Kamala Harris' mystery of faith

Kamala Harris' faith is a mystery. The current Democratic candidate has repeatedly refused to clarify what her religious beliefs are. The vice president is allegedly of Baptist faith, though is married to a Jew, inspired by the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and influenced by the religious traditions of India, her mother's country of origin.

Kamala Harris has explained that she grew up attending both the Twenty-Third Avenue Church of God in Oakland, Calif., and a Hindu temple, whose name has not been disclosed. Although the vice president has maintained her ties to the Baptist church, she rarely references the Bible or discusses her beliefs, nor does she frequent religious services.

In fact, when Harris got married, her wedding was a celebration of religions in which Jewish and Hindu traditions were mixed. Local media reported that, following the bride's customs, a garland of flowers was placed around the groom's neck. While, according to Doug Emhoff's faith, the ceremony ended with the breaking of a glass.

Her religious stance is so unclear that even media outlets such as The New York Times have sent the candidate a series of detailed questions about her faith and spiritual life. They are still waiting for a response.

Although the Rev. Amos Brown, who is close to the Democratic candidate and whom she called when she decided to run for office to pray for her, claims Harris is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, Harris is the vice president of the administration who has persecuted Christians the most, in the words of Senator J.D. Vance.

Harris recently made headlines after the Democrat attacked Christianity. During a rally at the University of Wisconsin, she mocked a group of young people who shouted: "Jesus is king."

In contrast to Harris' position, former President Donald Trump has insisted on highlighting his faith throughout his campaign. Moreover, upon learning of Harris' comments during the rally, Trump sent a message of support to Christians.

"While Kamala said that people who believe in Jesus don’t belong to her rallies, in our Movement—We love Christians, we welcome believers, and we embrace followers of Jesus," Trump wrote on Instagram.

Harris has been a member for at least 20 years of Brown's church, a congregation established before the Civil War where Martin Luther King Jr. preached. However, the first time Brown and Harris had a conversation was for political, not spiritual, reasons.

"She was introduced by Willie Brown, the mayor of San Francisco at the time, and went on to advise the pastor on his campaign for a seat on the city’s board of supervisors in the 1990s. He won," The New York Times noted.

Amid criticism that she has no clear religious position, the vice president assures that her faith is about more than beliefs. In her memoir, "The Truths We Hold," published in 2019, she wrote: "I believe we must live our faith and show faith in action".

Meanwhile, other religious leaders insist she should be more explicit in the campaign about her Christian values.

"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," said the Rev. Dr. Kevin Johnson, senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.

Johnson met Kamala Harris years ago in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the latest published polls reveal that most Christians (Catholics, evangelicals and non-evangelical Protestants) prefer Donald Trump. Among Jews, who continue to back the Democratic Party, there is nonetheless growing discontent with their candidate's stance toward Israel, which could give the Republican hopeful a record number of ballots with his name on them among members of this community.

Amid this data, Harris is trying to regain ground among believers and from the black community. Last week, she attended two churches in the Atlanta area. In addition, at a CNN open forum, she talked about her faith and said she prays "every day, sometimes twice a day."

"You know, you live your faith. And that, that the way that one should do that is that your work and your life's work should be to think about how you can serve in a way, uplifting other people," Harris said.