Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy opened up about his ‘Hindu’ faith, emphasizing that it provides him with freedom and has motivated him to undertake this presidential campaign as a moral obligation.
According to ANI, Speaking at ‘The Family Leader’ forum organized by The Daily Signal platform on Saturday, the Indian-American entrepreneur drew parallels between the teachings of Hinduism and Christianity, expressing his intention to promote shared values for the benefit of the next generation.
Ramaswamy said, “May faith is what gives me my freedom. My faith is what led me to this presidential campaign…I am a Hindu. I believe there is one true God. I believe god put each of us here for a purpose. My faith teaches us that we have a duty, a moral duty to realise that purpose. Those are God’s instruments that work through us in different ways, but we are still equal because God resides in each of us. That’s the core of my faith”.
Speaking about his upbringing, he said that he was instilled with values surrounding family, marriage, and respect for parents.
“I grew up in a traditional household. My parents taught me family is the foundation. Respect your parents. Marriage is sacred. Abstinence before marriage is the way to go. Adultery is wrong. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Divorce is not just some preference you opt for…you get married before God and you make an oath to God and your family,” Ramaswamy said.
The Ohio-based bio-tech entrepreneur also drew parallels between Hindu and Christian faiths and said that these are the ‘shared values’ of God, and he will stand for those shared values.
“I went to Christian High School. What do we learn? We learnt the 10 commandments. We read the Bible. Scriptures class. God is real. There is one true God. Don’t take his name in vain. Respect your parents. Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Don’t commit adultery. What I learned at that time, is that these values are familiar to me. They don’t belong to Hindus. But, they don’t belong to Christians either. They belong to God actually. And I think these are the values that undergird this country,” Ramaswamy said.
He added, “Can I be a President who can promote Christianity across the country? I can’t…I don’t think that’s what we should want a US President to do either…but will I stand for those shared values? Will I promote them in the examples that we set for the next generations? You are damn right, I will! Because that’s my duty”.
