A Manitoban educator, author, and city councillor says while he is concerned by some government restrictions surrounding vaccines, refusing a vaccine is a personal choice and cannot be a religious one.
Steinbach City Councillor Michael Zwaagstra used his opening statement at Tuesday's council meeting to take on religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines.
Zwaagstra started by highlighting conscientious objectors during World War II. He says to gain this exemption, conscientious objectors would have to go before a judge where they were grilled on their theology and why their faith should keep them from taking up arms.
He says religious opposition to COVID-19 vaccines would not stand up to the same scrutiny.
"While some Christian denominations such as Mennonites have long-standing pacifist beliefs that trace back for centuries, there is nothing in the Christian faith tradition that prohibits vaccination. The simple reality is that any Christian who objects to the COVID-19 vaccines is doing so out of personal preference and not because of anything taught in the Bible."
"To be clear, there is nothing wrong with opposing vaccine mandates. Many people, including myself, are uncomfortable with the way that people are being forced to choose between their jobs and their personal beliefs."
Zwaagstra teaches Social Studies in one of the Steinbach high schools and has also taught courses at Steinbach Bible College. He holds several degrees, including a Master of Arts in Theology from the evangelical school, Liberty University, where he graduated with high distinction.
Pointing to another commonly mentioned moral objection to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Zwaagstra says some Christians have claimed that these vaccines contain aborted fetal tissue. He notes the people who make this claim are mistaken.
Though they are tested on fetal cell lines, Zwaagstra there is no fetal tissue in them.
"The cell lines used in the testing process were grown in a laboratory and are based on aborted fetal cells collected decades ago. Specifically, the HEK 293 fetal cells used for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on an abortion that took place in the Netherlands in 1973"
Zwaagstra says this goes to show that the production of these vaccines does not lead to any increase in abortion rates. He also points out that Ivermectin, popular with many who oppose vaccines, was also tested on the same cell line.
He adds "if you boycott the COVID-19 vaccines you will also need to avoid drugs such as Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, Claritin, Tums, Benadryl, Robitussin, and Pepto Bismol. These drugs were all tested on the same HEK 293 fetal cell line as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines."
With all that said, Zwaagstra says this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the right to refuse.
"To be clear, there is nothing wrong with opposing vaccine mandates. Many people, including myself, are uncomfortable with the way that people are being forced to choose between their jobs and their personal beliefs. There are good reasons to be legitimately concerned about government overreach in this area. Nevertheless, we must remember that accepting or refusing a vaccine is a personal choice and not a test of religious faith."
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Written by Kenton Dyck
Fri, Apr 19, 5:00 PM
Full-time, Education
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