There have been ideas bandied about recently pertaining to the possible formation of a religious organization. This organization might be seeking to exercise protection from Covid1984 tyranny through the religion clause of the First Amendment. To quote a recent email that was sent out from the 802Freedom Team- "This initiative results from a spiritual uprising, which occurred during the Covid19 pandemic, and from a desire to seek religious protection from government overreach. We have few preconceived ideas of what this “church” will be."
Personally, I believe that having an organized group with well reasoned and clearly codified beliefs that support the freedom we desire may be helpful as it will be something greater than our mere personal ideology that we will be able to point to and say, "see, others believe as I do. I am not making this up on the spot. I adhere to an organized belief system. I am not a lone nut." Despite corruption and erosion of the constitution, it is still the highest law of the land and religion enjoys some of the highest protection from the overreach of the state. Those in the vaccine safety movement prior to the plandemic are aware that the last remaining protection that parents could employ to refuse mandated vaccines for their children is the religious exemption. This was recently removed in California. VT lost its "philosophical" exemption several years back but still honors a "religious" exemption.
Anyway, I know that people have objections and concerns to this idea. It is important to note that this is a forked project and not something that is central to or replacing 802Freedom. I think discussion is absolutely needed on this topic and this is the best place to conduct it.
Hey folks, wanted to chime in here to say, as I did during the meeting last Saturday, thank you for organizing and holding these meetings in the face of such uncertainty and hypertension. I want to see similar organizing meetings taking place In Chittenden county. I live in a townhome community in the far north end of Burlington, and though I have only been here two months, get the sense that there is a mix of fearful and empowered individuals around here. I would be willing to open my home to a meeting but wonder if anyone else in this community may have a space that is a bit more disconnected from the urban/suburban density of Burlington, but still in Chittenden county, where we could meet in a less conspicuous location?
Yes, the words "Compliance with these guidelines will be voluntary and will not be enforced." are lip service. We are providing a compliant plan as a matter of "expedience". Judge it as you wish. We realize we are taking a risk of the wrath of our neighbors and government by opening our house for a gathering. So, we have a plan that follows what we interpret is the guidance from the State for a religious gathering. Otherwise, we would incur higher risk of outside interference or resistance. Such action would distract from our goals of gathering and forming an organization that will stand behind our religious views. The limit of number of people is intended to follow the State guidance for the size of house. If you are interested and unable to attend for any reason, we will be developing an email list for future communications and we will happily place you on the list upon request. We have no preconceived ideas of what the church will be and no leadership plan. The “church” is at ground zero for planning. It will be defined from the process that begins on Saturday. We had intended to invite all 802Freedom members, but there may have been some communication limitations in the services that distributed the message causing some not to receive it. Peace and Love.
Thank you for moving this discussion here. It should be easier to follow than through emails that, for me at least, seem to get buried among the spam. You say that religion enjoys some of the highest protection from the overreach of the state. I question how much longer that will be the case with the situation in Irasburg, and so many organized churches bowing to the dictates of the governor without questioning or fighting back. The church I attend is now requiring everyone to sign in for contact tracing and call ahead for a reservation if we plan to attend any of the Christmas services. I won't be at all surprised if they expect us all to get the vaccine when it comes out. Nevertheless, I would be interested in attending the meeting to see what you have planned.
Thank you, Brandon! This idea has been floating around for months, years even and we decided to talk about it. 802 Freedom serves as a gathering place for all Vermont patriots, and from there, we can choose what we want to be a part of and what we don’t. I second everything you just said above. Thank you for utilizing the website for discussion! -Mary S.