Spiritual Life
A6
Thursday, January 27, 2022
SPIRITUAL LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Weekly lessons provide
insight into the life of Moses
NORTHEASTERN OREGON
— On Sunday, Jan. 30, the
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints Baker 1st and
2nd Wards will hold ward con-
ferences, and in the other wards
members of the congregations
will speak.
Since this is a fi fth Sunday, the
Ward Bishoprics will be coordi-
nating the lesson for the second
hour.
The “Come, Follow Me” lesson
for the week of Jan. 31 will be
based on Genesis 6-11 and Moses
8. The history of Noah, and the
Tower of Babel, are covered by
the chapters in Genesis while
Moses 8 provides greater insight
into the life of Moses and his rela-
Sunday of the month. This will be
the second time congregants will
have the opportunity to ask Pastor
Archie Hook questions they have
about Bible passages or how a
Bible passage may relate to life
today. Worship begins at 10 a.m.
Masks are required while in the
building.
Wednesday), Faith Lutheran
Church’s Bible readings focus
on Jesus revealing himself. On
Sunday, Jan. 30, the reading at
the 10 a.m. service will be Luke
4:31-32, which tells us that Jesus
“was teaching them on the Sab-
bath, and they were astonished at
His teaching, for His Word pos-
sessed authority.” We continue to
receive his word and be directed
by its authority.
After the Divine Service will
be a junior confi rmation class and
a meeting of SHINE Preschool’s
board.
Junior confi rmation
classes continue
Join worship service
in person or online
LA GRANDE — During the
Epiphany Season (from the 12th
day after Christmas until Ash
LA GRANDE — Zion
Lutheran Church will off er
in-person and online worship
SUBMISSIONS
Churches and faith-based groups are encouraged to submit Highlights for the Spiritual Life
page by 4 p.m. Tuesday for publication Thursday. Submit by email to news@lagrandeob-
server.com (with Highlights in the subject line).
tionship with God.
A special broadcast for the
youth of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints that
was to be held this week has been
rescheduled to March, due to the
exposure of multiple participants
to COVID-19.
Congregants will try to
‘Stump the Pastor’
LA GRANDE — The First
Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) will attempt to “Stump
the Pastor” on Jan. 30, the fi fth
on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 9 a.m.
Masks and social distancing
are required. The service will
be livestreamed to YouTube.
The link for that stream will be
posted on Zion’s Facebook page
and website on Saturday, Jan. 29.
Recorded service may be
viewed at any time
LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church will meet for
a service of Morning Prayer
on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m.
Masks and social distancing are
required.
The service will be streamed
live and recorded for viewing
at a later time. The link will be
posted to the church’s Facebook
page on Saturday, Jan. 29.
— The Observer
Who deserves a religious exemption from vaccine mandates?
DORIT
REISS
OTHER VIEWS
A
s states and compa-
nies implement vac-
cine mandates, some
anti-vax workers have an
answer: I can’t, it’s against
my religion.
In the past decade, bat-
tles over when religious
exemptions should be
granted — for various
kinds of laws — have been
fought in legislatures, in
executive offi ces and in
the courts. Plaintiff s have
sought relief from laws
prohibiting discrimina-
tion against LGBTQ cou-
ples, from requirements to
cover contraceptives for
employees and from pan-
demic-related restrictions
on public gatherings.
But on the vaccine ques-
tion, there is an added
twist: Policymakers,
employers and courts have
to decide whether a person
is being honest in claiming
that religion is the reason
they object to the vaccines.
That’s because so many
people are using religion as
a cover for something else
(such as distrust of vac-
cines because of something
they read on the internet).
We know that Amer-
icans game religious
exemptions, because they
tell us. It’s easy to fi nd
people online, for example,
coaching others on how
to pretend that freedom of
worship is the real issue.
Writes one such person,
on Facebook: “RULE
#4 in writing a religious
exemption: Do not mention
c0vid-19 (sic), side eff ects,
or scientifi c data! Do not
mention the V(accine) is
under E-U-A,” or emergen-
cy-use authorization. Reli-
gious leaders have off ered
to sign letters requesting
exemptions for anyone
who wants one — for pay-
Oregon Health Authority/Contributed Photo, File
Cars line up in a barn at the Union County Fairgrounds, La Grande, during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic
on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. After moving clinics to the fairgrounds to make more more room and expe-
dite the waiting process, the Center for Human Development administered more than 500 vaccinations
during two clinics in November.
ment, or free. This is not a
new phenomenon, nor one
limited to the coronavirus
vaccines. (For a hearing
on vaccine mandates in
Massachusetts, a parent
wrote to lawmakers that
she made use of a religious
exemption in 2020 for the
fl u vaccine, “not because
it goes against my reli-
gion, but because I do not
believe that it is necessary
to put additional chemicals
into my child’s body.”) But
the political battles over
coronavirus vaccination
have driven more people to
seek ways around the laws.
Religious freedom has
an important place in our
Constitution and history.
That said, we have always
limited it to protect other
important values, such
as health and safety. But
the line has been tricky to
draw — and the Supreme
Court has begun to change
its mind about what the
Constitution requires. All
of this puts institutions
trying to enforce mandates
in a tough spot.
Does the law require
a religious exemption to
vaccine mandates? Until
very recently, the answer
was “no” for states and
“maybe” for employers.
In a landmark 1990 case,
Employment Division,
Department of Human
Resources of Oregon v.
Smith, the court ruled that
states do not have to pro-
vide a religious exemption
from a generally appli-
cable law that is neutral
on its face with respect to
religion. Courts have con-
sistently found that vac-
cine mandates do not
require a religious exemp-
tion, and several states —
California, Connecticut,
Maine, New York, West
Virginia and Mississippi
— do not off er one.
But in the past year,
the Supreme Court has
indicated that it intends
to strengthen protections
for religious liberty —
although the full contours
of the change are unclear.
In Tandon v. Newsom, for
instance, it blocked Cal-
ifornia from enforcing
coronavirus restrictions
on private gatherings,
including at-home reli-
gious services, while the
U.S. Court of Appeals for
the 9th Circuit considers
an appeal. In Fulton v. City
of Philadelphia, which
gave the court a chance
to overturn Smith — and
to say believers should be
exempt from some gener-
ally applicable laws — it
declined to do so. Still,
in a decision that struck
some observers as hair-
splitting, the court said the
city had an obligation to
grant an exemption from
anti-discrimination laws to
a Catholic adoption agency
that declined to license
same-sex couples to be
foster parents. Justice John
G. Roberts Jr., writing for
the majority, noted that
the law allowed exemp-
tions at the “sole discre-
tion” of the city’s Depart-
ment of Human Services
commissioner; if a city has
an exemptions policy, Rob-
erts wrote, it cannot refuse
them to religious organi-
zations without meeting a
very high bar. It’s not clear
yet how the recent subtle
shifts in doctrine will
aff ect court cases related
to religious exemptions for
vaccine mandates.
For private employers,
the law is clearer: Under
the Civil Rights Act of
1964, employers have to
accommodate workers
with religious objec-
tions to vaccine man-
dates — unless providing
an exemption places an
“undue burden” on the
business in question. Pri-
vate employers thus can
refuse to give exemptions
if the burden is too high
— but should expect to be
challenged in court when
they do.
This murky terrain is
fertile ground for lawsuits.
There have been at least a
dozen recently related to
religious exemptions.
Faced with all of
these issues, states and
employers have four
options. First — and worst
— they can off er religious
exemptions and not police
them.
Second, states and
employers can choose
not to provide religious
exemptions and accept that
they can be sued over it.
Third, these entities can
off er religious exemptions
and police them.
Finally, employers
can off er an open “per-
sonal” exemption, not lim-
ited to religion — thereby
avoiding the challenge of
deciding what counts as a
religious view — but attach
signifi cant strings to it.
Granting religious
exemptions will always
be an inexact science.
But employers and states
should still do their best
to guard against outright
deceit: After all, religious
citizens will be among
the fi rst to agree that you
should not take the Lord’s
name in vain.
———
Dorit Reiss is a pro-
fessor of law at the Uni-
versity of California Hast-
ings College of Law. Her
expertise is in adminis-
trative and government
law, health care law and
policy, international law,
and vaccine law and policy.
Her recent focus has been
on vaccines, examining
the constitutional frame-
work for vaccine mandates
and the legal remedies for
non-vaccinations.
An Independent
Insurance Agency
Trusted Insurance Help Since 1994
Get Trusted,
Friendly, Expert
Medicare Insurance
Help
10106 North C St. • Island City
541-975-1364 • Toll Free 1-866-282-1925
www.reed-insurance.net
Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches
Cove United
Methodist Church
1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR
North Powder
United
Methodist Church
390 E. St., North Powder, OR
JOIN US... Catch the Spirit!
First Christian
Church
(Disciples of Christ)
Worship
10:00 a.m.
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
A church for your whole family
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 “We are called to Serve”
lgdisciples@gmail.com
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
Sunday Services:
Sunday School & Adult Bible Classes
9:45AM
Children’s Church & Worship Service
11:00AM
Family Worship Service
6:00PM
Wednesday:
Prayer Mtg, Children’s Bible Club, Youth
Group 7:00PM
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
www.lagrandeumc.org
www.imblercc@gmail.com
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
La Grande Seventh-day
A Place where hope is found in Jesus
Join us in Fellowship & Worship
Saturday all age classes 9:30 am
Saturday Worship 11:00 am
1612 4th Street – 963-2498
For service information go to
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201
Adventist Church
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
Pastor Taylor Gould
Imbler
Christian
Church
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande
963-4018
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
lagrandeor.adventistchurch.org
Learning for Today and Eternity
Little Friends
Christian Preschool/Childcare 963-6390
La Grande Adventist Christian School
K-8th Grade 963-6203
FIRST LANDMARK
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH
1812 1st St. La Grande
Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215
We use the King James Version Bible
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Worship 11:00 am
Sunday Evening Bible Study - 3:00 pm (Effective June 10)
Wednesday Evening - 6:30 pm
“Where you can find TRUTH according to the scriptures”
www.flmbclagrande.com
Services
This
Week