To the Editor:
I read with interest your article about the “Firefighter 8” (April 1 Tribune) who are appealing their loss of wages from refusing to get vaccinated for Covid-19.
What religion do these firefighters claim to believe in? I am a Christian and am taught loving care of my neighbors is the primary teaching second only to loving God. The early Christian church was vitally involved in treating disease and injury. Vaccination against Covid-19 has been shown by many studies, some organized and some coincidental, to prevent deaths due to Covid-19.
People involved in protection of the public and receiving pay for doing so are obligated to do whatever their public employer deems prudent to protect public health including being vaccinated against common diseases.
I hope the courts, including the Supreme Court, continue to enforce public health regulations as taking precedence over opinions developed by people who are guessing rather than using scientific methods to measure truth.
Richard G. Guthrie
Snohomish
Editor’s information:
Each of the eight firefighters claimed religious exemption using either Christianity or a concept of holy spirit.
In court depositions, some stated a claimed Christian objection against accepting any vaccine thought to be built using human stem cells. Some stated a claimed belief of the decree that “the body is a temple,” with their objection resting on the belief the vaccine introduces impurities to DNA.
