15/December/2021
To whom it may concern, the following is the declaration of the sincerely-held religious beliefs of Nate Gross.
My objection to getting the Covid-19 “vaccination” is primarily religious in nature and stems from my sincerely-held Christian faith. I am a member of the denomination known as the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Church denominations vary in style of preaching, order of worship, and social structure, but all have at their core the Holy Bible as their foundation. I chose the PCA denomination because it best fits me, and though it establishes the guidelines for the practice of my faith, there are times where my convictions do not completely align with the PCAs, or drive me to have stronger convictions then they [1]. As a Christian, the Holy Bible and the teachings it contains are the lens through which I view all aspects of life, faith, current affairs, and science, etc.; it colors all of my opinions and beliefs.
I was born into a Christian family and raised by my parents to be a Christian, following the tenants of my faith as laid out in the Holy Bible. It was not until I was about 6 years old that I would say I started making the transition from having the faith my parents imparted to me and transitioning to having a faith of my own. I have continued practicing and increasing my knowledge of the Christian faith continuously for the past 32 years. I have been actively involved in my church in roles such as greeter, usher, soundboard operator, and youth counselor, in addition to small groups and Bible study groups.
One of the chief tenants of my faith is that all humans were created by God in His image “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26 NIV), this also requires that we believe all human life is sacred “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV) and to be protected, regardless of their age or state. The current Covid-19 shots available to me utilized fetal stem cells either in the development phase or in the final product [2] [3]. These fetal stem cells are from cell lines that were harvested from electively aborted babies, since I believe all human life has been created by God and is thus sacred, I cannot knowingly participate in nor benefit from the murder of innocent life. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17 NIV). I have already written an essay [3] on this subject and it can be found in the attached appendix.
Another area of great concern rises from the fact that the current Covid-19 “vaccines” are based on mRNA technology, a new cutting-edge field with limited, if any, long-term data on the effect it has on the recipient. I believe that Humans are created in the image of God, this “vaccine” is in fact gene-therapy [4] [5] and alters the very building blocks by which God has made me. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV)
Initially, the “experts” said that the mRNA would cause temporary changes and would not make permanent changes to our bodies or DNA, but science has already identified viral genes in the human genome [6] [7]. Viruses are just protein-wrapped packets of RNA or DNA [8] [9] and they are capable of genetic transfer into a host genome. As previously stated, I believe I have been created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26 NIV) and that “[He] created my inmost being; [He] knit me together in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made… My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths… Your eyes saw my unformed body.” (Psalm 139:13-16 NIV), I believe that based on the teaching of the Holy Bible and my interpretation of the science, that injecting the mRNA based Covid-19 shots into my body will permanently alter the very building blocks of what makes me who I am and doing so would be contrary to God’s intended order.
I believe that God created me and the rest of creation as stated in the Holy Bible, and that He designed me with the ability to survive in his created order for as long as I am meant to. ”…all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16 NIV) As part of His design, He has given me an immune system that is capable of detecting, fighting off, and building future defenses for innumerable pathogens. Traditional vaccines were built based on knowledge of how the immune system functioned and focused on efficiently programming it without harming the host. The traditional method of building a vaccine is to denature or break a pathogen’s ability to harm, then introduce it to a person’s body, enabling their immune system to develop antibodies to fight future infection of that pathogen and its potential variants. The Covid-19 shot works in a fundamentally different way than traditional vaccinations in that it injects mRNA into the body attempting to elicit a favorable immune response. I believe that this runs contrary to God’s created natural order and tampering with it in a way that circumnavigates the normal processes has dire consequences, both spiritually and physically.
Altering our DNA, that which fundamentally makes us human, leads us to a point where we cease to be human and instead are transhuman [10], no longer created as God intended [4], but made in our own image. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man… [they] changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.” (Romans 1:22-25)
On December 29th of 2020, I tested positive for Covid-19 [11] after starting to experience mild symptoms, I took my vitamins, rested, and trusted that the immune system God design in me would do its job and after 3 days I was feeling pretty much back to normal. Eight months later on August 9th of 2021, I had an antibody test [12] performed and as expected, and God designed, I tested positive for naturally acquired SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies. According to Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of the mRNA technology, he says that those who have already had Covid-19 should not get the “vaccine” since there is currently a lack of data on the potential risks for that demographic [13]. Second, since I have already had a mild case of Covid-19 and still possess SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, many studies suggest that I have equal or greater immunity compared to those who have received the “vaccine” [14] [15] [16].
Even if I did not have unsurmountable religious and ethical objections to the current Covid-19 shots, I would still be struggling to justify receiving it based on the facts that I have natural immunity, I am not in an at-risk category, and the lack of long-term data on a new medical technology. It would not be the first time that an FDA-approved product was recalled due to unintended side effects in the long-term [17]. Because of my personal sincerely-held religious beliefs as a Christian, following the teachings of God contained in the Holy Bible and the freedoms afforded to me by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States [18] and by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act [19], I am seeking exemption from the requirement that I receive the Covid-19 shot as a contingency for my continued employment.
REFERENCES:
[1] J. Piper, “Can I Take a Vaccine Made from Aborted Babies?,” Desiring God, 04 Jan 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/can-i-take-a-vaccine-made-from-aborted-babies/. [Accessed 11 Dec 2021].
[2] P. David Prentice, “Charlotte Lozier Institut,” 30 Sep 2020. [Online]. Available: https://lozierinstitute.org/update-covid-19-vaccine-candidates-and-abortion-derived-cell-lines/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[3] N. Gross, “A Christian’s Consideration of the Morality of the Covid-19 Shot,” 09 Feb 2021. [Online]. Available: http://www.misbeehayvin.com/nates-notes/a-christians-consideration-of-the-morality-of-the-covid-19-shot/.
[4] J. Bingham, “Bayer executive: mRNA shots are ‘gene therapy’ marketed as ‘vaccines’ to gain public trust,” Life Site, 10 November 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bayer-executive-mrna-shots-are-gene-therapy-marketed-as-vaccines-to-gain-public-trust/. [Accessed 17 November 2021].
[5] W. H. Summit, “KEY 01 – Opening Ceremony – World Health Summit 2021,” YouTube, 24 Oct 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJFKBritLlc&list=PLsrCyC4w5AZ8F0xsD3_rzLcfxHbOBRX4W/. [Accessed 11 Dec 2021].
[6] J. H. Wildschutte, Z. H. Williams, . M. Montesion, R. P. Subramanian, J. M. Kidd and J. M. Coffin, “Discovery of unfixed endogenous retrovirus insertions in diverse human populations,” Sci News, 21 Mar 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.pnas.org/content/113/16/E2326/. [Accessed 11 Dec 2021].
[7] J. H. Wildschutte, Z. H. Williams, . M. Montesion, R. P. Subramanian, J. M. Kidd and J. M. Coffin, “Discovery of unfixed endogenous retrovirus insertions in diverse human populations,” Sci News, 21 Mar 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.pnas.org/content/113/16/E2326/. [Accessed 11 Dec 2021].
[8] T. McNeil, “What Are Viruses and How Do They Work?,” Tufts Now, 03 Apr 2020. [Online]. Available: https://now.tufts.edu/articles/what-are-viruses-and-how-do-they-work/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[9] “This Is What Happens When A Virus Enters The Human Body,” Fifarma, 15 Oct 2020. [Online]. Available: https://fifarma.org/en/this-is-what-happens-when-a-virus-enters-the-human-body/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[10] C. Lin, “Gene-editing, Moderna, and transhumanism,” The Times Of Israel, 5 Aug 2020. [Online]. Available: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/gene-editing-moderna-and-transhumanism/. [Accessed 29 Sep 2021].
[11] “SARS-CoV-2 Test Results,” 2020.
[12] “SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Test Result,” 2021.
[13] C. Eberhart, “Inventor of mRNA vaccines says young adults and teens should not be forced to take COVID vaccine,” Daily Mail Onlin, 24 Jun 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9719891/Inventor-mRNA-vaccines-says-young-adults-teens-not-forced-COVID-vaccine.html/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[14] S. Gazit, R. Shlezinger, G. Perez, R. Lotan, A. Peretz, A. Ben-Tov, D. Cohen, K. Muhsen, G. Chodick and T. Patalon, “Comparing SARS-CoV-2 natural immunity to vaccine-induced immunity: reinfections versus breakthrough infections,” medRxiv, 25 Aug 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.24.21262415v1/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[15] C. Melore, “Mild COVID-19 cases can lead to antibody protection for life,” Study Finds, 25 May 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.studyfinds.org/mild-covid-19-antibody-for-life/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[16] M. N. Ly, “Previous COVID-19 Infection Protects Against Delta Variant Better Than Pfizer Vaccine: Study,” The Epoch Times, 27 Aug 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.theepochtimes.com/previous-covid-19-infection-protects-against-delta-variant-better-than-pfizer-vaccine-study_3967844.html/. [Accessed 28 Sep 2021].
[17] J. Christensen, “Past vaccine disasters show why rushing a coronavirus vaccine now would be ‘colossally stupid’,” CNN: Health, 1 Sep 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/health/eua-coronavirus-vaccine-history/index.html/. [Accessed 27 Sep 2021].
[18] The Constitution of the United States, 1787.
[19] “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, [Online]. Available: https://das.ohio.gov/Portals/0/DASDivisions/EqualOpportunity/pdf/AAEEO_TitleVllCivilRightsActof1964.pdf/. [Accessed 11 Dec 2021].