How Will Religion Affect Hillary Clinton’s Campaign for Presidency?

Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Will opening up about her Methodist religion give Hillary Clinton an edge over competitors or set her back?

On Sunday, taking on the Methodist platform, Hillary Clinton spoke about her political goals, referring to the age-old Sunday school melody “This Little Light of Mine.” She said that a lot of people hope to allow their lights to shine; however they fail to come out and are hiding under the bushel basket. And this basket is too heavy to be lifted alone. This is why the village needs to come in and help as a community.

The Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., celebrated its 200th anniversary on Sunday. The Clintons were regular worshipers here at the time Bill Clinton was serving as president. Hillary Clinton gave a speech at the bicentennial celebrations on Sunday, talking about the ways in which her faith, as well as, faith community worked to shape her.

Hillary also mentioned her mother. She had told Hillary about John Wesley, who founded the Methodist Church in the 18th century and was a strong believer of faith and putting it into action.

Throwing light on her religious ideologies and objectives has led to a bit of dilemma for Clinton while she is running for president. She cannot talk about her religion and faith when she is on her campaign trail. However, avoidance of the topic is not really a favorable idea, either.

Discussing her faith could be a way of connecting with the voters on a personal level and making them feel as if they know and understand Clinton, which will eventually help to build trust. But at the same time, it could also make those who are already skeptical, even more suspicious.

Will opening up about her religion give Hillary Clinton an edge over competitors or set her back?[/tweetthis]

Voters all over the country have always said that they would like politicians to be religious and have faith. However, they hardly believe these politicians when they actually give speeches about the subject. This seems to be especially true in Clinton’s case. Whenever she has tried talking about faith and her religious beliefs, people have hardly believed her. Over half the country’s citizens say that they do not trust Clinton, as per a news poll conducted by the Washington Post. Clinton’s campaign has not managed to showcase her as a relatable and authentic candidate.

Dan Merica from CNN reports that Hillary Clinton’s religious faith cannot be termed as “overt.” She has always been a Methodist, but one would not be able to gauge that by listening to the speeches she’s delivered. Last year, Clinton spoke about how faith had influenced her life in front of a group comprising 7,000 Methodist women.

An undecided student at Wesley Theological Seminary commented on the talk: “I thought her reflections on Romans 12 were inspiring. It’s interesting that the Clintons are part of a community like everyone else. It makes them seem more human.”

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