Vaccine Mandates Raise Religious Liberty Questions

As more and more pastors are being asked to provide confirmation of a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine, they are drawing a range of conclusions about whether refusing the vaccine can be a religious liberty issue. When the vaccines became available, there was a feeling of "initial distrust and skepticism" among the congregation at Taylor Road Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. But "the mood has changed quite a bit" as 2021 has progressed, pastor Daniel Atkins said. Despite being in the least vaccinated state in the U.S., with 38 percent of the population fully vaccinated, vaccine opposition waned as church members concluded their Christian faith didn’t pose a reason to refuse the vaccine.