Hillary Clinton’s View on Religion and Politics Essay

Introduction

Hillary Clinton, née Rodham, is a Democratic candidate for president in the 2016 presidential race. Exploring her perception of the relationship between politics and religion proves to be rather interesting, considering her religious background. It is a well-known fact that Hillary Clinton is a Methodist Christian, following her family’s tradition. She grew up in Chicago and spent a lot of time at the First United Methodist Church, participating in various activities. It should be noted that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, used to stress the importance of experience and the practical application of religious principles, rather than mere contemplation of theory. These ideas seemed to have served as a foundation for Mrs. Clinton’s system of values. She was deeply influenced by the Methodist viewpoint, according to which it is crucial to work towards making the world a better place (Stebenne par. 4).

Faith as an Inspiration

In order to gain an understanding of Mrs. Clinton’s perception of faith, it is necessary to analyze her public statements and interviews on the matter. At an event in Iowa, she was asked to elaborate on the subject of Christianity and her political beliefs. Mrs. Clinton admitted to being inspired by her faith throughout her life, with the Bible guiding her along the way, including in political activities (Chozick par. 2). She expressed genuine concern regarding Christian beliefs is often used to convey radical judgments, as it is ultimately love which is the center of Christian faith. Hillary emphasized the need for each person to grow in the moral sense of the word, examining our treatment of others and making sure that we make every effort to treat everyone kindly, even those who are not so kind to us.

Importance of Humility

In a speech delivered on September 9, 2016, Mrs. Clinton stressed the importance of humility in politics (Halper par. 2). She pointed out that this is a quality that is rarely displayed by politicians. This should not be the case, according to Hillary. As Mrs. Clinton’s system of beliefs was shaped under the influence of the Methodist Church, it is necessary to explore the concept of humility through the teachings of the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley.

According to Lee-Koo, Wesley understood humility as self-knowledge, or a type of self-appraisal (189). It is a quality that allows seeing one’s character in a clear way, evaluating oneself objectively, refraining from pride, and self-righteousness. Self-knowledge, coupled with free will, is what brings a person to embrace one’s faith, and leads one to justification (Lee-Koo 192). This profound self-knowledge is intertwined with one’s repentance, with the plea to be forgiven. Knowing oneself entails accepting one’s sins and wrongdoings.

Wesley’s thoughts are echoed in many public statements made by Hillary Clinton. She often emphasizes that nobody leads a life without making mistakes and that she is no exception to that rule (Halper par. 3). Indeed, the proper degree of humility is necessary for everyone to grow, develop throughout their life, and contribute to society. As Mrs. Clinton points out, it is crucial to be able to admit one’s mistakes, as well as to take responsibility for them, accept them, and be grateful for a lesson learned due to these mistakes.

‘Social Gospel’

The practical dimension of Christianity was further elaborated in Mrs. Clinton’s public speech on September 9, 2016. While addressing her audience, Clinton claimed that as president, she would make every effort to work towards “translating love into action” (Halper par. 6). She expressed the need to join efforts to care for those who need our help. The social aspect of Clinton’s campaign was noticed a while ago. It was the influence of the Methodist Church that led her to “embrace her faith in action” (Sullivan par. 4). According to Gjelten, Clinton’s political views are tied to the ‘Social Gospel’ of Methodists to such an extent that it is difficult at times to see the difference (par. 14).

Thus, it is possible to interpret Mrs. Clinton’s statements on religion and politics. The relationship between these two dimensions has always been rather close. However, due to the absence of humility, they seemed to have been attuned only in theory. Clinton did not emphasize this fact by chance. Indeed, near the end of her speech, she demonstrated a critical attitude towards her own words. She remarked that the religious people and their families might be tired of hearing the politicians appeal to their spirituality during the presidential race in order to secure their support. This display of compassion, understanding, and humility demonstrates Clinton’s ability not only to air her opinion but also to act on it. A practical approach to religious matters means that this candidate has solid moral guidance on a political level, provided the principles Mrs. Clinton subscribes to are upheld consistently throughout her career.

Religion and Politics

Hillary Clinton is reported to have said that there is a pressing need to combine our moral values with our spiritual side and make the world a better place while being guided by God (“Hillary Clinton Is Now The Most Religious Candidate” par. 19). She admitted that the principles of the Methodist Church have always provided her with guidance and that it is necessary for us to follow the Christian ideas in our work towards building a better society. The need to reinforce the family bond was emphasized, as well as the need to improve the school system so that all children are provided with an equal opportunity to develop their full potential. Equality is a principle Hillary Clinton firmly stands by, even when it comes to homosexual marriages (“Hillary Clinton Is Now The Most Religious Candidate” par. 26).

In her book, “It Takes a Village”, devoted to children and parenting experience, Clinton stresses the importance of churches and other religious places of worship. According to Clinton, religious institutions facilitate the process of social adjustment (160). They help children acquire the skills necessary for living in society and help them understand the duties and responsibilities of each member.

“It Takes a Village” is a deeply personal work by Hillary Clinton, with reflections on her upbringing and on her childhood perception of the Methodist Church her family attended. To Clinton’s mind, the religious institution helps children develop ethical values, a system of social standards, and a general idea of right and wrong. It also helps them learn how to confront the difficulties they could face in the world (163). She says that her church mentors taught her the importance of contributing to society and of equal treatment of all its members, regardless of their religious beliefs, values, or political views.

Clinton relates the ability to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves to our capacity to face difficult social problems and to successfully resolve them. By expressing such a viewpoint, Mrs. Clinton implies that crucial Christian values, namely, humility and compassion, are to become the benchmarks of our social approach (Clinton 164). Since the social problems of American society encompass a broad range of issues, from unemployment and health care, immigrant rights, to education and gender equality, the foundation of any method or resolving these problems is to be built upon these Christian ideas. A compassionate and humble politician is a person who understands the difficulties experienced by the people and seeks to improve the situation even at the expense of one’s own interests. This is the precise meaning conveyed by Clinton in her statement about the lack of humility in politics. In the Methodist tradition, self-knowledge, i.e. humility opens one’s eyes to God, to “evidence of things not seen” (Lee-Koo 194). To Wesley’s mind, it meant restoring the ability to see. In one of his sermons, Wesley elaborates on his understanding of God’s image in moral and political aspects. Since humankind has the possibility to be in charge of other species, it must have been created as a political reflection of God. This moral aspect is present in the absolute moral law, provided by God and inherent in each human being (Lee-Koo 51).

The influence of the Methodist Church and, more specifically, the influence that John Wesley’s sermons had on the formation of Hillary Clinton’s political beliefs, is considerable. The ‘Social Gospel’ of the Methodists led this presidential candidate to adopt the political agenda for the race of 2016. The principles she claims to uphold are directly related to the Methodist Christian Church’s values and beliefs.

Critical View

Although her outlook on the relationship between religion and politics is not without merit, it should be noted that certain commentators, not to mention her opponents, have criticized Clinton’s approach to religion in the political context. DeSanctis argues that Hillary Clinton’s statements about the protection of freedom of religion are barely credible (par. 3). She insists that Clinton’s perception of religious freedom is ambiguous at the very least. According to Walker, by supporting the Federal Equality Act and advancing the gay rights, she promotes a document that puts the fundamental principle of religious liberty in danger (par. 6). Walker claims that under this act, it will be impossible for anyone to appeal to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in the case of a violation of the right to religious freedom (par. 6).

The commentator argues that gender and sexual orientation cannot be clearly manifested and that they are therefore likely to be understood in equivocal ways (par. 7). From this point of view, Hillary Clinton’s support of the Federal Equality Act can be seen as conflicting with the principles she claims to uphold. According to Walker, the legislation in question stipulates that any person or organization disagreeing with the proposed interpretation of mentioned categories can be subject to a penalty (par. 9). Moreover, DeSanctis criticizes Clinton’s statements on the government having no right to impose a religious belief on citizens (par. 10). She argues that the possibility of punishing certain categories of citizens for their religious beliefs is omitted, thereby thoroughly casting into doubt Clinton’s commitment to the protection of religious liberty. From this point of view, Clinton’s stance is appealing only in comparison with the outrageous statements made by Trump regarding the ban on Muslims, among other dubious assertions.

Overall, Hillary Clinton’s perception of religion and her political agenda are subject to widespread criticism. Discrepancies identified by the mentioned commentators are rather reasonable. However, despite the fact that Mrs. Clinton’s statements and actions may be seen at times as lacking in consistency, it is undeniable that the Methodist Church exerts a great influence on her policies and general worldview.

Contradictory Approach

Despite the fact that certain critics question her commitment to the religious liberty principle, Mrs. Clinton is reported to have admitted that she was not certain whether being Christian was the only right path to salvation (Farley par. 10). The contradictions regarding her religious beliefs and political views stem from the eagerness to combine two seemingly opposed attitudes: remaining liberal at heart while maintaining certain degree of conservatism and realism of mind (Du Mez par. 20). The Methodist Church can be seen as a source of her moral mission and her resulting reluctance to compromise. Du Mez perceives Clinton’s political attitude as an attempt to bring the values of the right and left together and to advocate for a politics of humility and compassion (par. 30).

The inconsistencies that have been found in Mrs. Clinton’s statements regarding religion are directly related to her attempt of reaching a compromise between right and left, between humility and determination, and between religion and politics. She is reported to have commented on Trump’s attitude towards immigration policy regarding Muslims. Clinton indicated that taking a radical stance, i.e. banning Muslims from entering the US would be an ineffective approach, let alone an approach antagonizing the extremists. Clinton has explained that Trump’s attitude is the exact position they want the US to take. Adopting such a viewpoint would lead to improving the position of the ISIS, as in such a case American policy would directly banish all Muslims, prompting an increasing number of moderate believers to take arms. Thus, Clinton has stated that we should not “go after” (Halper par. 2) the Muslim religion.

Mrs. Clinton has indicated that there are many law-abiding Islam followers in the country, who would rather avoid the conflict. They constitute the vast majority of the Muslim community in the US. Clinton has specified that Trump’s rhetoric must not absorb us, as the challenge we currently face has to be met with all the necessary instruments at our disposal. She emphasized that her opponent’s attitude is unacceptable and ineffective regarding the prevention of terrorism. The only way to meet this challenge is to keep true to our values (Halper par. 6). One could see these statements as a simple opposition of Trump’s beliefs. However, they also indicate that Mrs. Clinton’s political stance is backed by her religious beliefs in a moderate manner since the statement discussed above directly relates to the notion of humility and compassion, which should be present in politics.

Conclusion

When asked what book had had the biggest influence on her personality, Mrs. Clinton said that the Bible remained the biggest influence on her way of thinking (“Hillary Rodham Clinton” par. 10). She is inspired by ideas of humility and compassion, and her attitude displays a willingness to approach socio-political problems through the prism of her religious beliefs. Whether she remains dedicated to this stance, and whether it will yield positive results, remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Clinton’s political agenda is attuned with the social dimension of her religion.

While in her effort to combine religion and politics Mrs. Clinton may have to compromise one side or the other, her chosen approach might result in a positive outcome. Based on the public addresses and speeches she has delivered, her perception of the relationship between religion and politics largely correlates with the overall ethical aspect of politics. Humility and compassion, often mentioned by her, are the most important Christian qualities that politicians should possess. The Christian Methodist Church, which had a major influence on Clinton’s formative years, is traditionally provides its members with a moral mission: to work on improving the world and the lives of those around you. This social aspect is what links religion to politics in Clinton’s view. However, both these areas have their own instruments of change. According to Mrs. Clinton, they should complement each other. Moreover, religion should provide ethical and moral guidelines for a politician to follow, while the social issues should remain the highest priority.

In many interviews, Hillary Clinton has admitted that she supports the idea of drawing a clear line between the church and state. Nevertheless, religion plays an extremely important role in her worldview, as well as in her political stance. Combining religion and politics is a rather difficult task. It requires a high level of commitment, as well as the ability to compromise and to accept the fact that the desired result may be hardly attainable. All the same, Clinton’s extensive experience in the political arena, as well as her deeply religious background, might prove to be an efficient combination of reason and spirituality.

Works Cited

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Clinton, Hillary Rodham. It Takes a Village. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print.

DeSanctis, Alexandra. Hillary Clinton Is No Champion Of Religious Freedom. 2016. Web.

Du Mez, Kristin. Can Hillary Clinton’s Faith Help Her Lead a Fractured Nation? 2016. Web.

Farley, Robert. We Know Plenty About Clinton’s Religion. 2016. Web.

Gjelten, Tom. Clinton, Kaine Driven By Their Faith in the ‘Social Gospel’. 2016. Web.

Halper, Daniel. Hillary Clinton Talks about God. 2016. Web.

Halper, Evan. Hillary Clinton Warns That Going After ‘an Entire Religion’ Would Boost Islamic State. 2016. Web.

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Lee-Koo, SunAe 2011, “Humility as a Key Component of John Wesley’s Understanding of a Christian’s Spiritual Development”. PhD thesis, The Catholic University of America, 2011. Digital Collections University Libraries. Web.

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Sullivan, Amy. Do All the Good. The Methodist Saying that Became a Clinton Campaign Slogan. 2016. Web.

Walker, Andrew T. Hillary Clinton’s Speech Shows the Vulnerability of Religious Liberty. 2015. Web.