perhaps now more than ever, we must stand up for religious freedom before losing it forever.

And so, when I decided to oppose this government mandate, I knew I was facing a David versus Goliath-type battle. As in that ancient story of old, the odds were stacked against me just as they were the shepherd boy who proclaimed God as the victor before he slung his first stone.

My slingshot is my quill. I was fighting for what I believed in. Make no mistake, forcing someone to be vaccinated against their convictions is very much an affront to religious liberty. I knew I might lose my employment by taking a stand, but I couldn’t go against my conscience for fear of retribution or dismissal. 

After much prayer, I submitted my letter to my employer. I now publish the same for those who may also wish or need to do so. I know these words are controversial, but they speak to my faith without question, and I’m not ashamed to reveal them. Without further ado, this is my petition:

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing today to formally request an exemption to the COVID-19 vaccination mandate on the basis of my sincerely held religious beliefs, as protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (SEC. 2000e-2, Section 703) (1), the Ohio Revised Code, Title 41 Labor and Industry, Chapter 4112 Civil Rights Commission (Section 4112.02) (2), and the Georgia Fair Employment Practices Act (O.C.G.A 45-19-29 [2010]) (3).

Attached Appendix:

I have included the appropriate information from Federal, Ohio, and Georgia law in an attached appendix regarding protection from religious discrimination in the workplace.

Please gather to hear my petition.

Personal History and Beliefs:

Universally, Federal, Ohio, and Georgia laws allow me to practice my faith and refuse immunizations based upon sincere and genuinely held personal religious beliefs. In fact, laws within all U.S. borders demonstrate great respect and deference for a myriad of religions. As such, they allow individuals to abide by the unique Word of God as it concerns this issue. My connection to my Creator is direct, and I do not have to be a member of any organized religion or any religion at all. I also understand that refusing immunizations does not have to be a tenet or directive of a particular religion that I may follow.

Nevertheless, my Christian faith forms the very basis of my existence. I do nothing without prayerful consideration, including accepting my current role with [this organization]. My choice as to whether I should take a vaccine is no exception to this rule. For reasons of my profound and sacred faith, I feel strongly led to continue to place my mind, body, and soul under the protection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – not in any manufactured vaccine.

I have always been blessed to be an inordinately healthy person throughout my life – thanks in no small part to my faith, holistic lifestyle, and prayerful existence. I am careful as to what I allow to enter my body and only seek medical attention for profound medical issues and annual wellness exams. My doctor recently told me that she wished all her patients were as healthy as I am and that “whatever [I] am doing, [I] need to continue.”

What I am doing, in part, is praying each day for continued good health for myself and my family. I worship my Creator with my body, which the Holy Bible tells me is not mine but God’s.

• “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
• “Know you not that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells within you?” (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17)
• “For you were bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

I know that God is the Holy and Great Physician who watches over my family and me each and every day. My mother feels the same. She takes no medication, has no intention of violating her body with this vaccine, and is healthier than most individuals half her age. I have always followed in her footsteps.

My unique understanding of the language of God is that Jesus Christ, Himself, spoke of seeking the help of a physician only when one is sick, not when one is healthy.

• “Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.'” (Luke 5: 31)
• “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.'” (Mark 2:17)
• “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Matthew 9: 35)

I have now and always have cared for my body to prevent any type of disease, including COVID, using approaches in line with my sincerely held religious beliefs and practices. These religiously consistent approaches have always worked for me. As demonstrated by my mother, there is no need for me to violate my religious and bodily autonomy to change what I’ve done and have been led by God to continue doing my entire life.

Additionally, as the testing and manufacturing process of COVID vaccines use aborted fetal cell lines in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of their products, I stand wholeheartedly against introducing any such substance into my body. As an adamant believer in all pro-life issues, I adhere to the sacred belief that life begins at conception. I maintain that no one should violate such a tenet for the so-called well-being of others. Human life is holy unto God. We are created in His image to be used for His purpose – not our own. Anything other than this is an abomination to Him and nothing short of murder. I cannot be part of condoning murder for the sake of science.

• “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
• “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made.” (John 1:3)
• “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.” (Jeremiah 1:4)
• “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
• “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139: 15-16)
• “Rescue those who were being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will He not repay the man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24: 11-12)

I have spent my entire life following my Lord and Savior, and I have developed an extremely close walk with Christ as a result. Everything I do, every word I say, and every practice I adhere to align with my faith. This is not a small statement. Every decision that I make, I strive to first bring before the throne of God’s grace and direction.

I hope you understand that I am not writing this letter lightly. When I first heard about the vaccine mandate, I was deeply fearful of the consequences to my beliefs. I spent days crying over what to do and subsequently reached out to all my brothers and sisters in faith to ask everyone I knew to pray for me. On hands and knees, I have prayed hard about my decision to abide by my faith and seek an exemption from this provision.

I know that God led me to [this organization] as I, and countless others, prayed for the position I am now fulfilling today. My work here has become a testimony to the power of prayer as a result. This petition, therefore, stands as a further testament to my faith and my belief in God’s provision. I, and everyone I know, will continue to pray for your ears to be open to my petition and for understanding to be yours as you read through this information.

As I close, I must respectfully ask you to remember that I was hired into a fully remote staff position – one which enables me to work from my home. Every interaction I have with my team members is done via electronic means. There is, therefore, no opportunity for my religious, medical, or health status to endanger or compromise anyone within our corporation – nor would I ever allow it to do so.

I know that I am incredibly blessed to work at [company name]. Not a day passes without my thanking my Lord and Savior for leading me here and the role I now carry. I exist to take care of, support, and encourage others in their positions. I assume that duty as sacred as much as I do my faith.

Please allow me to remain with [company name] – wholly using the gifts that God gave me to take care of others. I pray that you not only hear my words but that you digest and understand them to come from my heart. I am blessed to be here. Thank you for not only allowing me to continue to do so but to remain intact in my faith and true to my belief that God will sustain me – with or without a vaccine.

In conclusion, I’m not asking you to ascribe to or even understand my faith. However, under Federal, Ohio, and Georgia laws, I ask you to respect my sincerely held religious beliefs and honor them as legally permissible. On these grounds, I request that my exemption be approved.

“‘ For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Most appreciatively,

Sara 

Appendix:

(1) Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, SEC.2000e-2. [Section 703]

“It shall be unlawful employment practice for an employer –

a) To fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or

b) To limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

(2) Ohio Revised Code, Title 41 Labor and Industry, Chapter 4112 Civil Rights Commission (Section 4112.02)

“It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice:

a) For any employer because of the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of any person, to discharge without just cause, to refuse to hire, or otherwise to discriminate against that person with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment.”

(3) Georgia Fair Employment Practices Act [O.C.G.A 45-19-29 (2010)]

“It is an unlawful practice for an employer:

1. To fail or refuse to hire, to discharge or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to the individual’s compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age;
2. To limit, segregate, or classify his employees in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive an individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect an individual’s status as an employee because of such individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age.”

After praying on my hands and knees, I surrendered everything to God and uploaded my letter to my Human Resources department. I trust my Heavenly Father to invoke another miracle in my life – if it is His will to do so. I don’t have the power to turn back the evil forces in this world, but He does. God is my Defender, and I know He fights for me.