Kamal Ghorui
An old clip of Vivek Ramaswamy explaining how he, as a Hindu, worships Jesus Christ, is going viral.
As Vivek Ramaswamy is facing flak for an old video where he was explaining his faith vis-à-vis Christianity to an Iowa voter, the Hindu American community strongly defended Vivek’s religion and questioned the unofficial religion test that he has to give every day ahead of the primary on May 5.In the old video, Ramaswamy explained to a voter that in his faith, which is Hinduism, Jesus Christ is a son of God. “I know that is different than saying he’s THE son of God but that’s my view of Jesus Christ,” he said, explaining that Hindus worship in churches as that’s compatible with their religion. “One true God in many forms,” Ramaswamy added. The voter told him that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. Ramaswamy said that in his faith, it is one of the paths.As the video again started doing the rounds, he was accused of “demeaning” Jesus by comparing him to figures in the Hindu religion. “Here is Vivek Ramaswamy Indiasplaining Jesus as “a God” not the son of God to a voter. Right to their face, and they will still vote for it,” a conservative commentator wrote.Hindu American Foundation executive director Suhag Shukla said as a Hindu-American like Vivek, she also faced this “street corner proselytization”. “Telling a gubernatorial candidate, @VivekGRamaswamy, that his conception of God is wrong and consigns him to hell—when he didn’t ask—is plain conceited religious hubris—and it’s supremacism,” she said. “But to debate whether the soteriological claims in this conversation are theologically grounded is to miss the point entirely.““Every Hindu American like me has faced this sort of street corner proselytization. Vivek is that unique politician who cares enough to meet people where they are and dialogue about how he views divinity when he could easily just say “no thanks” and move on,” Shukla wrote.Indian American Advocacy Council co-founder Sidharth condemned the trolling of Ramaswamy and said he is running for Governor and not pastor-in-chief.“If your faith collapses because a Hindu says Jesus is a path to God instead of the ONLY path, the problem is your insecurity and bigotry. The Constitution BANS religious tests for office. If you think a non-Christian is disqualified from governing, just admit you don’t actually believe in America,” Sidharth wrote on X.
