'Shameful': Joe Biden rejects Trump's claim that he's 'against God'
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has denounced recent comments by President Donald Trump claiming that the former vice president is “against God.”
In a statement released to campaign supporters on Thursday, Biden labeled the remarks “shameful” and as showing that Trump was “willing to stoop to any low for political gain.”
“Like so many people, my faith has been the bedrock foundation of my life: it’s provided me comfort in moments of loss and tragedy, it’s kept me grounded and humbled in times of triumph and joy,” stated Biden, who is Catholic.
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“And in this moment of darkness for our country — of pain, of division, and of sickness for so many Americans — my faith has been a guiding light for me and a constant reminder of the fundamental dignity and humanity that God has bestowed upon all of us.”
Biden contrasted his beliefs and the actions of President Trump, arguing that the election was a “battle for the soul of our nation.”
“My faith teaches me to love my neighbor as I would myself, while President Trump only seeks to divide us. My faith teaches me to care for the least among us, while President Trump seems to only be concerned about his gilded friends,” he continued.
“My faith teaches me to welcome the stranger, while President Trump tears families apart. My faith teaches me to walk humbly, while President Trump teargassed peaceful protestors so he could walk over to a church for a photo op.”
At a campaign stop in Ohio originally meant to focus on economic recovery, Trump argued that Biden was anti-religious.
“He’s following the radical left agenda, take away your guns, destroy your 2nd Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God. He’s against God,” declared Trump, as reported by the Associated Press.
“He’s against guns. He’s against energy, our kind of energy. I don’t think he’s going to do too well in Ohio.”
During the campaign season, Trump and his supporters have sought to portray his Democratic opposition as being anti-religious, especially due to their socially liberal stances.
Texas megachurch Pastor Robert Jeffress, a staunch supporter of Trump, recently argued that evangelicals who support Biden have “sold their soul to the devil.”
“The only evangelicals who are going to vote for Joe Biden are those who have sold their soul to the devil and accepted the Democrats’ barbaric position on abortion,” said Jeffress in an interview with Lou Dobbs of Fox Business.
“I mean, it’s so barbaric, Joe Biden believes in unrestricted abortion. He can’t even get his own church, the Catholic Church, to stomach it. They have denied him communion because of that.”
Biden campaign National Faith Engagement Director and evangelical Josh Dickson rejected the idea that the former vice president is anti-faith.
In an earlier interview with The Christian Post, Dickson explained that Biden is “an authentic man of faith whose faith and values inform his political participation, his long history of fighting for civil rights and fighting for the least of these.”
“I know that not everyone is going to agree with him on everything. We're a big tent party as Democrats. Joe Biden is someone who is putting forward a vision that is inclusive,” said Dickson.
“I see the values that Joe Biden lives by. I see the values that have been reflected in the history of his involvement in public life. And I see the ways in which he's going to lean into this moment right now where our country is hurting.”
