Vivek Ramaswamy , an Indian-American businessman and 2024 first-time presidential candidate, recently said that despite being a devout Hindu, he has read the Bible closely. “I’ve actually read the Bible much more closely than many of, probably most of, my Christian friends,” Ramaswamy said at a campaign stop Saturday, adding, “I got a religion award back when I was at St. X High School in Cincinnati.” According to the reports in NBC News , with his rising popularity, Republican voters are becoming more interested in his religious convictions. “What is your opinion of Jesus Christ?” an Iowan asked Ramaswamy at a campaign stop in Nevada. The billionaire Republican leader explained that in his Hindu faith, Jesus is “a” son of God and not “the” son of God. The potential caucusgoer followed up with another question about “the fact that the only way to heaven is Jesus Christ.”
While on a campaign trail over the Labor Day weekend, a voter in New Hampshire inquired about Ramaswamy’s religion, which prompted him to give a response regarding the significance of religious freedom in the US: “I’m Hindu, and I’m proud of that. I stand for that without apology. I think I’m going to be able to be more ardent as a defender of religious liberty.” As per reports, Ramaswamy was questioned frequently about his relationship with God on August 31, a day filled with campaign trips around Iowa, and by the end of the day, he was naturally incorporating Bible stories into his speeches. “Remember the Book of Exodus,” Ramaswamy told a crowd of voters in Boone. “The Israelites escaped the pharaoh; they’re lost in the desert,” he continued. He compared the ancient Biblical narrative to how Americans, in his opinion, felt lost these days amidst a political shift.
The Republican candidate had stated categorically that his Hindu faith would not be a barrier to his campaign in Iowa. “I’m a person of faith. Evangelical Christians across the state are also people of faith,” he told NBC News back in July while highlighting faith during his political campaign. “We found commonality in our need to defend religious liberty, to stand for faith and patriotism, and stand unapologetically for the fact that we are one nation under God.” At a town hall in Nashua, a voter had asked him, “How does your belief in your God inform policies that were originally informed by the belief in, fear of, and obedience to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?” Ramaswamy responded wisely, “Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values; there’s no doubt about it. It is a historical fact.”
He went on to add, “We share the same values, the same Judeo-Christian values in power.” He added, “I’m not running to be a pastor-in-chief. I’m running to be our commander-in-chief.” He continued. “I think it’s legitimate to gain comfort with somebody who is of a different faith—I am a Hindu—occupying that office. But we share the same values in common. I think that is true. And because it’s true, I think that people will come to understand that for the commander-in-chief, that’s what matters.”