A group of 101 clergymen from Ohio signed a letter to President Joe Biden detailing their reasons for standing against a vaccine mandate.
"As clergymen from one hundred and one (101) diverse congregations across North Central Ohio, we would like to note that this unnecessary mandate by your office is in sharp contrast to the statement you made as President-elect on December 4th, 2020, when you stated you would not impose a national vaccine mandate," the letter reads.
The group of clergymen is one of many groups across the country that say the mandate violates an individual's personal and religious freedom. Others say many Americans already have natural immunity and do not need the vaccine, CBN News reports.
"To combat a virus with an overall 99.74 percent survival rate, the federal government should not impose its will on persons by mandating COVID-19 experimental vaccines and removing other alternative treatments. The people should have the ability to make their own health decisions," the letter read.
"This unilateral and divisive order is unethical and tantamount to what a totalitarian king would dictate," the group continued. "Furthermore, Mr. President, with respect to your vaccine mandate, we respond by saying 'We have no king but King Jesus.'"
One of the clergymen who signed the letter, Pastor J.C. Church, said Biden is trying to scare Americans rather than protect them.
"Joe Biden can take his medical advice somewhere else. We are not going to listen to him," Church told Front Lines Ohio. "This President and his godless Administration have foot-in-mouth disease for every issue they touch. Since he does not have the scientific data nor the trust of the people, he uses fear to try to get compliance. Authoritarians in Marxist governments use this method."
Another pastor, Jerry O'Brien, said forcing Americans to get the vaccine is "treating its citizens like human guinea pigs" because experimental vaccines "normally take 10 years" for proper evaluation.
"The national workforce along with families protecting their own personal health will be adversely impacted when coerced to either take the jab or lose their job," O'Brien said. "Forced COVID-19 experimental vaccinations will leave our military and health care systems shorthanded and vulnerable. The benefits of the vaccine mandate do not outweigh the known risks."
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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
