In this Episode of The GRID, host Chris Kuhlmann examines the core of a Religious Exemption for the believer, the distinction between the religious context of the exemption vs the legality or the science. If you’re trying to use the religious exemption as a loophole, you should "NOT" listen to this podcast. On The GRID, honesty is the ONLY policy.
CREDITS
Host: Chris Kuhlmann
Written by: Chris Kuhlmann
Produced by: Shaun Griffin
Music composed by JD Kuhlmann
Art: Shaun Griffin
Sound: Chris Kuhlmann and Shaun Griffin
Sponsor: The Law offices of Joshua Kuhlmann
Call 903-574-3789 for a free consultation.
Visit us at www.kingdompatriot.us and check out our Vision Video
SHOW NOTES
I’ve been blessed and honored to have been asked for help from California, to Texas, Arkansas, to Michigan. Help in what you might ask? Help in writing a religious exemption request for the COVID19 vaccine mandate that so many employers are requiring…some because they don’t any better, some because they truly believe it makes their workplaces safer, but most because the federal government has mandated vaccines via OSHA, CMS, and federal contract workers.
While the Federal government vaccine mandates continue to be fought in the courts, it is likely that a subset of employers will continue to require them…in fact, as more and more variants show themselves, and with almost certain media hype and fear-mongering, it is almost guaranteed that the number of employers requiring vaccines will increase.
So what remedy do you have? First, if you have strong political, personal, or scientific held beliefs, at this point in time, I’m sorry to say, you have no relief. However, if you have genuine faith reasons to not take the COVID 19 vaccine, there is a legal remedy for you.
DISCLAIMER: Not an Attorney
While I’m going to share my personal story and successes, I do want to take a moment and make sure you understand, I’m not an attorney and I’m not giving you a bona fide legal opinion. I’m only sharing my story, my opinion, based on my experience and conversations with many people. Secondly, I’m not advocating you use this information if you truly don’t have sincerely held religious beliefs. I’m not advocating deception, and I believe this process is deeply personal and between you and God. So, now that we got that out of the way, let’s head to an official government source.
Religious Accommodations – the Law
This information comes from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; an official website of the US Government https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/what-you-should-know-workplace-religious-accommodation
It starts with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I’m going to read word-for-word from 2 FAQs on this website:
Yes. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on religion. This includes refusing to accommodate an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship (more than a minimal burden on operation of the business). A religious practice may be sincerely held by an individual even if newly adopted, not consistently observed, or different from the commonly followed tenets of the individual's religion.
Title VII defines "religion" very broadly. It includes traditional, organized religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It also includes religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, or only held by a small number of people.
Some practices are religious for one person, but not religious for another person, such as not working on Saturday or on Sunday. One person may not work on Saturday for religious reasons; another person may not work on Saturday for family reasons. Under Title VII, a practice is religious if the employee's reason for the practice is religious.
Social, political, or economic philosophies, or personal preferences, are not "religious" beliefs under Title VII..
Did you pay attention to that last sentence? Social, political, economic, or personal preferences are not considered religious and therefore are not protected under Title VII.
That is where most people get so stuck. Why? Because a person’s belief system is made up of Culture, Faith, Education, Experience, Career, Mentors, Family, politics, economic, social, and personal preferences – It’s who we are. These are all components that help shape and build an individual’s belief system.
However, the law only protects that which is religious. Right now, I’ve helped 3 individuals obtain their religious exemptions that genuinely had a faith based reason, but it’s because they struggled articulating the faith component of their belief system, again, the only component protected by law.
That’s why we are here today…and again, I want to reiterate, if you don’t have a faith-based reason to request a religious exemption, then don’t fake it or be deceptive. In doing so, I belief you dishonor yourself and you dishonor God in the process. Nonetheless, if you do have a faith-based reason to request an exemption, then let’s walk this process together.
First the Don’ts:
Now the Do’s:
So what scriptures would support a faith-based religious exemption request? That’s great question, but again, must be bathed in prayer and seeking the Lord. I’m going to share my story, not so it can be copied, but so you can understand my journey and how I ended up with a religious exemption approval.
Every religious exemption form uses different questions, so yours may vary slightly. I will read the question(s) that are most likely to occur and I will share my answers.
What is my religion (if applicable)?
I’m a Bible-believing Christian and faith is at the heart of who I am. I’m learning to live out Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” I’ve been saved since I was 10 years old, but I’ve been faithfully following the Lord for 30 years.
Explain in your own words why you are requesting this religious exemption:
First to understand the sincerity of my religious beliefs, you must first understand that I generally agree with the science and data that shows the risk of taking a COVID19 vaccine is less than the risk from the disease itself. I believe I’m very balanced in my approach as I prayerfully consider all the benefits and impact of taking the Covid 19 vaccine. Yet, it is my firmly held religious belief, that I am called to pray about every major decision…and when I seek the Lord in prayer, He will direct my decisions. Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” As I have prayed about this, the Lord has not directed me to take the vaccine.
Because it is my firmly held religious belief that I must be obedient to how the Lord is directing me, I cannot take the COVID 19 vaccine from any manufacturer. Further, as evidenced by the attached the Health Department Vaccine waiver(s) for public school in Exhibit A, you can see this is not the first time I’ve requested a religious/personal beliefs exemption for myself or a family member after careful thought and prayer.
Describe the religious principles that guide your objection to the vaccine for which you are requesting an exemption.
My objections to the COVID19 vaccine are three-fold:
1) As stated in the previous question, I must be obedient to how I believe the Lord is directing me. When I pray about a situation, I weigh the teaching of scripture, counsel of others, conversations with pastors, etc… as I try to understand how the Lord is directing. When I’ve been given direction, I’m called to be obedient, because as a Christian who has deeply held faith beliefs, obedience to the Lord is a very big deal.
2) I firmly believe that walking in faith is at the heart of every sincere Christian. In scripture, Paul writes in Hebrews 11 how Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and many others walked by faith. In fact, we are taught that faith is an essential part of the Christian walk Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” If I was to take the vaccine, it would be purely from fear of not being able to provide for my family, not because I felt the conviction to do so. If I take the vaccine purely out of fear, then I believe I have sinned as outlined in Romans 14:23b “…and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Therefore, it is my firmly held religious belief to take this vaccine purely out of fear and not faith is causing me to sin.
3) In Revelation 13 of scripture, the Bible is clear in the last days before the second coming of Christ, that the enemy of God will seek to control not only Christians, but all of humanity. In this passage, scripture gives insight to believers of what those times will look like. Revelation 13:16-17, “16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.” I want to be clear that I don’t believe that the COVID19 vaccine is the mark referenced in scripture. However, it is clear to me and millions of Christians that the spirit around this vaccine is a precursor to what scripture warns us will come. We are already seeing this sentiment growing as our culture is deciding to use this vaccine as a means by which to undermine employment, to restrict who can buy/sell in certain cities and establishments, and to control those who can and cannot travel. As a Christian, it is my firmly held religious belief that I cannot support this mandate specifically because of the warning scripture gives us.
Indicate whether you are opposed to all immunizations, and if not, the religious basis that prohibits particular immunizations.
First, I am not opposed to all vaccines, but I do believe a major decision like this must be made after careful thought and prayer to determine what the Lord would have me do. I’ve outlined in the previous question my personal faith-based opposition to the COVID19 vaccine, but I will recap.
It is my firmly held religious belief that in taking the vaccine 1) I would be going against what I believe the Lord has directed me to do, 2) that I would be sinning in the process because I would be making the decision out of fear, and 3) I can’t support a decision that is consistent with what scripture warns us about in the book of Revelation.
I’ll share a real world example; 15 years ago, we prayed about buying a house in a rural
community in another state. After prayerful consideration, my wife and I decided to rent for a time because after prayer, the Lord directed me to Acts 28:30-31 “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldy and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
In that time of reflection and prayer, I truly believed that the Lord had directed me to rent for two years rather than buy a house. Does this make me an “anti-house buyer” because I chose to rent in that community? Absolutely not, but we prayed about the decision, believed the Lord had directed us to rent instead of buy, and then we were called to walk in faith and obedience. After we had rented for two years, I lost my job and if we had owned a home in that small community, it would have been disastrous. The Lord taught us a critical lesson about decisions and pursuing Him in prayer, seeking His will, and then walking in faith and obedience. Having done the same process with this mandate, it is my firmly held religious belief that I cannot take the vaccine.
This was my process, this was my letter and answers to those questions. I continue to reiterate, that your faith reason must be genuine and authentic. There is no room for deception here. While a committee must not discriminate against you because of your faith, they can deny your request if they see inconsistency or deception in your request. For example, you indicate you are a Christian, but the committee sees your Facebook post where you claim to be an atheist and you filled out a request because you know you can dupe them….not a good idea.
I also want to say that each state is different and while we have had success helping people complete their forms and gain ultimate approval, it doesn’t mean that some employers won’t full understand their obligations under the law and deny a perfectly reasonable and supportable religious exemption request. If that occurs, you will have to get an attorney to take it to the next level.
If you want individual help on a religious exemption request, please email me at admin@kindompatriot.us
Visit our website at kingdompatriot.us to join the movement of faith and freedom. Join today so that together we can make a difference. Your membership is appreciated; your input is valued; your voice is needed.
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