How to write a COVID-19 religious exemption letter to your employer

Should you receive the COVID-19 vaccine?

I have no idea. 

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

I have no idea what your family’s health history is, nor do I know if you are healthy. 

A doctor is far more qualified to look at your age, heart, lungs, and waste line to determine your odds of surviving a virus with a 99.5% mortality rate. 

I have no business telling you that you should not get the vaccine because I am just a pastor.

Should the governor force you to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?

Maybe.

Here’s my first question.

Is he or she a doctor?

No?

They are just a far-left politician that deeply cares about your health?

Well then, I guess you might as well believe Joe Biden when he said, “You can trust the government. Don’t worry about anything and get the vaccine.”

Maybe Jennifer Lopez should PRESSURE you to get the vaccine?

Jennifer Lopez performs at "Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World" on Sunday, May 2, 2021, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

She’s been on several amazing movies, unforgettable TV shows and recorded numerous spunky radio hits; surely she is qualified to use her influence to pressure young people to get the vaccine, right?

 No, I am afraid that celebrities have no business using their influence to pressure youth into getting the COVID-19 experimental vaccine.

If you are trying to decide on whether or not to get the vaccine for yourself, the only people you should listen to is your doctor, your spouse, and Jesus, and I trust that none of the above mentioned will be immature enough to manipulate you into doing something that you are not comfortable with.

Before you receive an experimental vaccine, I would recommend three things:

1.)  Consult with your doctor.

Your doctor knows your personal health history as well as the history of your family. Your HR department does not.  Please consult with your doctor to see if it makes sense for you to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

2.)  Chat it through with your spouse and come to a place of agreement.

Unity in your marriage is paramount.  Chat through your concerns with your spouse and consider praying together.  If you are in agreement, I believe the Lord will honor your unity either way.

3.)  Pray and obey.

At the end of the day, pray and obey.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  Many people have faith that they will get the vaccine and be okay; others do not possess such faith. Make sure that God gives you a grace for whatever decision you make.

If you decide to move forward and submit a religious exception letter to your employer, it would seem as though there are a few very important things you should keep in mind:

1.)  Keep it personal.

In Washington State, “legal” documents, forms from the State’s website (that do not apply to the workplace), or letter’s from your pastor will not serve to be very effective.

Your religious exemption must be personal.  It must be from you. You must understand it, own it, and be willing to stand behind it.

2.)  Keep it doctrinal.

Your feelings and philosophies do not matter.  What you read on a health blog does not matter.  The only thing that matters is what the Bible says, and you must convince your employer that your religious doctrine forbids you from receiving the vaccine.

3.)  Get it in writing.

Do not vet your letter by first having a brief conversation with your HR supervisor.  Send your religious exemption request by email and make sure that all communication is done over email.  If your employer has a conversation with you in person, be sure to thank them for the conversation but let them know that you will need to have everything they communicated to you sent to you in writing.

If you don’t have it in writing. It doesn’t exist.  This documentation could be helpful in the future.

Now, at last, here is a template to get you started.

I am praying that this is effective for you.  Please respond in the comments with how it goes for you as well as any suggestions you may have to help others in this process.

Stay healthy and may you walk in supernatural wisdom and favor through this tricky process.

Let’s go! 

Dear _________________, 

I was recently made aware that ______________________ would be requiring employees to receive the COVID-19 mRNA modification or else would be faced with termination. 

On August 9th, 2021, Governor Inslee stated that individuals with legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious grounds would be exempt from the vaccine mandate as has been in the precedent for other vaccines. 

My religious objection is twofold: 

1.) Fetal cells from abortions were used to develop the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  

a.)    https://www.health.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/COVID%20Vaccine%20Page/COVID-19_Vaccine_Fetal_Cell_Handout.pdf 

2.) The ingredients of these vaccines have not yet been disclosed. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Pressure from the government or my workplace is not enough for me to inject something into my body that could be harmful to my health and life. 

Statute Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.210.080, 90 gives residents of Washington State the legal right to refuse vaccinations if that vaccination violates the doctrine of their religion which the RNA and mRNA clearly do as seen above. 

I respectfully submit to you and hope and pray that I can continue to serve at company/school without fear of termination.  

After prayer, and thorough dialogue with my spouse and doctor, I sign this document with an understanding of the risk of the vaccine and the COVID-19 virus. 

I eagerly look forward to your response. 

Sincerely, 

Your Name 

---

Update 8/23/21

Some people are choosing to include the use of nano lipid particles as a reason #3, as seen below.

To whom it may concern, 

I was recently made aware that employees are now required to receive the COVID-19 mRNA modification injections or face termination. 

On August 9th, 2021, Governor Inslee stated that individuals with legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious grounds would be exempt from the vaccine mandate. Statute Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.210.080, 90 gives residents of Washington State the legal right to refuse vaccinations if that vaccination violates the doctrine of their religion which the RNA and mRNA vaccines clearly do.  

My religious objections: 

1)     The ingredients of these “vaccines” have not yet been fully disclosed. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Pressure from the government or my workplace is not enough for me to inject these still experimental “vaccines” into my body that could prove to be harmful to my health and life. 

2)     Fetal cells from abortions were used to develop the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccine: https://www.health.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/COVID%20Vaccine%20Page/COVID-19_Vaccine_Fetal_Cell_Handout.pdf 

3)     RNA and mRNA use nano lipid particles with bio sensor technology that can sync with Microsoft patent 060606 which is a violation of Revelations 13.

Both my religious doctrine, not to mention, my religious conscience prohibits me from partaking of these injections. As I respectfully submit this to you, I request that you respect my right as an individual to maintain my dignity without compromising my religious doctrines and conscience, by allowing me to continue to work here at ____________ without fear of termination.

After prayer and thorough dialogue with my spouse and my doctor, I sign this document understanding the risk of the vaccine and the COVID-19 virus. 

Thank you. 

Your Name 

WHY I VOTED FOR TRUMP AND CULP

The following is a response that I gave to the Seattle Times reporter recently when interviewed for the front page story on leaders in our region and what they are seeing and feeling in this current election.

So, I am a Christian, and I pastor a church.

This means that I am pro-God, pro-religious-gatherings, pro-Israel, and pro-life. These are values of mine. So when it comes to Trump's platform, he doesn't come across to be against God, against religious gatherings, against Israel, and against the unborn. He just doesn't come across to be that way.

The fact that churches were shut down this year should have been a choice that we were allowed to make, and it wasn't. Despite horrific pandemics in history, this was unprecedented. Local governors got to act like adults, and pastors were treated like children. 

We were not allowed to decide for ourselves.

Do you blame Inslee?

The Church never really prospers when everything is going well. It is during times of great adversity, calamity, and hopelessness that the Church prospers. The Church is the Church for this very reason.

Just look at the role of Providence Hospital in Seattle and our State statue (Mother Joseph of the Sisters of Providence). In a time of great hardship and primitive conditions, the first hospital in Seattle was birthed by the Church!

Our (Seattle Revival Center) hands were tied because of the State Government. They were telling us exactly what we could do or not do. They were like, "Hey, you can do Zoom meetings." My response is like, "Alright, that's very liberating of you."

I get particular freedoms in the hospital because I am clergy. I get specials freedoms that sometimes even the family doesn't get. Hospitals recognize the power of prayer and spiritual counsel. I was just in a hospital room last week that was considered to be dangerous. The man had a contagious infection. 

I had to gown up. It was dangerous, but the hospital recognized the importance of the visit, I was treated like an adult, and I assessed the risk for myself. I went in. He needed me. He was in (what doctors were telling him were) his final days of fighting cancer. I went in and prayed with him.

This is when religion is needed. 

Faith is most important when (in the natural) you have no hope. When people are wrestling with depression, when lives are at stake, the Church is needed. We saw record suicide numbers in our state, and Governor Inslee said, "You are not allowed to go to church."

We saw record suicide numbers in our state, and Governor Inslee said, "You are not allowed to go to church."

This should have been our choice as pastors and leaders. This was the first time in the State of Washington it was illegal to go to church, and I think that was a tragedy.

Governor Inslee made some massive calls. He said Churches need to shut down just for a short time. That we just need to, "flatten the curve." 

He said that if we all work together, we will flatten the curve if we all shut down and then we can reopen.  

We thought, sure, we can shut down for two weeks. We said, "We can cooperate. We don't want to be reckless, unwise, and unlawful." So we submitted to our governing authorities. 

President Trump got on TV and said that churches were essential, but Governor Inslee disagreed. We flattened the curve right away, but then Inslee changed his mind and informed us that we could not reopen until no one was dying. He moved the goal post. I was like, "No church until people stop dying?"

Inslee said (with his actions) that the Church was not essential, but that (packed out) marijuana stores and (jammed packed) Costcos are.

Inslee said (with his actions) that the Church was not essential, but that (packed out) marijuana stores and (jammed packed) Costcos are.

Then, after twelve weeks, Inslee said that we could now host outdoor meetings up to fifty people. So we started hosting multiple meetings, back to back, in a tent, for another four weeks. 

While we were in that tent, many Sundays were windy, cold, and pouring rain. We were standing outside, freezing. Families outside, shivering and singing to Jesus with masks on. All because of what Inslee calls "science" and "the facts."

We have a building that can seat a thousand people. We could have practiced social distancing, but instead, we have people getting colds, manifesting the same symptoms as covid (runny nose and cough) all in the pursuit of health. We were outside in the cold, underneath a tent, worshiping, when we could have been inside our building. 

There was no choice in this. One man said, "This is what's good for you. You will do it this way, or you are breaking the law."

So, we played by the rules, but there was an absurdity it in. There was this feeling that we were being controlled, and we fought to maintain the right attitude despite the government overreach. 

The public safety measures did not make us feel any safer.

There was all this health concern from Governor Inslee, but no health advice. No vitamin regiments. No tips. Just control. 

I am voting for Trump and Culp because I truly believe that they assume that responsible adults can make wise choices for themselves.

HASN'T TRUMP DIVIDED OUR COUNTRY?

The following is a response that I gave to the Seattle Times reporter recently when interviewed for the front page story on leaders in our region and what they are seeing and feeling in this current election.

HOW ARE YOU OKAY WITH VOTING FOR TRUMP WHEN HE HAS DIVIDED OUR COUNTRY?

We are not victims of division.

Division is a choice.

If we are going to allow our hearts to be divided, and if we are going to make our neighbor our enemy, that is our choice.

We do not get to be victims of Trump.

We do not get to say, “I am a victim of Trump, therefore I am entitled to be bitter and vindictive.”

We do not get to take all of our problems and blame them on Trump. That is not what responsible people do.

This is actually one of my roles in being a pastor. I come alongside of people who are in dire situations. Like, I do funerals. I am with families who are completely heart broken. I am with people who have been victims of radical injustice, and in that place, it is my role to walk with people through their pain and tragedy, and to walk with people in such a way, where I can say, “Look, you are a victim of this tragedy, but please do not take on a victim mentality, because if you do, it will anchor you to the past, and you will never be able to engage your future.”

“…please do not take on a victim mentality, because if you do, it will anchor you to the past, and you will never be able to engage your future.”

I am concerned about the roar that I hear in our country right now. You have a lot of people that are taking on a victim mentality, and I am not just talking about Democrats, I am also talking about Republicans.

Politics has become a religion. It’s the new religion. A huge cult. On both sides.  You go far enough to the left, or far enough to the right and you will feel the same spirit, the same frequency that is in both camps. It’s the same temperature, the same hostility, and the same irrationality.

When people are attached to that frequency it affects their creativity, it affects their relationships, it affects their marriages, and they are no longer capable of creating great things on the Earth.

To the point that we allow ourselves to get triggered by all these narratives, to that degree, we feel that we are no longer responsible to shape the culture, to do good, to be creative, and engaging. Because now we can’t, our hands are tied, we are victims. For how can we do anything good when Trump is in office? How can there be any sense of justice or reconciliation when HE is in there?!

And so, I believe it is a radically dangerous world view, when you feel like your influence is limited because of whoever is leading the country.

WHY I HATE POLITICS

The following is a response that I gave to the Seattle Times reporter recently when interviewed for front-page story on leaders in our region and what they are seeing and feeling in this current election.

Front page of The Seattle Times, November 1, 2020

For me, when I vote, it is not going to be about Trump versus Biden.

For me, there are some things that are really important, and there are some things that I am watching closely.

For example, I am watching what the “new normal” is for Seattle. I am looking at how my wife and I do not feel safe to go for a date night downtown. I am looking at what seems to be a severe lack of vision and direction and unity within our State. I am looking at all these negative factors and the fact that our elected officials (who happen to be Democrats) are not taking responsibility.

I am looking at all these negatives that exist because of liberal ideals within our region, and they are resulting in negative consequences. Then I marvel at how the people that live here are seeing everything that is taking place and they blame it all on President Trump. For example, all the fires we just had here in Washington, Oregon, and California. Somehow, that is President Trump’s fault. The riots, those are Trump's fault as well, right? CHOP, that was also Trump's fault too apparently.

I am concerned for our city and our State because I love Seattle, and I love the people who are here that make our city great.

Seattle is such an amazing, innovative, and creative city. There is no other city like Seattle. Sometimes I wonder what would be possible in our city actually valued our businesses? What would happen if Jeff Bezos was not treated as though he was the Antichrist and if Boeing was not seen as this large evil corporate machine.

What would happen if we could celebrate innovation instead of demonizing it?

I would love to see some sort of courageous leadership where it is not about politics, but it is about true government.

I love government. I have even been involved in our local government, but, I hate politics.

I hate the political performance that takes place on both sides of the aisle.

Performance does not do good.

Performance does not bring about positive changes in the culture.

Performance does not create contrast.

Performance is just about approval and getting votes, and then once the election is over, everybody gripes and complains.

What if there were some courageous leaders who could paint a compelling vision for our city and State, but with the right motivation?

Amazing things could be accomplished, but not for the glory of a political party, but rather a motivation birthed out of sincere love and appreciation for our city and for our State.

That is not what I see.

I see all this stuff on the news and social media and it is not about government; it is political performance, and as a millennial, it makes me so disillusioned with the whole political scene, system, and process.

As a pastor, I am saying, “Go and vote. Vote your conviction and your values. If you vote democrat, I will still honor you, and when I vote Republican, I ask that you do the same.”

When we are all face to face, we are friends and family, but sometimes when we get on to social media, we become enemies and monsters.

This is why I hate politics. It is drama and hype that everybody gets to entangle in, where our only responsibility is to vote. When voting is our only responsibility, then we get to continue to surrender our leadership and influence, and if the election does not go our way, we all get to be victims of the election.

I will not be a victim of any election!

Regardless of what happens in this election, I chose to be a governing one who will leverage my partnerships, influence, and revelation to transform our city and nation with love as the primary motivator.