By JOHN RICHARD SCHROCK
Imagine a courtroom where a witness can take the stand without any utterance of telling the truth! No hand on the Bible. No “So help me, God.” As more states enact religious exemptions for use against federal vaccination mandates on large businesses and agencies receiving federal money, some are even going to the extreme of preventing any check into the veracity of the religious exemption claim.
In many states, some minimal proof or rationale is required for a claim of religious exemption from vaccination. As a result, some pastors are offering to sign letters confirming religious objection to vaccination to their parishioners and in some cases even to anyone who requests via the internet.
One rationale is that people feel “morally compromised” by mandatory vaccination requirements and this alone constitutes a religious objection deserving a religious exemption.
However, religious exemptions are far more narrowly defined. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires businesses to accommodate workers’ religious practice by offering religious exemptions. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission posted updated and expanded technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically addressing questions about religious objections to employer COVID-19 vaccine requirements under federal equal employment opportunity laws: “Title VII requires employers to consider requests for religious accommodations but does not protect social, political, or economic views, or personal preferences of employees who seek exceptions to a COVID-19 vaccination requirement.”
“Social, political and economic views or personal preferences” are not a basis for religious exemption. And indeed, no major organized religion officially bans vaccination. Indeed, most encourage vaccination because it is a major factor in protecting the elderly, those who are immuno-compromised, and our under-age children. It is intimately part of loving your neighbor as yourself.
While political, economic or personal views do not a “religious exemption” make, a significant number of folks are seizing this excuse. And it did not start with this pandemic. A decade ago, measles that had been essentially wiped out in the U.S. returned. With a high contagion rate, it takes well over 90 percent of schoolchildren being vaccinated to prevent transmission to the few who are immuno-compromised (“herd immunity”). Some states narrowed exemptions. But the anti-vax movement had already grown to the point where adherents who could not use personal conviction as a reason, reverted to using religious exemption.
As reported in the journal Pediatrics, when Vermont eliminated personal belief exemptions in 2016, the religious exemption claims against vaccination increased seven-fold. Considering the politicization that has occurred around COVID-19 vaccination, there is ample evidence that personal or political views are now being represented as “religious” objection. The fact that some “pastors” are offering to sign religious objection forms to any stranger raises serious concerns of professionalism. This is not the first such challenge to a profession.
When states legalize marijuana for medical use, a large array of small “medical” offices sprout up next door to the marijuana shops. You walk in to get your medical prescription and go immediately next door to fill it. Such highly questionable “doctors” are an embarrassment to the medical profession and most of their clients are liars.
Now the ministry is being subjected to the same challenge. Some well-educated and highly moral pastors are being asked to sign off on religious exemption waivers when there is no religious basis for the action.
But even more egregious are the legislators in several states that are now enacting legislation condoning “trust me, no questions asked” religious exemptions. With federal vaccine mandates imposed for agencies receiving federal money, universities are asking simple questions such as “Please describe the sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance that is the basis for your request for a religious exemption....” Now, state legislatures (such as in Kansas) are passing counter-legislation that requires an employer to grant a religious exemption without inquiring as to the sincerity of the request. That effectively sanctions lying.
Scout’s honor, and hope not to die.
. . .
John Richard Schrock has trained biology teachers for more than 30 years in Kansas. He also has lectured at 27 universities in 20 trips to China. He holds the distinction of “Faculty Emeritus” at Emporia State University.