Pope Francis and the Catholic bishops have been a big help to those who seek to destroy our religious freedoms.
A class action lawsuit has been filed in Maine against vaccine mandates, claiming that such mandates violate religious freedom and the First Amendment, which of course, they do:
Of course the First Amendment gives us the right to refuse a vaccine that has not been adequately tested. News reports show that people have died from taking the vaccine and scores more have suffered severe, life-threatening side effects. Large vax clinics in Raleigh and Denver, for instance, had to be shut down because so many people were suffering severe side effects. Japan just recently had to refuse a shipment of 1.6 million doses because they were found to be tainted with foreign substances. And no testing has been done to determine if the vaccine is safe for pregnant mothers. It is sheer madness to act as if we know that these medicines are safe and effective. This is human experimentation, and it is grossly immoral. And given the high survival rate from COVID infection, there really is no justification for the draconian lockdowns and vaccine mandates that we have been subjected to.
And then there are the moral implications of accepting vaccines that rely, for testing and production purposes, on the cell tissue of aborted fetuses. Naturally, one would expect some protests. But the bad news for us Catholics is that the bishops are getting in the way. Many bishops have openly declared their opinion that there is no valid religious exemption for Catholics concerning vaccine mandates. Some bishops have even issued their own mandates for diocesan employees:
You Ain’t Amish, Buddy.
Thus, while some people may be able to opt out of mandatory vaccines for religious reasons, Catholics may be out of luck on that score. It’s a dynamic of our Constitutional freedom that is often overlooked: Not all First Amendment protections are equal, especially in the case of religious freedom. John Zmirak explains in a recent article:
For this to make sense, we need to remember some history. Through the Vietnam War, Catholics had trouble claiming conscientious objector status. Why? Because their own church did not clearly object to fighting in wars. And US courts look to the official statements of a church to determine whether First Amendment claims are in fact legit.
JOHN ZMIRAK: THE STREAM
An Amish conscript on the other hand, would have a much easier time avoiding the front lines. That’s because the Amish are pacifists, as anyone will know who remembers the popular Harrison Ford movie on the subject. The upshot here is that religious freedom is not the same for all Americans. Differences in religious teaching and doctrine translate into different interpretations and applications of the First Amendment.
So when the bishop of San Diego says that religious exemptions for vaccines have no basis in Church teaching, he’s making a political statement with massive legal and Constitutional implications. He’s also lying. And, in the process, he’s taking away your freedom to follow your conscience.
An Amish conscript on the other hand, would have a much easier time avoiding the front lines. That’s because the Amish are pacifists, as anyone will know who remembers the popular Harrison Ford movie on the subject. The upshot here is that religious freedom is not the same for all Americans. Differences in religious teaching and doctrine translate into different interpretations and applications of the First Amendment.
So when the bishop of San Diego says that religious exemptions for vaccines have no basis in Church teaching, he’s making a political statement with massive legal and Constitutional implications. He’s also lying. And, in the process, he’s taking away your freedom to follow your conscience.
Ohio Case in Point
How all this plays out in the political arena is aptly illustrated by the following video clip. A young priest testified before the Ohio State Legislature against vaccine mandates. Take a look at the clip and note well the nature of the pushback that the priest received. I’ll give you a hint: “But Pope Francis says . . .”:
Catholicism Pure & Simple 
If Francis wants us to get it, there is definitely something wrong with it.
We need a list with names and Ill effects and a few hundred lawyers.
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