Covid Religious Exemption Letter Generator

You should know
Covid vaccines were developed incredibly quickly, and it’s normal to be wary of new breakthroughs like this. The reality is, the development of these vaccines were the result of an unparalleled effort to develop these vaccines as quickly as possible, given the unprecedented nature of the Covid-19 virus and how many human lives it could (and has) impacted. The Trump administration kicked off “Operation Warp Speed” to see if a vaccine could be developed faster than ever by providing unprecedented support from the Federal government. As the CDC notes, this research was also built on a foundation of over 10 years of mRNA research. Although the technology in these vaccines is new, it is inaccurate to say their development started from scratch and that the mRNA technology in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and their impact are unknown. In fact, mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) viruses. See a report on how these vaccines were developed so quickly.

The speed of the development of these vaccines also does not mean that any of the reliable safety checks for vaccines were skipped or ignored. 386 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the US alone and there have been almost no cases of serious side effects. The church believes these vaccines have a phenomenal track record and that God has given the intelligence to develop these vaccines as an important tool to protect ourselves and our communities.

“Given their safety and availability, receiving a vaccine is an easy way of living out Jesus’s command to ‘love your neighbor as yourself,‘”

Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Lead pastor of North Point Church, Missouri

You should know
While it is true that a cell line derived from an elective abortion in 1972 has been used in the development of vaccines, no cells from aborted fetuses were used in the production or testing of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

The church also believes it is important to save human lives, and taking any vaccine - even those that were developed using stem cells from fetal tissue - is morally acceptable in order to save lives. Not getting vaccinated puts others' lives in danger, so in order to protect the life that God gave you and others in your community the Church believes we should all get the vaccine.

“We talk about life inside the womb being a gift from God. Well, life outside the womb is a gift from God, too… We need to do everything we can to protect the life God has given us.”

Pastor Robert Jeffress
Lead pastor, First Baptist Church, Texas
Faith advisor to Donald Trump and Fox News Contributor

“Given their safety and availability, receiving a vaccine is an easy way of living out Jesus’s command to ‘love your neighbor as yourself,‘”

Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Lead pastor of North Point Church, Missouri

You should know
The church believes science is a tool given to us by God to further His purposes. We use the tools science has given us every day to advocate for the church, including sharing the word of God on the internet, one of Science’s most potent tools, and use technology to create more efficient and productive farms to feed the poor around the world. As Pastor Jeremy Johnson, lead pastor of North Point Church, one of Missouri’s largest churches said, “Given their safety and availability, receiving a vaccine is an easy way of living out Jesus’s command to ‘love your neighbor as yourself,‘”

Learn more about how vaccines work, and how scientists are using the intelligence God gave them for His purpose.

• 📺 How vaccines work (video)

• 📄 CDC guide to how vaccines work

• 📄 Common myths about vaccines

“[Some churches] have created a false dichotomy between faith and science. The truth is there is no conflict between true faith and true science. God uses science to bring about his purpose.”

Pastor Robert Jeffress
Lead pastor, First Baptist Church, Texas
Faith advisor to Donald Trump and Fox News Contributor

You should know
While it is true that a cell line derived from an elective abortion in 1972 has been used in the development of vaccines, no cells from aborted fetuses were used in the production of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The church believes it is important to save human lives, and taking the vaccine is a morally acceptable and in fact important step to take to save human lives.

“We talk about life inside the womb being a gift from God. Well, life outside the womb is a gift from God, too… We need to do everything we can to protect the life God has given us.”

Pastor Robert Jeffress
Lead pastor, First Baptist Church, Texas
Faith advisor to Donald Trump and Fox News Contributor

“Given their safety and availability, receiving a vaccine is an easy way of living out Jesus’s command to ‘love your neighbor as yourself,‘”

Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Lead pastor of North Point Church, Missouri

You should know
Achieving herd immunity is an important milestone to getting back to normal life, and the church believes the best way to get to herd immunity is for everyone to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. The vaccine is the best tool that God has given us to ensure that each of us can protect our families, neighbors and community members from the virus.

Recovering from the virus and developing antibodies is not as effective as getting the vaccine (see why), and the church has seen no scientific evidence to support the idea that there are other natural remedies that protect us against the virus.

“getting a vaccine, when it’s available, is not just about you. It’s about protecting your grandmother who has diabetes and Uncle Sean, who is immune-compromised.”

“God gave us both a sense of God's love and care and compassion, but he also gave us the brain and the opportunity to understand God's creation, which is nature, which includes things like viruses. And I think God expected us to use those gifts to understand how to protect ourselves and others from disease. If we have the opportunity to heal through medicine, I think God expects us to do that and not count on some supernatural intervention to come and save us when he's already given us the chance to be saved by other means.”

You should know
Millions of people have received COVID-19 vaccines, and no long-term side effects have been detected. You may have heard rumors about possible side effects, or seen stories on social media of negative side effects, but God has given us all the power of intellect in order to decipher rumors from truth. The Church advises everyone to get the vaccine because we have seen no credible evidence of negative side effects, while, at the same time we have witnessed the incredible life-saving power of the vaccines. Over 700,000 Americans have died from the virus so far -- it’s our job to ensure that we protect the life that God gave us.

See how the CDC is tracking the safety of the vaccines and the list of known, temporary side effects.

“God gave us both a sense of God's love and care and compassion, but he also gave us the brain and the opportunity to understand God's creation, which is nature, which includes things like viruses. And I think God expected us to use those gifts to understand how to protect ourselves and others from disease. If we have the opportunity to heal through medicine, I think God expects us to do that and not count on some supernatural intervention to come and save us when he's already given us the chance to be saved by other means.”

You should know
Many state and local governments in the US have long mandated vaccines. For example, in states like Alabama vaccines have been required for many years to attend public schools and universities. George Washington, the first President of the United States, was also the first president to mandate vaccinations by requiring his troops to be inoculated against the small pox virus (source). The Supreme Court has long held that mandates are constitutional (see Jacobson v. Massachusetts). These mandates are done for the safety of individuals and of the community. The church has also mandated safety protocols for the safety of our community as well. Similarly, federal mandates that require that everyone wear seatbelts reflect how we as a community value the life God has granted all of us, and reflect our need to balance individual freedom and the wellbeing of our communities. The church believes we should embrace these measures to heed God’s will that we protect all human life. Spurning any step that will protect human life does not align with the Church’s values.

Benjamin Franklin, one of founding fathers of the United States and co-author of our constitution, changed his mind about vaccinations after one of his sons died from smallpox in 1736. Franklin had refused to have his son vaccinated, but after his son’s tragic and unnecessary death from smallpox, Franklin wrote “I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given [the Smallpox vaccination] to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of the parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.”

You should know
The fact is, that our actions affect others and we must take that into account when making the important decision about being vaccinated. For example, a man in Alabama recently died after being turned away from 43 full ICUS because hospitals will full of Covid patients. This man did not die from the Covid virus, he died because many chose not to be vaccinated and as a result contracted the Covid virus and filled up hospital ICUs. The Church believes we must all take action to protect the lives of others when we can, and protecting the lives of others by getting vaccinated is one of the simplest and easiest ways to follow God’s will. Federal mandates that require that everyone wear seatbelts reflect how we as a community value the life God has granted all of us. The Supreme Court has long held that mandates are constitutional (see Jacobson v. Massachusetts), noting that “it is necessary for the public health or safety shall require and enforce the vaccination and revaccination of all the inhabitants thereof and shall provide them with the means of free vaccination.” The church believes we should embrace these measures to heed God’s will that we protect all human life. Spurning any step that will protect human life does not align with the Church’s values.

“The Covid crisis has reminded us all of our interdependence, and of our responsibilities to care for one another. We can each only be well, when all of us are well.”

“We talk about life inside the womb being a gift from God. Well, life outside the womb is a gift from God, too… We need to do everything we can to protect the life God has given us.”

Pastor Robert Jeffress
Lead pastor, First Baptist Church, Texas
Faith advisor to Donald Trump and Fox News Contributor

“getting a vaccine, when it’s available, is not just about you. It’s about protecting your grandmother who has diabetes and Uncle Sean, who is immune-compromised.”

You should know
You may have heard rumors about possible side effects being sent to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) program that are not being published by mainstream journalists and news organizations. The truth is, anyone can send reports to the VAERS system and so far no cases of long term side effects that have been sent to VEARS have been verified by the CDC or any other medical organization. Learn more about VEARS works here. The Church has found no reason to rely on unsubstantiated rumors when we have witnessed how many lives the vaccine has saved and, more importantly, how many deaths we have witnessed in our congregations from the virus.

“Given their safety and availability, receiving a vaccine is an easy way of living out Jesus’s command to ‘love your neighbor as yourself,‘”

Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Lead pastor of North Point Church, Missouri

You should know
COVID-19 Vaccines Are Free to the Public, regardless of your income and whether you are insured. Read more from the CDC. The church encourages you to get the vaccine now.

Find vaccination centers near me

Text your zip code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find COVID-19 vaccine locations near you

“getting a vaccine, when it’s available, is not just about you. It’s about protecting your grandmother who has diabetes and Uncle Sean, who is immune-compromised.”

You should know

“God gave us both a sense of God's love and care and compassion, but he also gave us the brain and the opportunity to understand God's creation, which is nature, which includes things like viruses. And I think God expected us to use those gifts to understand how to protect ourselves and others from disease. If we have the opportunity to heal through medicine, I think God expects us to do that and not count on some supernatural intervention to come and save us when he's already given us the chance to be saved by other means.”

“We talk about life inside the womb being a gift from God. Well, life outside the womb is a gift from God, too… We need to do everything we can to protect the life God has given us.”
See video

Pastor Robert Jeffress
Lead pastor, First Baptist Church, Texas
Faith advisor to Donald Trump and Fox News Contributor