Kamala Harris reaches for the Good Samaritan while campaigning in Georgia
Vice President Kamala Harris visited two churches in Georgia on Sunday as part of her campaign’s “souls to the polls” push to reach voters. Addressing the congregation of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Harris, who is Baptist herself, spoke about how her exposure to religion during her youth in Oakland, California, influenced The post Kamala Harris reaches for the Good Samaritan while campaigning in Georgia appeared first on Catholic Herald.
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Vice President Kamala Harris visited two churches in Georgia on Sunday as part of her campaign’s “souls to the polls” push to reach voters.
Addressing the congregation of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Harris, who is Baptist herself, spoke about how her exposure to religion during her youth in Oakland, California, influenced her politics, and drew on the parable of the Good Samaritan, reports the Epoch Times.
“My earliest memories of those teachings are about a loving God, a loving God,” Harris said. “A God who asks us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the poor and the needy.
“Let us look at where we are and understand the lesson of the Gospel of Luke, because right now, each of us has an opportunity to make a difference.
“Let us focus on what God shows us about the Good Samaritans walking among us to remind us of the power, the agency, the ability, and, dare I say, the duty that we have to come to another’s aid in moments of need. To love thy neighbour.
“What God is showing us is that any of us can do that no matter who we are.”
She also described how “[i]n this moment, our country is at a crossroads, and where we go from here is up to us, as Americans and as people of faith. And now we ask a question; we face this question: what kind of country do we want to live in? A country of chaos, fear and hate, or a country of freedom, compassion and justice.”
She added: “There are those who suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know, which is the true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”
Harris was also celebrating her 60th birthday during the visits to the two community churches in Georgia on 20 October. The first congregation sang Happy Birthday as Harris took the stage, while during the second visit, the iconic musician and singer Stevie Wonder joined Harris on the stage and sang Bob Marley’s Redemption song, reports the Guardian.
At the same time as Harris visited Georgia, considered one of the seven crucial swing states in this election, the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, Tim Walz, was visiting churches in Michigan – another swing state – and in his own state of Minnesota.
Attending a church service in Saginaw, Michigan, Walz criticised former President Donald Trump for selling branded Bibles. “We understand in our faith, the Bible is to be read and followed and absorbed. It’s not to be branded and sold for $59,” Walz said, adding that he felt “pretty uncomfortable with this idea”.
While Donald Trump has been particularly proactive in trying to appeal to US voters of faith, especially to Catholics – including the former president warning of anti-religious Democrat policies that would target Catholics – Harris has been far less active up to now.
A recent New York Times article notes that “though [Harris] peppers her speeches and interviews with references to scripture, she rarely speaks about her faith in the personal terms that are familiar to evangelicals, nor does she go to church as often as does President Biden, a Roman Catholic who attends Mass regularly”.
It describes the vice president’s biography as one that “embodies the multifaith, pluralistic and increasingly secular America she is bidding to lead”, while noting that “some of Ms. Harris’s allies believe she should be more explicit on the campaign trail about her Christian ties”.
The NYT goes on to quote the Rev. Dr. Kevin Johnson, the senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, who claims that he and Harris met years ago in Pennsylvania:
“I think that she needs to continue to talk about her faith, to let the world know that she is a proud Christian, and that she is a woman who is a deep prayer warrior,” the pastor says.
With 15 days to go until election day on 5 November, the general consensus among commentators and the media is that the result remains on a knife edge and could go either way.
Photo: Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a church service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 20 October 2024. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images.)
The post Kamala Harris reaches for the Good Samaritan while campaigning in Georgia appeared first on Catholic Herald.
