Tulsa pastor flooded with requests for religious exemptions to COVID vaccine
by Burt Mummolo, KTUL Staff
Wednesday, September 15th 2021
Volume 90%
Sheridan Church at 41st & Sheridan (Kinzer/KTUL)<p>{/p}
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — "We’re sending a statement to Joe Biden that we value freedom," said Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer.
And that statement can be found in the form of an online petition to say no to COVID vaccine mandates, which is found on Pastor Lahmeyer's campaign for congress website.
"It's close to 35,000. So as they sign the petition they’re downloading the form, it's unbelievable," he said.
And that form is a religious exemption waiver.
"It's not an anti-vaccine thing, its a pro-freedom thing," he said.
A thing which attracted an article from the Washington Post with the headline, 'This pastor will sign a religious exemption for vaccines if you donate to his church.'
"The Washington post is total trash, and they always have been," he said.
Lahmeyer says the form is free and he encourages people to have their own pastors sign it, but if he signs it, in order for it to have any weight, you need to be a member of his church.
"And then some way support the ministry financially, it could literally be a dollar," he said.
Meanwhile, at First Baptist Church of North Tulsa...
Would you give somebody a religious exemption? "No, no I would not," said Pastor Anthony Scott.
Pastor Scott says 100% of his staff voluntarily got the vaccine.
"When it comes to a public health crisis, I certainly wouldn’t mandate it but I do have a responsibility to tell persons that this is a public health crisis, and it would be in your best interest to certainly get a vaccine," he said.
And down the street at Vernon AME Church...
"Vaccine does not conflict at all with what the bible teaches," said Pastor Robert Turner. He says he's received a few requests for exemptions and discusses the matter in depth.
"You’re not being less of a Christian if you get the vaccine or wear a mask. It’s like saying by putting on a seatbelt makes you less a person of faith," he said.
Meanwhile, back at Sheridan Church...
"This is all I’m doing all day right now is signing these for people," said Pastor Lahmeyer.
And his response to the critics who say, ‘This is a political stunt by a guy running for Congress who happens to be a pastor.’ "Yeah, well, I don’t really care. I don’t really care. We’re doing this and it’s helping people," he said.
by Burt Mummolo, KTUL Staff
Wednesday, September 15th 2021
Volume 90%
Sheridan Church at 41st & Sheridan (Kinzer/KTUL)<p>{/p}
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — "We’re sending a statement to Joe Biden that we value freedom," said Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer.
And that statement can be found in the form of an online petition to say no to COVID vaccine mandates, which is found on Pastor Lahmeyer's campaign for congress website.
"It's close to 35,000. So as they sign the petition they’re downloading the form, it's unbelievable," he said.
And that form is a religious exemption waiver.
"It's not an anti-vaccine thing, its a pro-freedom thing," he said.
A thing which attracted an article from the Washington Post with the headline, 'This pastor will sign a religious exemption for vaccines if you donate to his church.'
"The Washington post is total trash, and they always have been," he said.
Lahmeyer says the form is free and he encourages people to have their own pastors sign it, but if he signs it, in order for it to have any weight, you need to be a member of his church.
"And then some way support the ministry financially, it could literally be a dollar," he said.
Meanwhile, at First Baptist Church of North Tulsa...
Would you give somebody a religious exemption? "No, no I would not," said Pastor Anthony Scott.
Pastor Scott says 100% of his staff voluntarily got the vaccine.
"When it comes to a public health crisis, I certainly wouldn’t mandate it but I do have a responsibility to tell persons that this is a public health crisis, and it would be in your best interest to certainly get a vaccine," he said.
And down the street at Vernon AME Church...
"Vaccine does not conflict at all with what the bible teaches," said Pastor Robert Turner. He says he's received a few requests for exemptions and discusses the matter in depth.
"You’re not being less of a Christian if you get the vaccine or wear a mask. It’s like saying by putting on a seatbelt makes you less a person of faith," he said.
Meanwhile, back at Sheridan Church...
"This is all I’m doing all day right now is signing these for people," said Pastor Lahmeyer.
And his response to the critics who say, ‘This is a political stunt by a guy running for Congress who happens to be a pastor.’ "Yeah, well, I don’t really care. I don’t really care. We’re doing this and it’s helping people," he said.
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