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Why DeSantis may go after Vivek Ramaswamy at debate
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Editor’s Note: Carrie Sheffield is asenior policy analyst atIndependent Women’s VoiceandtheTony Blankley Fellow forPublic Policy andAmerican Exceptionalism at The Steamboat Institute.The views expressed here are solely hers. View moreopinionarticles on CNN.
CNN —
It’s discouraging to see some of my fellow conservatives attacking rising GOP presidential candidateVivek Ramaswamyforhis Hindu faith. It is wrong and un-American. It violates the spirit, if not the law, of the Constitution. And it could backfire on Christians as ourshare of the US population dwindles.
Carrie Sheffield
It is also entirely counterproductive for those who claim to support traditional values and religious liberty. Ramaswamy is steadily climbing inRepublican primary voter support,closing in on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in some polls andneck and neck with himin the betting markets.He is also one of the candidatesbest positionedto further major conservative Christian agenda items.
Conservatives claim to embrace originalist jurisprudence that holds faithfully to the letter of the Constitution and the Founders’ intent. Yet those who criticize Ramaswamy because of his religion are underminingthis core American document, whichclearly states: “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
Yetit’s clear that Ramaswamy is facing headwinds because of his faith.
Prominent pro-life activist Abby Johnson declaredearlier this month on Flashpoint, a conservative television program, that “Our God will not be mocked” by having Christians support what she described as a candidate who believes in “many gods.”And even though Ramaswamy is charismatic and says “the right things,” she said, he is not “the right guy” for the White House because he’s Hindu.
Meanwhile,HankKunneman, pastor of the nondenominational Lord of Hosts Church in Omaha, Nebraska,attacked Ramaswamyin a recent sermonby saying that, as president, he would be “some dude put his hand on something other than the Bible” who would “put all of his strange gods up in the White House.”
Prominent conservativecommentator Glenn Beck of The Blazerecently asked the candidate about GOP voters wary of his Hinduism,and I have personally spoken with multiple Christians who said it might deter their vote.They arguehe would fail to acknowledge the true God’s authority. They also told me they fear Hinduism couldrise in popularity and gain new convertsat the expense of Christianity —a fear that is likely misplaced.
Ironically,some conservatives who are wary of Ramaswamy’s Hindu faith haveignored former President Donald Trump’s ecumenical governance. For example, the 2020 White House National Day of Prayer Serviceinterfaith event featured a Hindu clergymanoffering a prayer for peace alongside various Christian prayers from Catholic and Protestant leaders. Trump himselftakes a friendly posturetoward Ramaswamywithout criticizing Hinduism.
As a Christian, Idon’t shareRamaswamy’s theology; however,he’s not running for “pastor-in-chief.” And as commander in chief, he’d provide strong leadership for economic and cultural renewal.
For starters, Ramaswamy offers a compelling response to liberal critics who smear us as“Christian nationalists” for supporting traditional values.“I’m an ardent defender of religious liberty,”Ramaswamytold the Associated Press. “I will be an even more vocal and unapologetic defender of it precisely because no one is going to accuse me of being a Christian nationalist.”
And Ramaswamynot only recognizes but honorsAmerica’s biblical underpinnings.“We are a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values,”Ramaswamy said Monday nightduring a town hall hosted byNewsNation. “Here’s what I can say with confidence: I share those same values.I believe I live by those values more so than many self-proclaimed Christian politicians.”
He’s correct. Knowledge of the context of the United States’ founding becomes meaningless when a candidate isn’t willing to continue that legacy. Ramaswamy, however,cherishes the Judeo-Christian value system. The same can’t be said for all of his competitors.
President Joe Biden frequently talks about his Catholicism, for instance, though his support for allowing women to choose to have abortions is indirect opposition to his church’s theology.Ramaswamy has said he rejects Biden’s approach and is “unapologetically pro-life”,supportingexpanded adoption and greater paternal responsibility from men.Like the Bible’s Good Samaritan, who was theologically disdained but honoring God through his actions, Ramaswamy actually puts Judeo-Christian values in practice.
According to the PewResearch Center, 53% of conservative Republicans say being Christian is an important part of being truly American. And61% of Republicans supportdeclaring the United States a Christian nation. I disagree, even though I’d love to see more growth in American Christianity.America was startedin part because of bloody religious persecutionin Europe, and our Founders wanted respite from state-mandated religions. Not to mention thatJesus commanded usto “render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s,” making a clear division between church and state.
That’s not to say faith and religion aren’t compatiblewith politics. Indeed, they are perfect complements. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,”George Washington wrote in his Farewell Address,“religion and morality are indispensable supports.”
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America is currently a majority-Christian nation at 63%, butas more and more people leave Christianityand secularism rises,Jesus’ Golden Rule tells Christians they shouldn’t discriminate against non-Christians if they don’t want the same. As our numbers decrease, we need allies more than ever.
To my fellow Christians: Is your faith and salvation so weak that you think it’s diminished by supporting a non-Christian seeking secular office?Jesus’ Great Commission,his final instructions before ascending into heaven,didn’t include tearing down a Hindu political candidate. Instead, they offered a much higher calling: to spread theGospel to every nation.
Rather than attacking a Hindu politician who will protect Judeo-Christian values, Christian conservatives would better spend their time helping the faith grow. Right now, they are only overseeing its continued decline among the American people.