This article is probably going to get me in trouble with some of my military friends, but there are two sides to every story. I realize that when you join the military you give up some of your individual rights. However, I don’t believe that you are required to give up your religious convictions. I don’t necessarily agree with their reasoning, but I think their religious objections should be taken into consideration.<\/p>\n
Just the News<\/a> reported yesterday that several hundred Navy SEALS will be blocked from being deployed because they have refused their Covid vaccines.<\/p>\n The article reports:<\/p>\n The number involved in the dispute with the Pentagon amounts to as many as a quarter or more of all active duty SEALs, a loss that could impact military readiness since SEAL teams play an outsized role in modern military operations, their advocates told Just the News. Some SEALS were given a deadline this week for the vaccine and have sought a religious exemption.<\/strong><\/p>\n “My clients include several Navy SEALs who are a small part of a large group of SEALs and other military members who are being asked to choose between their faith and their ability to serve our nation,” said R. Davis Younts, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force reserves and a JAG lawyer who is representing several of the special operators as a private lawyer. “They have been told that if they seek a religious accommodation, they likely will no longer be able to serve our country as Navy SEALs and been given an arbitrary deadline to comply with the vaccine mandate.<\/strong><\/p>\n “My clients need time, and we are seeking at least a 90-day extension to vaccine mandate compliance deadline they have been given.<\/strong><\/p>\n The article concludes:<\/p>\n Durbin (Pastor Jeff Durbin) runs the large evangelical Apologia Church in the Phoenix area and is best known for his ardent opposition to abortion. In 2017, he stirred criticism<\/a> when he suggested abortion be treated the same as murder, which under some state laws is punishable by the death penalty. His position on abortion as a crime, however, got recent support when Pope Francis declared earlier this month that “abortion is murder.”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Durbin told Just the News he began ministering to Navy SEALs and other military members in recent weeks as they wrestled with the decision of whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine as mandated by the Pentagon. He said those he has counseled have a religious objection, are unable to speak publicly because of their allegiance to military discipline and know that even if they get a religious exemption they will be ending their SEAL careers if they refuse the shot under the current military position.<\/strong><\/p>\n “These Navy SEALs are men of faith in Jesus Christ,” he said. “They feel as though they are being pushed to a decision between their faith in Christ, their commitments to God’s Law, and their desire to love their neighbors and uphold the principle of the preservation of human life versus their careers as Navy SEALs.”<\/strong><\/p>\n He said the SEALs he is ministering to “are the epitome of silent professionals and they do not desire to nor can they speak for themselves.”<\/strong><\/p>\n Do those serving in the military have the right to oppose getting the vaccine on religious grounds? That is an interesting question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This article is probably going to get me in trouble with some of my military friends, but there are two sides to every story. I realize that when you join the military you give up some of your individual rights. … Continue reading