Religious Exemptions Are Important Now That Government Is Forcing People To Get Vaccinated

vaccine vials

Numerous Americans have already airead theit complaints to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after President Joe Biden ordered forced vaccinations in the private sector.

Liberty Counsel's Roger Gannam, associate vice president of legal affairs, said the organization is already helping individuals who are worried about coerced vaccinations in finding safe alternatives that allow them to make their own medical decisions.

"It's unconstitutional as a matter of separation of powers," Gannam told CBN News . "The federal government has no business reaching into private employers and giving this kind of mandate."

He also highlighted how the president is usurping the authority of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Labor Department's safety enforcer, by exploiting the rising infection rate to impose vaccines.

Additionally, Gannam said that they are receiving calls from hundreds of people seeking guidance on religious exemptions. He noted that a substantial number of them had filed their own complaints with the EEOC.

"It's inevitable there will be a lot of litigation against not only the private employers but against the government itself because of this," he said.

Biden had previously stated that his mandate "is not about freedom or personal choice, it's about protecting yourself and those around you."

The Biden administration likewise noted that OSHA is still "creating the rules."

During a media briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the administration will consider religious exemptions.

But Gannam argued that these rights are guaranteed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which mandates employers to make accommodations for workers who object to some requirements on the basis of "sincerely held" religious convictions.

He's urging everyone who qualifies for a religious exemption to make use of their legal privilege.

"The employer cannot get a pastor or any other third part to validate their sincerely held religious belief. Religious beliefs are personal and they don't require they be the same as someone else or approved by denomination," he maintained.

Gannam asserts that the choice to exercise the right for religious exemption is a personal one, whether it is based on the idea that one's body is sacred, or on declining to get vaccinated based on studies involving aborted fetal tissue.

"If the employer denies the exemption or gives the employee a hard time about that, or if the offered accommodation is not reasonable, then the employee can file a complaint through the EEOC website," Gannam added. "Often is the case, the employee will have similar protections under their own state's laws and can file a complaint through the state agency."

Aside from Liberty Counsel, legal professionals at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) are prepared to defend religious freedom advocates in court.

"Should these mandates encroach on the First Amendment freedoms and autonomy of religious institutions, ADF stands ready to challenge the administration in federal court," the firm said in a statement.

"ADF has produced resources to help pastors and church members understand the current law as it relates to religious objections to vaccine mandates," the statement added.

The resources listed provide a concise summary of the applicable laws that clergy or church members may examine in the event that efforts to forcibly enforce the recently announced vaccine mandate are made against churches.