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AUSTRALIA (LifeSiteNews) – Australian Christian leaders have released an open letter to the Prime Minster entitled The Ezekiel Declaration. The letter puts forth a series of principles that makes the case for Christian opposition to the implementation of vaccine passports and other restrictions in Australia.

So far, the letter has been signed by 2,825 church leaders, including more than a dozen Catholic priests and other Catholic leaders, and 18,498 church members and attendees.

The letter is written with the intent of calling to mind the issues that surround the implementation of vaccine passports as they restrict the freedom of conscience of many Christians. The letter states: “We do write, however, to you regarding a matter of significant concern. Namely, the proposed introduction of ‘vaccine passports’ into Australian society. For many Christian leaders and Christians, this is an untenable proposal that would inflict terrible consequences on our nation.” 

The declaration puts for five points that they believe makes mandated vaccinations unacceptable. 

The first point states that there is a risk of creating “an unethical two-tiered society.” They cite the Australian Department of Health (ADH) in arguing for objecting to the proposed COVID vaccinations in good conscience. The ADH stated in February, “The world is engaged in the largest clinical trial, the largest global vaccination trial ever, and we will have enormous amounts of data.” 

The letter reads, “Free citizens should have the right of consent, especially when the vaccine rollout has been labelled as a ‘clinical trial.’  Imposing a ‘vaccine passport’ when the nation is already divided on the matter risks the creation of medical apartheid.” 

The authors add, “A ‘vaccine passport’ would therefore represent the dangerous precipice of a therapeutic totalitarianism that does not promote liberty and human flourishing, but would rather only dehumanize and control its citizens all under the cloak of personal health and safety.” 

The second point of the letter speaks of burden that many have already faced as a result of lockdown restrictions. They acknowledge that in March 2020 “the threat was unknown,” which could excuse missteps in the early part of the pandemic. However, they add that since then, the burden of the restrictions has led to a rise in people considering suicide: 

“As these lockdowns continue, it is evident that people are getting more desperate, with many people considering suicide as their means of escape. People are inherently social creatures, meant for human interaction and contact, not long-term isolation. But these policies are causing many people to feel lonely, and increasingly isolated.” 

The letter also points to a rise in alcoholism in Australia as a result of the lockdown. They ask the question, “if Australians are drinking more during lockdowns, what will be the societal cost of adding a ‘vaccine passport’ which will potentially alienate already desperate Australians and turn them into second class citizens?”

The third point stressed that “conscience should never be coerced,” and that “The conscience is one of the innermost expressions that animates an individual, and that allows them to worship God as well as obey a legitimate governing authority.” 

The Christian leaders suggest that if a government attempts to restrain the free application of deeply held matters of conscience, the government will encounter resistance from citizens. They add, “A government should never coerce conscience, but rather respect the important function that it carries in aiding a person to worship God freely and live obediently before the state.” 

The vaccine passport, they said, represents a form of coercion of the consciences of many Australians. The Nuremberg Code, which was created to apply a universal ethic to medical experimentation states: “The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person involved should have legal capacity to give consent; should be so situated as to be able to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overreaching, or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion[.]” 

The fourth point of The Ezekiel Declaration states that “making vaccination the basis of participating in normal life would make no logical sense in terms of protecting others.” The letter cites a study from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) as evidence: “A CDC study shows 74% of people infected in Massachusetts Covid outbreak were fully vaccinated, especially noting that four of those who were vaccinated were admitted to hospital.” 

They add, “As it is evident that vaccines do not prevent infection, to restrict a person’s access to society based on a medical choice is questionable.” 

The final point in the letter speaks to the concern of the authors that they could be expected to refuse entry into their churches of people who have not been vaccinated. They say, “as Christian leaders find it untenable that we would be expected to refuse entry into our churches to a subgroup of society based on their medical choice.”  

They stress that it is their conviction that they have an “obligation to proclaim the Gospel to all men,” and that “to refuse people access to this message would betray our Saviour and everything He calls us to uphold.” 

The Australian Christian Lobby is also pressuring the government to lift the lockdowns and halt any further mandates or restrictions. In a call to Australians to ask their leaders to “fully restore freedoms,” the ACL highlights a number of issues that they say are indicative of the state of Australia:  

  • 3,345 suicidal people called LifeLine in a single day recently 
  • We are not living – or even leaving the house – for fear of dying   
  • Compassion is dead, with wedding plans put on hold and callous disregard for those mourning and separated from loved ones
  • Countless small businesses are finished, each representing people’s livelihoods 
  • We are giving up total authoritarian power to state governments 
  • Our children simply won’t be able to pay back the debt 

The ACL adds that “Freedom and livelihoods must be restored. We cannot live in fear anymore!” 

The Lobby is asking Australians to contact their representatives and “tell them that with voluntary vaccination – no coercion – all lockdowns and restrictions must end.”