Although Elizabeth Warren and others are gaining momentum, former Vice President Joe Biden remains a weak frontrunner for the Democrat Party’s presidential nomination.
As opposed to previous elections where most Democrat candidates scorned the faith of middle-America, this year, Democrats have found Jesus – at least politically – and are jostling for ways to woo the faithful who have traditionally voted Republican.
But for most it’s a hard path as the official party platform contradicts basic tenants of the Bible, and the Democrat party has a stated goal of removing faith from the public square.
Biden, who has been described as the most ‘moderate” Democrat candidate, was recently denied communion by a priest for his support of abortion up to birth. But what does Biden believe?
Here’s what we know about Joe Biden:
- He is Catholic. Biden was raised Catholic. He attended grade school at Holy Rosary, a Catholic school in Philadelphia, and later attended Archmere Academy in Delaware, an all-boys Catholic school. In an interview with NPR, he said, “From the moment I got within the ten-foot-high wrought-iron fence that surrounded the campus and drove up the road — they actually called it the yellow-brick road — I knew where I wanted to go to high school.”
- He wears a rosary on his wrist. Biden’s rosary originally belonged to his late son, Beau Biden. Biden’s younger son, Hunter, had given the rosary to Beau. The beads were from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Beau died in 2015 after battling brain cancer. “I have not taken off the rosary Beau was wearing when he passed, since then,” Biden said. “It is my connection with him.”
- He has been denied communion. A Catholic church in South Carolina denied Biden communion because of the former vice president’s support for abortion, including partial-birth abortion. Father Robert Morey of Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Florence, S.C, said he denied communion because “any public figure who advocates for abortion places himself or herself outside of church teaching.”
- He questioned his faith after a tragedy. In 1972, Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and his 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car accident. Sons Beau and Hunter survived, but Biden said he struggled with his faith after the accident. “For the first time in my life, I understood how someone could consciously decide to commit suicide,” he said. “Not because they were deranged, not because they were nuts, because they had been to the top of the mountain, and they just knew in their heart they would never get there again.”
- He is a friend of Israel. Biden and President Trump agree on one thing: They’re both considered advocates for Israel’s Jews. He has also talked about his large collection of yarmulkes he has gathered from attending Jewish events. Biden has also been honored by the World Jewish Congress for his work in helping Israel and the Jewish people. “I am a Zionist, and you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist,” he said.
It is yet to be seen if Biden’s faith, or the outreach of other candidates, will resonate with Christians around the nation. While attempting outreach, candidates have also come out in favor of taxing churches, and forcing the faithful, through legislation, to accept positions contrary to their personal beliefs such as abortion, transgenderism and gay marriage.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice