How the DNC eviscerated MAGA’s 'godless left' claims

21 August 2024

In an effort to fire up far-right white evangelical voters and Christian nationalists, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Democrats as anti-religion — often using the word "godless." And Caroline Sunshine, deputy communications director for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, commented, "I think the left is godless" during an appearance on Fox News in July.

But in fact, President Joe Biden and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) have had a lot to say about their Catholicism. Former President Barack Obama isn't shy about discussing his Mainline Protestant background, and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia) is an ordained Protestant minister.

In an article published on August 20, Religion News' Jack Jenkins examines the role that religion is playing in the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Speakers at the convention, Jenkins notes, haven't been shy about referencing "religion, scripture and faith."

"The faith-fueled messaging may have surprised some conservatives," Jenkins observes, "but it's hardly news to anyone who kept a close eye on liberals over the past decade or so. The Democratic Party, although home to a growing and sizable subset of religiously unaffiliated voters, remains majority religious and majority Christian, according to the Public Religion Research Institute."

Jenkins adds, "More to the point: Although people of faith have long been at home among its ranks, religious rhetoric at Democratic Party conventions has garnered more headlines in recent years, with the 2016 gathering featuring a primetime address from a prominent pastor and the 2020 event including an entire section dedicated to faith."

On the second night of the 2024 DNC, presidential nominee Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff discussed their interfaith marriage. Emhoff describes himself as "proudly Jewish," while Harris is a Baptist.

Emhoff told the crowd, "Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith, even though it's not the same as hers. She comes to synagogue with me for High Holidays, and I go to church with her for Easter. I get to enjoy her mom's chile relleno recipe every Christmas, and she makes a mean brisket for Passover. It brings me right back to my grandmother's apartment in Brooklyn — you know, the one with the plastic-covered couches."

Jenkins notes that religion has been "easy to find on the DNC's main stage."

"Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a member of the AME tradition, referenced 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 in his speech, noting, 'We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair,'" Jenkins observes. "Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who attends a Disciples of Christ church, spoke of the golden rule and the parable of the good Samaritan while discussing the need for abortion access."

Read Religion News' full report at this link.

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