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You don’t have to. By law, you are already exempt once telling your employer you will be exercising your right to religious exemption. Anything they do beyond that, well, they can fuck around and find out.

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I am not going to. My beliefs are my own. I find myself disagreeing with the current Pope at every turn it seems. I expect it to be denied. I just need to find a lawyer to speak with. Anybody have a contact? DM's appreciated.

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Did it get approved? I'm not planning to, but I also am not sure how to answer why I am unable to provide a letter, kindly.

 [23]  Commission Guidelines, 29 C.F.R. § 1605.1 (“The fact that no religious group espouses such beliefs or the fact that the religious group to which the individual professes to belong may not accept such belief will not determine whether the belief is a religious belief of the employee or prospective employee.”); Welsh, 398 U.S. at 343 (finding that petitioner’s beliefs were religious in nature although the church to which he belonged did not teach those beliefs) (Military Selective Service Act); accord Africa v. Pennsylvania, 662 F.2d 1025, 1032-33 (3d Cir. 1981) (First Amendment); Bushouse v. Local Union 2209, United Auto., Aerospace & Agric. Implement Workers of Am., 164 F. Supp. 2d 1066, 1076 n.15 (N.D. Ind. 2001) (“Title VII’s intention is to provide protection and accommodation for a broad spectrum of religious practices and belief not merely those beliefs based upon organized or recognized teachings of a particular sect.”).

Like the religious nature of a belief, observance, or practice, the sincerity of an employee’s stated religious belief is usually not in dispute and is “generally presumed or easily established.”[40]  Further, the Commission and courts “are not and should not be in the business of deciding whether a person holds religious beliefs for the ‘proper’ reasons.  We thus restrict our inquiry to whether or not the religious belief system is sincerely held; we do not review the motives or reasons for holding the belief in the first place.”[41]  The individual’s sincerity in espousing a religious observance or practice is “largely a matter of individual credibility.”[42]  Moreover, “a sincere religious believer doesn’t forfeit his religious rights merely because he is not scrupulous in his observance,”[43] although “[e]vidence tending to show that an employee acted in a manner inconsistent with his professed religious belief is, of course, relevant to the factfinder’s evaluation of sincerity.”[44]  Factors that – either alone or in combination – might undermine an employee’s credibility include:  whether the employee has behaved in a manner markedly inconsistent with the professed belief;[45] whether the accommodation sought is a particularly desirable benefit that is likely to be sought for secular reasons;[46] whether the timing of the request renders it suspect (e.g., it follows an earlier request by the employee for the same benefit for secular reasons);[47] and whether the employer otherwise has reason to believe the accommodation is not sought for religious reasons.

However, none of these factors is dispositive.  For example, although prior inconsistent conduct is relevant to the question of sincerity, an individual’s beliefs – or degree of adherence – may change over time, and therefore an employee’s newly adopted or inconsistently observed religious practice may nevertheless be sincerely held.[48]  Similarly, an individual’s belief may be to adhere to a religious custom only at certain times, even though others may always adhere,[49] or, fearful of discrimination, he or she may have forgone his or her sincerely held religious practice during the application process and not revealed it to the employer until after he or she was hired or later in employment. An employer also should not assume that an employee is insincere simply because some of his or her practices deviate from the commonly followed tenets of his or her religion, or because the employee adheres to some common practices but not others.[51]  As noted, courts have held that “Title VII protects more than . . . practices specifically mandated by an employee’s religion.”[52]

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I called a well reviewed "employment law" attorney off Google, in my area today. They took my info and will get back to me if they can help. Worth a shot

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It isn't required, and it says so on my form, however, it does say please explain why you can't provide a letter from a religious leader. I'm having trouble answering that without just saying GFY

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That's the problem though. We need Lawyers that want to help. I am going to make some calls tomorrow.

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It isn't required, and it says so on my form, however, it does say please explain why you can't provide a letter from a religious leader. I'm having trouble answering that without just saying GFY

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It isn't required, and it says so on my form, however, it does say please explain why you can't provide a letter from a religious leader. I'm having trouble answering that without just saying GFY

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It isn't required, and it says so on my form, however, it does say please explain why you can't provide a letter from a religious leader. I'm having trouble answering that without just saying GFY

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Here you go, OP.

You simply need to inform your employer that you have a religious exemption. That's it, nothing more.

Google Drive Editable Document


------------------------------------------

Date:
Full Legal Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:

Dear Employer,

I am writing you to make you aware that I hold a specific religious belief that prevents me from taking a Covid Vaccine. Per United States Federal Labor and Employment Law, my religious beliefs cannot be used as grounds for any termination / retaliation / discrimination. Additionally, I am under no obligation to be specific with you of these beliefs, to enumerate them, or be asked or required to defend them.

Please be advised that vaccinations (and certain other medical procedures/applications) violate my deeply held religious convictions. Accordingly, I am exercising my federally protected rights under 42 USC § 2000e–2(a)(et seq) which read as follows:

Unlawful employment practices

(a) Employer practices

It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer—

(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or

(2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way which would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Therefore, please place this letter in my appropriate HR file as a substitute for any such "proof of vaccine" or "certificate of vaccine" that you may need.

Thank you.

Signature: ___________________________________ Date: ________________________

Full Legal Name

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Is this something you had drawn up? Something you personally submitted?

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No, I didn't create the document, but I'm planning on using it when the time comes.

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Did a lawyer create it? My time has come. Nov 8 deadline to submit. Just emailed two civil rights attorneys seeking guidance.

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@J-Dam

Wanted to let you know I submitted the exemption notice I posted above and it was accepted without question.

HR called me within 15min after I sent the notice and told me I was approved.  

ETA - I work for a large government contractor.

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I don’t think they can require a letter.

Religion is personal.  I can make up my own religion if I want and be the only member.

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@J-Dam

Wanted to let you know I submitted the exemption notice I posted above and it was accepted without question.

HR called me within 15min after I sent the notice and told me I was approved.  

ETA - I work for a large government contractor.

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It isn't required, and it says so on my form, however, it does say please explain why you can't provide a letter from a religious leader. I'm having trouble answering that without just saying GFY