I ran it through OCR:
Guide to Religious Exemptions
Here's what to do if you if your employer asks you for a religious exemption. Follow the process described below exactly. It will lead you to either (1) HR giving up—the most likely outcome, or (2) you being fired, which is very unlikely because you’ll have a ton of ammo to sue them on the grounds of medical discrimination if you follow this procedure, and HR knows it.
Either way, you win.
Here’s what you do. This first part just explains what to do; if you want to know why, read the corresponding explanations in part 2 (“Why This Works").
Part 1: What to Do
Rule #1: Document everything.
• Don't delete any communications.
• Print out every email/document and save it in a file at home (not at work).
• If HR tries to speak with you verbally (say, in the hallway, or asks you to come to their office), request to move the conversation to email. It’s more work to prove what was said verbally (more on that in a minute).
• If you must speak in-person, turn on your phone's recorder (either audio or speech-to-text) and discretely record the meeting.
• Do not let anyone you're speaking to know you're doing this.
o Check your state's wire tapping laws. If you're legally allowed to record audio of the conversation ("one party consent"), the recording can be submitted as evidence in court.
o Otherwise, a transcript of the conversation is also acceptable. You can use a speech-to- text program to automatically transcribe the conversation.
o 4s soon as you're at lunch outside the premises or you're off work, either listen to the recording to make sure it's audible, or check the transcript to make sure it captured the conversation correctly, and if not, correct it yourself.
• If you must speak in-person, after every conversation or meeting, email HR with a summary of what was discussed as soon as possible. This is also an acceptable record and can be used in court in addition to the audio recording or transcript.
Rule U2: Don't fill out any forms or sign ^anything’ before you talk to a lawyer.
If you haven't disclosed your vaccination status yet:
HR: Sends you an email asking for your vaccination status, or asks at a meeting.
You: Don't respond. Don't reply, raise your hand, or volunteer. HR might give up here. If not, wait until HR asks you directly.
HR: Confronts you individually to ask your vaccination status.
You: Ask HR for the vaccine mandate in writing. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here.
HR: Sends you the mandate in writing.
You: Reply stating you are unsure of your vaccination status, but if they want to formally request your medical history, they can send you a document to ask your doctor to pull your medical records. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here.
HR: Sends a document requesting your medical history.
You: Inform them your lawyer needs time to look over the document. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here.
HR: Asks you again.
You: Tell HR that your lawyer has numerous such documents and it will take time. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here.
HR: Pesters you again.
You: Stall for as long as possible. If given a deadline, do nothing. Wait until the deadline, then email HR to notify them that your legal counsel has not finished review.
At this point, you will have created a massive problem for HR, and they'll have no choice but to back off or fire you. Either way, you win, because they've provided you with ample evidence that you're being fired over a medical issue, which anyone in HR will be terrified to do because firing you creates endless legal headaches for the company and may get them fired as well. You'll be eligible for unemployment and you can proceed to sue them for wrongful termination.
If you have informed HR you’re unvaccinated and requested an exemption:
First, go back through your emails and save them (see Rule #1 above), and try to remember as many past conversations and meetings as possible where HR asked you directly about your vaccination status. If you can't remember the exact date and time, give an approximation, ex.:
Week of September 21, 2021:
Spoke to Karen McCheryl from HR in her office. Karen asked me to submit proof of my vaccination status, and I informed her I am not vaccinated and requested a religious exemption. Karen sent me the following email and an attached form on September 23, 2021 at 3:21pm.
You: Ask HR to formally notify you in writing of the vaccine mandate at your company as a requirement for continued employment.
HR: Sends you this.
You: Ask HR to formally request that you submit a religious exemption to satisfy the vaccine requirement.
HR: Sends you some ridiculous form to fill out (ex. asking you to describe specifics about your religion that require you to decline the vaccine, asking for a letter or signature from a pastor, etc.), asks for "proof" of your sincerely held religious beliefs, or whatever.
You: Copy + paste the following email:
I,, declare religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,1 attest to having sincerely held personal religious beliefs which will not permit me to abide by this mandate. Additionally, I am not willing to describe these personal religious beliefs for the reasonable fear that if others have knowledge of them it may engender discrimination against me and/or my family. I am aware that reasonable accommodations may have to be made regarding this declaration of religious exemption, and am willing to discuss accommodations that would be necessary and reasonable in order to come to on agreement. Finally, I expect this letter to remain confidential, and its contents be disclosed on to those for whom there is an express need.
Don't add anything. Don't even specify your religion, and definitely don't justify it by describing what specific doctrine is being violated.
HR: Continues to insist that you fill out their form or get a letter from a pastor or whatever.
You: Inform them your lawyer needs time to look over the document. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here.
HR: Asks you again.
You: Tell HR that your lawyer has numerous such documents and it will take time. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here.
HR: Pesters you again.
You: Stall for as long as possible. If given a deadline, do nothing. Wait until the deadline, then email HR to notify them that your legal counsel has not finished review.
At this point, you will have created a massive problem for HR, and they'll have no choice but to back off or fire you. Either way, you win, because they've provided you with ample evidence that you're being fired over religious discrimination, which anyone in HR will be terrified to do because firing you creates endless legal headaches for the company and may get them fired as well. You'll be eligible for unemployment and you can proceed to sue them for wrongful termination.
Part 2: Why This Works
In the first scenario, no HR person who doesn’t want to get super fired would ask for your medical records.
In the second scenario, Karen from HR doesn't get to be the religion police. Not even the authority of your religion can rule on what does or doesn't violate your faith. You don't even need support from a religious leader in grfcr tQ qualify fgr g rgligigy § exemption because there is case law establishing that only the believer can decide how they perceive their own religious duty, i.e. what violates their beliefs. Thomas v. Review Board, 450 U.S. 707 (1981), in which a Jehovah's Witness sued for unemployment because he claimed being transferred to a role where he would be manufacturing weapons parts violated his beliefs, set the precedent that you don’t even need to be part of a religious organization to have "sincerely held religious belief."
In addition, under Title VII your employer must provide reasonable accommodation to an employee who has a religious objection to the vaccine (ex. wear a mask, switch to a role with decreased exposure to others), or prove it would cause them undue hardship to accommodate you. Either way, you win.
Life Site News has a lot of resources on religious objections to vaccine mandates, including help finding a lawyer to sue: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/resources-for-americans-pushing-back-against- mandated-coronavirus-vaccines/?utm source=urgent&utm campaign=usa
Religious exemption is a declaration, not a request. Do not grovel for rights you naturally posses.
I highlight and copy the print and then paste it in an email and mail it to myself on two separate email accounts. My chromebook doesn't have word. I can paste it into a file, but I've had things removed from my files...so now I email stuff to myself.
That makes no sense at all. Claiming to be exempt is precisely fighting the mandate. Whether you think you're religiously exempt or constitutionally exempt. If a ruler tries to be a dictator in America, you declare yourself to be exempt due to the Constitution. We're all exempt. You just have to learn how to declare yourself exempt INSTEAD of accepting their premises.
You cannot fight tyranny by complying with their rules. You will always get more tyranny that way. All you (generally speaking) are doing, is giving the impression that you disagree with the mandate, but not really enough to put your job (and whatever follows) on the line. They'll just laugh to themselves and continue to tread on you with their boots.
Brilliant, simple guide. Thank you
I ran it through OCR: Guide to Religious Exemptions Here's what to do if you if your employer asks you for a religious exemption. Follow the process described below exactly. It will lead you to either (1) HR giving up—the most likely outcome, or (2) you being fired, which is very unlikely because you’ll have a ton of ammo to sue them on the grounds of medical discrimination if you follow this procedure, and HR knows it. Either way, you win. Here’s what you do. This first part just explains what to do; if you want to know why, read the corresponding explanations in part 2 (“Why This Works"). Part 1: What to Do Rule #1: Document everything. • Don't delete any communications. • Print out every email/document and save it in a file at home (not at work). • If HR tries to speak with you verbally (say, in the hallway, or asks you to come to their office), request to move the conversation to email. It’s more work to prove what was said verbally (more on that in a minute). • If you must speak in-person, turn on your phone's recorder (either audio or speech-to-text) and discretely record the meeting. • Do not let anyone you're speaking to know you're doing this. o Check your state's wire tapping laws. If you're legally allowed to record audio of the conversation ("one party consent"), the recording can be submitted as evidence in court. o Otherwise, a transcript of the conversation is also acceptable. You can use a speech-to- text program to automatically transcribe the conversation. o 4s soon as you're at lunch outside the premises or you're off work, either listen to the recording to make sure it's audible, or check the transcript to make sure it captured the conversation correctly, and if not, correct it yourself. • If you must speak in-person, after every conversation or meeting, email HR with a summary of what was discussed as soon as possible. This is also an acceptable record and can be used in court in addition to the audio recording or transcript. Rule U2: Don't fill out any forms or sign ^anything’ before you talk to a lawyer. If you haven't disclosed your vaccination status yet: HR: Sends you an email asking for your vaccination status, or asks at a meeting. You: Don't respond. Don't reply, raise your hand, or volunteer. HR might give up here. If not, wait until HR asks you directly. HR: Confronts you individually to ask your vaccination status. You: Ask HR for the vaccine mandate in writing. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here. HR: Sends you the mandate in writing. You: Reply stating you are unsure of your vaccination status, but if they want to formally request your medical history, they can send you a document to ask your doctor to pull your medical records. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here. HR: Sends a document requesting your medical history. You: Inform them your lawyer needs time to look over the document. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here. HR: Asks you again. You: Tell HR that your lawyer has numerous such documents and it will take time. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here. HR: Pesters you again. You: Stall for as long as possible. If given a deadline, do nothing. Wait until the deadline, then email HR to notify them that your legal counsel has not finished review. At this point, you will have created a massive problem for HR, and they'll have no choice but to back off or fire you. Either way, you win, because they've provided you with ample evidence that you're being fired over a medical issue, which anyone in HR will be terrified to do because firing you creates endless legal headaches for the company and may get them fired as well. You'll be eligible for unemployment and you can proceed to sue them for wrongful termination. If you have informed HR you’re unvaccinated and requested an exemption: First, go back through your emails and save them (see Rule #1 above), and try to remember as many past conversations and meetings as possible where HR asked you directly about your vaccination status. If you can't remember the exact date and time, give an approximation, ex.: Week of September 21, 2021: Spoke to Karen McCheryl from HR in her office. Karen asked me to submit proof of my vaccination status, and I informed her I am not vaccinated and requested a religious exemption. Karen sent me the following email and an attached form on September 23, 2021 at 3:21pm. You: Ask HR to formally notify you in writing of the vaccine mandate at your company as a requirement for continued employment. HR: Sends you this. You: Ask HR to formally request that you submit a religious exemption to satisfy the vaccine requirement. HR: Sends you some ridiculous form to fill out (ex. asking you to describe specifics about your religion that require you to decline the vaccine, asking for a letter or signature from a pastor, etc.), asks for "proof" of your sincerely held religious beliefs, or whatever. You: Copy + paste the following email: I,, declare religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,1 attest to having sincerely held personal religious beliefs which will not permit me to abide by this mandate. Additionally, I am not willing to describe these personal religious beliefs for the reasonable fear that if others have knowledge of them it may engender discrimination against me and/or my family. I am aware that reasonable accommodations may have to be made regarding this declaration of religious exemption, and am willing to discuss accommodations that would be necessary and reasonable in order to come to on agreement. Finally, I expect this letter to remain confidential, and its contents be disclosed on to those for whom there is an express need. Don't add anything. Don't even specify your religion, and definitely don't justify it by describing what specific doctrine is being violated. HR: Continues to insist that you fill out their form or get a letter from a pastor or whatever. You: Inform them your lawyer needs time to look over the document. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here. HR: Asks you again. You: Tell HR that your lawyer has numerous such documents and it will take time. Never bring it up again. HR might give up here. HR: Pesters you again. You: Stall for as long as possible. If given a deadline, do nothing. Wait until the deadline, then email HR to notify them that your legal counsel has not finished review. At this point, you will have created a massive problem for HR, and they'll have no choice but to back off or fire you. Either way, you win, because they've provided you with ample evidence that you're being fired over religious discrimination, which anyone in HR will be terrified to do because firing you creates endless legal headaches for the company and may get them fired as well. You'll be eligible for unemployment and you can proceed to sue them for wrongful termination. Part 2: Why This Works In the first scenario, no HR person who doesn’t want to get super fired would ask for your medical records. In the second scenario, Karen from HR doesn't get to be the religion police. Not even the authority of your religion can rule on what does or doesn't violate your faith. You don't even need support from a religious leader in grfcr tQ qualify fgr g rgligigy § exemption because there is case law establishing that only the believer can decide how they perceive their own religious duty, i.e. what violates their beliefs. Thomas v. Review Board, 450 U.S. 707 (1981), in which a Jehovah's Witness sued for unemployment because he claimed being transferred to a role where he would be manufacturing weapons parts violated his beliefs, set the precedent that you don’t even need to be part of a religious organization to have "sincerely held religious belief." In addition, under Title VII your employer must provide reasonable accommodation to an employee who has a religious objection to the vaccine (ex. wear a mask, switch to a role with decreased exposure to others), or prove it would cause them undue hardship to accommodate you. Either way, you win. Life Site News has a lot of resources on religious objections to vaccine mandates, including help finding a lawyer to sue: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/resources-for-americans-pushing-back-against- mandated-coronavirus-vaccines/?utm source=urgent&utm campaign=usa Religious exemption is a declaration, not a request. Do not grovel for rights you naturally posses.
This is very, very good. Is this available in a word document or one that can be copied into a word document?
I highlight and copy the print and then paste it in an email and mail it to myself on two separate email accounts. My chromebook doesn't have word. I can paste it into a file, but I've had things removed from my files...so now I email stuff to myself.
Gotcha. That's what I did too.
All fine and well, but exemptions are not fighting the mandates. Exemptions are giving in to them by accepting their premises.
That makes no sense at all. Claiming to be exempt is precisely fighting the mandate. Whether you think you're religiously exempt or constitutionally exempt. If a ruler tries to be a dictator in America, you declare yourself to be exempt due to the Constitution. We're all exempt. You just have to learn how to declare yourself exempt INSTEAD of accepting their premises.
You cannot fight tyranny by complying with their rules. You will always get more tyranny that way. All you (generally speaking) are doing, is giving the impression that you disagree with the mandate, but not really enough to put your job (and whatever follows) on the line. They'll just laugh to themselves and continue to tread on you with their boots.
You’re missing my point entirely.
Great post. Thank you
This is the best strategy I've seen
Thanks for this. My company may be going down this road once OSHA decides. This is helpful
Excellent and helpful information, thanks!
Needed this today, for a family member.. thanks fren! 🙏