This is why, when appealing to religious liberty as the basis for an exemption, Christians should proceed carefully. There are undoubtedly people of faith with relevant moral and, or, theological concerns that could merit religious exemption. But none of these reasons are overtly related with the individual’s religious beliefs. Some may, for example, express concerns about infertility, or the lack of longitudinal studies, or that their employer has simply violated their rights. This includes objections that invoke religious beliefs in general terms, but upon further scrutiny, appeal to other factors.

In our experience, the reasons appealed to by some evangelicals for refusing vaccinations are not, strictly speaking, religious, but personal, philosophical, or political.

Such a claim might be motivated by the belief that their constitutionally protected rights are being infringed upon and that their religious sentiments are sufficient grounds for refusal. In this type of situation, they would claim the requirements violate their religious beliefs and seek formal religious exemptions. If faced with such a mandate, some Christians will likely consider objecting to vaccination requirements on religious grounds. Employers must grant the religious accommodation request so long as doing so does not pose an “undue burden” to the employer, either economic or non-economic. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of federally protected classes, including religion, and provides that applicable employers must provide a religious accommodation to an employee who holds a “sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance” against a workplace requirement. Reasons for refusal are wide-ranging, with some based on credible concerns and others being much more subjective.Ĭurrently in the United States, it is legally permissible for employers to require COVID-19 vaccinations so long as there are medical and religious accommodations available in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Some may feel concern or anger at being told how they must handle important and personal medical decisions. They may feel the policy unnecessarily overreaching or discriminatory, or perhaps presumptuous and hasty. Unvaccinated employees may have any number of personal responses to a policy of vaccine mandates. We would like to bring to the reader’s attention our perspective and experience on these important issues as they navigate these difficult questions. Many Christians are considering the ethics and wisdom of these situations for the first time, fielding advice and anecdotes from a variety of sources. (It should be noted that some versions of these requirements do allow for individuals to forgo the vaccine in exchange for submitting to routine COVID-19 testing.)Īs an ethicist and attorney practicing religious liberty law, we have engaged in dozens of conversations over the past few weeks regarding vaccination mandates, as well as religious exemptions.

These requirements dictate that all employees, whatever their personal reservations might be, must be vaccinated by a specified date or else face repercussions ranging from required masking, testing, and isolation to different assignments to formal termination. Flagging vaccination rates over the summer of 2021 combined with a sudden surge of the COVID-19 delta variant in recent weeks have prompted many businesses and organizations, and even some state and federal government entities, to implement vaccination requirements for employees.

Vaccine religious exemption letter pdf