A Pastoral Question

[sdcoyote]

I am a Pastor at a small rural church. A congregation member came to me today to ask me to sign a waiver for a religious exemption for the Covid Vaccination. She said she would lose her job if I did not sign. Her reasoning was that she felt her body was a temple and the vaccination was harmful to it. She also "heard" people had bad reactions to the vaccine.

I told her I would pray about it and seek counsel from others.

I love reading this board and respect many of your opinions. So my question is - Do you think there is a Religious exemption for the vaccine and is there scripture that backs it?

My mind keeps going to back to giving Caesar what is his, but I do not want to make a rash decision.

 

[canadyjd]

I am a Pastor at a small rural church. A congregation member came to me today to ask me to sign a waiver for a religious exemption for the Covid Vaccination. She said she would lose her job if I did not sign. Her reasoning was that she felt her body was a temple and the vaccination was harmful to it. She also "heard" people had bad reactions to the vaccine.

I told her I would pray about it and seek counsel from others.

I love reading this board and respect many of your opinions. So my question is - Do you think there is a Religious exemption for the vaccine and is there scripture that backs it?

My mind keeps going to back to giving Caesar what is his, but I do not want to make a rash decision.

Caesar gave the exemption option. I never heard of a religious leader needing to verify a covid exemption, but perhaps it’s part of state law.

Personally, if your member says she can’t, in good conscience, take the vaccination, I’d sign the form no matter my views on the vax. It is her conscience that is violated.

I’d make sure she understood all the science, especially if she has ore-existing conditions, but it’s her choice in the end.

peace to you

 

[AustinC]

This is a difficult issue for me regarding religious exemption.
For people who feel that the vaccine is made from the embryos of an aborted fetus and their conscience is so burdened by abortion, I consider that a religious exemption. I believe we can sign that exemption without it pricking our own conscience.
Regarding the temple of God argument, I wonder...does this person have a regimented diet to maintain optimal health as well as exercise routine? If not, then it seems deceptive to use that argument.
This being said, a relative of mine has rheumatoid arthritis and any vaccine or antibiotics causes her RA to flare up terribly. She asked her physician to give exemption and was refused...even though the doctor agreed that the RA would reek havoc for months afterward. In this case, she appealed to her pastor who gave a religious exemption. This too feels deceptive. In her case, she has 3 young children and her husband is incapacitated by Lyme's disease so that he can hardly function. She needs to work. She cannot afford to have RA take her out.
Finally, in all this we must consider Romans 13:1-5.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

This is a remarkable passage because the Apostle Paul was writing this under the reign of Nero.

As a pastor, follow your conscience and entrust your decision to God. If you deny the exemption and the person gets mad, you may be in for a different test. Do you trust God, even at the expense of alienation from others. Can you live with your conscience and God with the decision you make? If so, do what you believe is right.
Also, canadyjd is correct. The exemption is given by government so it is not going against government to give the exemption. But, does it go against your conscience?

May God give wisdom and peace with no second guessing.

 

[Jec81]

I would sign it based on the operation of the research. I cannot get it because I am allergic to one of the main ingredients, so personally I don't have another dog in that fight

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I don't see how her religious views can be dictated by you, or anyone else. You can offer your advice, good or bad, but in the end her religious views are her own.

I see the shot as an abomination, a grievous sin before God. It is an impure thing that defiles the body. My pastor thinks it's a gift from God. My pastor can think whatever he wants, and it has no bearing on whether my stated views are sincerely held religious beliefs. If I needed affirmation of this sort to validate my religious exemption, and my pastor did not sign it, then I would cut ties with that church and begin attendance at another church in another county that I know explicitly shares this belief.

I can accept a church that does not hold absolutely every doctrine in common with my own beliefs, but I cannot be a part of one that actively causes me trouble in living according to what I know is true.

 

[AustinC]

I don't see how her religious views can be dictated by you, or anyone else. You can offer your advice, good or bad, but in the end her religious views are her own.

I see the shot as an abomination, a grievous sin before God. It is an impure thing that defiles the body. My pastor thinks it's a gift from God. My pastor can think whatever he wants, and it has no bearing on whether my stated views are sincerely held religious beliefs. If I needed affirmation of this sort to validate my religious exemption, and my pastor did not sign it, then I would cut ties with that church and begin attendance at another church in another county that I know explicitly shares this belief.

I can accept a church that does not hold absolutely every doctrine in common with my own beliefs, but I cannot be a part of one that actively causes me trouble in living according to what I know is true.

Enjoy the church you start...

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Enjoy the church you start...

I'm enjoying the church I'm at. Thanks.

 

[37818]

I am a Pastor at a small rural church. A congregation member came to me today to ask me to sign a waiver for a religious exemption for the Covid Vaccination. She said she would lose her job if I did not sign. Her reasoning was that she felt her body was a temple and the vaccination was harmful to it. She also "heard" people had bad reactions to the vaccine.

I told her I would pray about it and seek counsel from others.

I love reading this board and respect many of your opinions. So my question is - Do you think there is a Religious exemption for the vaccine and is there scripture that backs it?

My mind keeps going to back to giving Caesar what is his, but I do not want to make a rash decision.

Romans 14:23, ". . . And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. . . ."
The vaccine is not an eating a food and not in itself a religious matter. The mere fact anyone does not want the vaccine, it is effectively contrary to that individuals personal faith. There is your own faith as that person's Pastor. The there is also James 4:17, ". . . Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. . . ."

Anyway, my thinking on this. I would be interested in how you decide.