Religious vaccine exemption letter free free#

Paul is repeating a central theme of the New Testament, which is that the purity laws found in the Torah no longer hold for those who are in Christ, because he has fulfilled them (Matthew 5:17).

Religious vaccine exemption letter free free#

Far from suggesting that the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in a body that is physically contaminated by illness, microchips, medicines, or other substances, Paul is urging them to keep themselves free from sin. And why should they do this? Because their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19). In particular, he commands them not to engage the services of prostitutes, and in general to “shun fornication” (6:18). Now he is discussing specific sinful habits that are causing division among the Corinthians. Three chapters later, Paul returns to the image of the temple, this time with individual Christians in view. Paul follows this with fitting words for our time: “So let no one boast about human leaders” (3:21).

He is warning them about the effect of their own divisive actions on the community. Paul’s warning is not about the pollution of their individual physical bodies, nor any threat from outside. Paul says that the Corinthian church as a whole is God’s temple, and those who cause division among them are threatening to destroy it. And this leads him to ask: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person” (3:16-17).

And yet, Paul sees no reason for this to cause strife: “We are God’s servants, working together you are … God’s building.” Paul and Apollos cooperate in building on the foundation that Christ himself laid. Some have been saying “I belong to Apollos” (which is to say, “I’m a member of Apollos’s faction”), while others say “I belong to Paul”. The Corinthians have been drawing lines of separation based on who brought them to the faith. In the third chapter, Paul addresses the elephant in the room. Most commentators agree that the purpose of the letter is to urge unity among the Christians in Corinth. Let’s begin with Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians itself. Nonetheless, the question I would like to consider is whether a vaccine could, in theory, go against Paul’s exhortation in this passage. It is worth stating unambiguously that there is no evidence that any of these things are true of the available COVID vaccines, beyond some extremely rare and typically mild side-effects. Each of these, it seems, would violate the purity of their bodily temple, making it unsuitable as a vessel for the Holy Spirit. For example, some believe the vaccine has dangerous side-effects others think it contains microchips and some have suggested that it can alter your DNA or cause infertility. They make this argument for a variety of reasons. It has become common for Christians to claim that being forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine is a violation of their religious convictions because their body is a temple, and they are commanded to keep it pure. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians6:19-20) Here, Paul is repeating a refrain from earlier in this same letter: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (3:16) Given the near ubiquity of this phrase in the sphere of health and wellness, most people are likely to have forgotten that it comes from the apostle Paul. One common refrain among those seeking exemption from vaccination is the assertion, “My body is a temple”. As such, mainstream social and political discourse has begun to stray into theological territory, with uninspiring results. As governments and businesses implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates, increasing numbers of people are seeking exemption on religious grounds.