An undecided Iowa Republican confronted presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy today about his religion. At the CNN town hall, audience member Ginny Mitchell questioned how Vivek Ramaswamy intended to run for office, given that he doesn’t follow the same religion as the founding fathers the United States.
“What do you say to those who tell you that you cannot be our president because your religion is not the one that our founding fathers founded our country on.”
“I am Hindu and I will not fake my identity,” says Vivek Ramaswamy
Beginning by saying that he respectfully disagreed, Vivek added that he was not a “false convert” and would not lie to boost his political career: “I am a Hindu.” Going on to add, Vivek asserted that Hinduism and Christianity “share the same common value”.
“My faith teaches me that God placed each of us here for a specific purpose, that we have a moral duty to fulfill that purpose. That God works through us in different ways, but that we are always equal because God resides in each of us.
“Hinduism and Christianity share similar values”
“I had a very traditional upbringing. My parents taught me, families are the foundation, marriages are sacred, divorce is not an option we simply put on the menu when things don’t go as planned, abstinence before Marriage is a way to go, adultery is wrong. That the good things in life involve sacrifice. Are these foreign values? I then add that these are very similar to Christian values.
“I am not a good choice to promote Christianity”
“Would I be the best president to spread Christianity in this country, no, I would not be the perfect choice for that,” Vivek asserted. I would simply add that this is not the job of the American president. He further added that “he will defend the values on which America was founded.”
“My job will be to make faith and patriotism cool in this country.”
At his recent rallies, Ramaswamy has sought to allay potential concerns from voters who have doubts about his religious background. Whereas many evangelical Christians make up a significant Republican constituency. He often evokes stories from the Bible, including one from the book of Isaiah, as he did Wednesday at town hall.
The Ohio entrepreneur continued to promote his far-right conspiracy theories and side with ideas aligned with Donald Trump. Many believe he is aiming to be chosen as Trump’s deputy, given the lead the former US president enjoys in opinion polls.
