Religious exemption to Covid Vaccines

Roger Watson

I just signed this UK petition to ‘Create a religious exemption to any vaccine passport requirements’ which, to date has accumulated 9,289 signatures. I encourage others to sign it as 10,000 are needed for the government to respond. We may, potentially, be facing the end of internal vaccine passports (euphemistically referred to as ‘Covid passes’ in the UK) but let’s not take any chances. Pressure we can put on the government not only to try to stop this madness but also to show our displeasure that they were introduced in the first place can only help to stop further nonsense. Don’t forget, those of us living in England, that our compatriots in the devolved authorities (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) are still under the Covid jackboot and if the wee tyrant north of the border has her way, they’ll be living under them for years to come.

Regarding religious exemption from Covid vaccines, we have the example of Orange County, California where there are clearly forces at work to ensure that it is as hard as possible to avoid being vaccinated. As expected educational establishments are bastions of vaccine enforcement and especially the Community Colleges which are demonstrably biased towards the Biden administration and not fans of Donald Trump with whom they have been at war since 2018.

Take Saddleback College, a Community College in Mission Viejo, Orange County from which I obtained a form titled: COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption Request – Sincerely Held Religious Belief. From 8 January 2022 all students on the campus, unless exempted, will be required to provide proof of approved vaccination status. Contained in their document titled Vaccination Requirement FAQs the fourth FAQ asks:

Is this a one-time requirement or will I be required to get boosters or annual shots?

To which the response is: “This is a permanent policy. SOCCCD follows both CDC and local health guidance. Infectious disease experts anticipate that boosters will be necessary and may be required.”

The exemption request form is 26 pages long and asks the following questions:

1. Please describe your religious beliefs and practices that pertain to your request for exemption:
2. When did you embrace the belief, observance, or practice described above?
3. When have you adhered to the belief, observance, or practice in other contexts?
4. Where have you adhered to the belief, observance or practice?
5. How have you adhered to the belief, observance or practice?
6. Explain in your own words why you are requesting this religious exemption.
7. Describe the religious principle(s) that guide your objection to vaccination.
8. Indicate whether your religious objections are to all vaccinations, and if not, the religious basis that prohibits particular vaccinations.
9. I attest that my request for an exemption based upon my sincerely held religious belief is consistent with what is contained in my recent medical records. Yes/No

If your answer is NO, please explain.

Thereafter there follows several pages of Faith Based Educational Resources which explain how all the major religions (and some that are neither major nor religions) have compromised and approved taking the Covid-19 vaccines by their followers. These include the Roman Catholic Church despite the use of foetal cell lines, as explained in the form, in the early development of the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The religions include: American Baptist Churches USA; Autonomous Orthodox; Buddhism; Catholicism, Church of Christ, Scientist; Church of latter day saints/Mormonism; Disciples of Christ; Eastern Orthodox; Episcopal; Evangelical Christianity; Humanism; Islam; Jainism; Jehovah’s Witnesses; Judaism; Oriental Orthodox; Presbyterian; Protestant; Seventh-Day Adventists; and Sikhism (including Sikh Dharma International).

This is followed by inaccurate claims regarding the Covid-19 vaccines under the heading ‘VACCINE RELATED EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES’ as follows:

INFERTILITY: There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause female or male fertility problems.

INFORMATION ON COVID-19 VACCINES: COVID-19 vaccines are effective at helping protect against severe disease and death from variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 currently circulating, including the Delta variant. Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.

Is it safe for me to get a COVID-19 vaccine if I would like to have a baby one day?

Yes. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone 12 years of age or older, including people who are trying to get pregnant now or might become pregnant in the future, as well as their partners. Currently no evidence shows that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems (problems trying to get pregnant) in women or men. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and people who would like to have a baby.

The above statements regarding the potential for harmful effects on fertility are widely promoted by the mainstream media but have been disputed. Regarding the effectiveness of vaccines, the extent to which they are helpful is being exaggerated by the vaccine manufacturers, governments and the mainstream media. The absolute risk reduction (your risk of being infected either with or without the vaccine) of taking a Covid vaccine is only approximately 1%. Figures of up to 90% that are reported relate to relative risk reduction which compares risk between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated which, unlike the absolute risk reduction, is dependent on the number of people vaccinated and is open to manipulation.

Thereafter follows a series of pro-vaccine propaganda leaflets which are clearly written for a wide audience. If the applicant has not given up the will to live in the process of reading this then imagine what this will do to anyone sincerely seeking a religious exemption from the Covid-19 vaccine. Short of establishing your own religion, there is simply nowhere to hide in this form.

For the student to whom a vaccine exemption is awarded, life is made difficult as follows:

Your Religious Exemption Request was received and reviewed. Please note that your vaccine exemption request will be awarded, contingent on our receipt of your agreement to adhere to Saddleback College’s unvaccinated student protocol, which is outlined herein.

– You will be required to wear an approved face covering at all times when indoors, on campus

– You will be subject to twice-weekly COVID-19 testing, and required to submit proof of negative test results for the duration of the course.

The student FAQS clarify the extent of the inconvenience and punishment that will be inflicted if the rules are not followed including:

– What happens if I miss one of my tests? “If a student misses the Monday test, they can test on Tuesday. If a student misses the Thursday test, they can test on Friday. If students do not comply with a required week of testing, the student is subject to being dropped from in-person/hybrid classes by end of business day each Friday.”

– Will my financial aid be affected If I am dropped from in-person and/or hybrid course(s)? “If you are dropped from in-person and/or hybrid course(s) for not complying with the required testing, your financial aid eligibility may be affected.”

– What if I get caught up on my COVID-19 tests after I’ve been dropped from a class? “Once a student has been dropped from a class, they are not eligible to be added again. Testing is the responsibility of the student who has requested and received an exemption from being vaccinated. Failure to abide by the protocols of testing may result in the student being dropped from all in-person or hybrid classes at any time during the semester.”

– If my professor allows me to miss 1 or 2 classes for a personal reason, do I still have to provide test results for that week? “Yes, all students must abide by the testing requirements of SOCCCD.”

It has to be borne in mind that younger people only account for approximately 20% of Covid-19 infections and the infection fatality rate of Covid-19 in younger people is less than 0.5% and almost exclusively in those who are immune compromised or have other underlying conditions and obesity. The overall infection fatality rate of influenza is lower than Covid-19 but still in the same region of approximately 0.2%. Influenza vaccines are widely available and, while uptake has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, they are not universally accepted…but they are not compulsory.

Copies of all the documents referred to above are available at this link.