Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was questioned about his Hindu faith during the CNN Townhall on Thursday. Gunny Mitchell, an Iowa voter, asked, "How do you respond to those who assert that you cannot be our president because your religion does not align with what our founding fathers based our country on?"
Mr Ramaswamy replied, "I am a Hindu. I won't fake my identity. Hinduism and Christianity share the same value set in common."
He added, "Based on my religious beliefs, I understand that every person is here for a reason and it is our moral obligation to fulfil that reason because God lives within each of us, even though God works through us in various ways, we are all equal."
See the video here:
A voter tonight in Iowa asked about my Hindu faith. I answered honestly. pic.twitter.com/hkUrZkbhUx
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 14, 2023
The Ohio-born entrepreneur and politician also spoke about the common aspects of Hinduism and Christianity.
"My upbringing was quite conventional. My parents taught me that marriages are sacred, families are the cornerstone of society, abstinence before marriage is a viable option when things don't work out, adultery is wrong. that enjoying life's pleasures requires giving something up. Are those values not from elsewhere?" the US presidential candidate added.
"Would I be the best president to spread Christianity through this country, no I would not be the perfect choice for that," he admitted, but added that he would still "stand for values that America was founded on."
Notably, 38-year-old Vivek Ramaswamy is a native of southwest Ohio. His mother was a geriatric psychiatrist and his father worked as an engineer at General Electric. His parents migrated to the US from Kerala.
The next US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.
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