Religious Exemption

 As a practicing Christian taking the vaccine goes against my religious beliefs for multiple reasons. The first reason is that the vaccine was developed from aborted fetal cell lines. It is well known that many born again Christians and Catholics are against abortion.

The Bible states:

Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.

Psalm 139:13-16 “13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Proverbs 6:16-17 “16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood”

Job 31:15 “15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?”

I believe in the Bible and that God forms babies in the womb. God has a plan and a purpose for their lives. Aborting a baby in the womb is murder. It is taking away another human’s life and is a sin. Taking the vaccine which was created from tests on aborted fetal cell lines goes against my religion as it is the product of abortion which is a sin.

In addition, my second reason has to do with free will. The Bible says that man has free will. We have the right to decide what medication and vaccinations that we can take. 

The Bible says: 

Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Genesis 3:22 “And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and bad, what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!”

These verses explain that humans are made in the image of God and are given the same mental capacities as our creator. Therefore I am granted free will to think for myself and make my own decisions in this world. In Genesis 3:22 it is explaining how I have the consciousness to choose what is good and bad. With my conscious mind, I have the right to exercise my free will that was granted to me by God. 

That being said, I am using my free will to reject the vaccine. I have numerous concerns about the vaccine. One important concern is that there is no research on the long term effects of the vaccine. I have met many people who have gotten sick with Covid after taking the vaccine which makes me doubt its effectiveness. In addition there is very little research done on how the vaccine affects fertility. 

The Bible says:

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea,”

I do not want to partake in any vaccine that could jeopardize my ability to reproduce and have babies which is something God has called me to do. 

In Matthew 9:22 “Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.”

I have faith in the body that God gave me to fight Covid. I have never taken flu shots and never gotten sick. In addition Covid has a 99% survival rate. I believe that taking the vaccine would be an expression of my lack of faith in my God given immune system. 

I would like to help keep Long Island University safe which is why I am requesting to take remote learning. By taking remote learning, vaccinated members of the community do not have to worry about my vaccination status. I think this would be a win-win solution.

The past year I have done my studies remotely online and was very successful. I believe that this would be the best solution to protect my religious freedom and keep Long Island University safe.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and considering my religious exemption request.