A pastor in Rocklin, California gives "exemption letters" to those opposed to COVID-19 vaccination.
Faithwire reports that Destiny Christian Church pastor Greg Fairrington is not strictly anti-vaccine, but he does support freedom, particularly when it comes to religious freedom.
When questioned whether he opposed the COVID-19 vaccinations, he said, "I wouldn't say we're anti-vaccine. Now, if we start looking at how some of it was developed, we would have another conversation. But I'm [for] freedom of conscience. I want people to make a choice, and if a person feels morally compromised, then we want to give them the ability to say, 'This is something I don't want to participate in.'"
Fairrington told local news station KCRA-TV that his church has gotten "hundreds of phone calls" from state government officials and health-care professionals who have been ordered to just receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the source, California state employees, educators, and health professionals are required to provide evidence of vaccination or to pass periodic COVID-19 examinations if religious or medical exemptions are specified.
"America is a free country," the pastor declared. "We have freedom of religion and if a person has a moral objection to taking a vaccine, we want to come alongside of them."
He added that people were visibly moved when they got the letters, describing the queues of people waiting to get an "exemption letter" on Sunday as "enormous."
The letters, according to the source, explain the religious reasons for the refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccination and are signed by Fairrington.
The pastor further explained in a social media post under the church's name that they also "prayed for educators, nurses, doctors, and first responders who are being mandated to get the vaccine or lose their jobs."
"Many feel morally compromised by taking it - let this prayer speak to you if you're in the same situation," he said.
KCRA-TV also noted that Leslie Gielow Jacobs, a professor at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, said companies may lawfully compel workers to take vaccinations provided they make allowances for religious convictions. Employees may be allowed to take COVID-19 tests instead, but it varies per job.
Furthermore, when KCRA 3 News contacted the Placer County Public Health Department for input, it said that a letter from a church is not required to be eligible for a religious exemption. Individuals may sign their own refusal form, stating that they are refusing vaccination due to religious convictions.
The agency also emphasized that vaccination is the most essential strategy to minimize the risk of COVID-19.
When it comes to "religious exemptions," Faithwire reported that Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser, thinks the White House should "look at" such claims.
"If there is a legitimate religious exemption, fine," he said in an interview with USA Today. "I am one of the people that respect the tenets of religion. But if people make it up, and it's really a philosophical reason and they're saying it's religious, that's not good."
