Last Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appeared on the Christian nationalist program "FlashPoint," where he assured the audience that even though he is Hindu, he shares their "Judeo-Christian values."
"I'm not running for pastor-in-chief, I'm running for commander-in-chief," Ramaswamy said. "But I share that same value set with Christians," he added, adopting a religious-right rhetorical strategy of using “Christian” to refer to a subset of Christians who share a right-wing religious and political worldview.
Despite such declarations, Ramaswamy's appearance apparently did not sit well with FlashPoint's apparently Christian nationalist audience, prompting host Gene Bailey to open Thursday's program by reassuring his viewers that "this program is based 100 percent on the Christian Bible" and that "neither I nor anyone else on this team has or will ever embrace another religion."
Bailey claimed that he had Ramaswamy on the program because he is climbing in the polls and "when someone of another faith begins to gain popularity ... you need to know about that."
Earlier this week, the Christian nationalist program "FlashPoint" interviewed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is Hindu. Last night, host Gene Bailey felt compelled to open the show by reassuring viewers "this program is based 100% on the Christian Bible." pic.twitter.com/fyzvkE4tcg
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) July 21, 2023
Trump cultist and self-proclaimed “prophet” Hank Kunneman was among the other guests on last Tuesday's "FlashPoint" program and he likewise felt the need to reassure his congregation, using his Sunday sermons to attack Ramaswamy's faith and warn that anyone who supports Ramaswamy's candidacy "will have a fight with God."
Kunneman kicked things off during his morning service by declaring that it is an "insult" for anyone to even challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination because "when God raises up a deliverer, you better recognize it."
He then issued a warning to younger voters who might be intrigued by Ramaswamy.
"We are in danger as a country," Kunneman said. "Listen to me, Generation Z, listen to me, millennials, those of you that are watching, that you like this new young guy: If he does not serve the Lord Jesus Christ and stand primarily for Judeo-Christian principles, you will have a fight with God. What are we doing even entertaining the fact? You're gonna have some dude put his hand on something other than the Bible? You're gonna let him put all of his strange gods up in the White House, and we're just supposed to blink because he understands policies?"
Kunneman returned to the topic during a later Sunday service, claiming that God told him following his "FlashPoint" appearance that "I am the Lord God. I am a jealous God. Thou shall have no other gods before me."
"I said, 'As your voice, I will say that to the people and remind them,'" Kunneman proclaimed. "You're not bringing your idols into our country!"
"So America, be smarter than," Kunneman asserted. "It won't matter what the prophets prophesy if we now take on a fight with God over his jealousy. Dangerous. And no, [he] would not make a great vice president."
Ramaswamy has recently spoken to enthusiastic crowds at right-wing political events, including the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference, Moms for Liberty’s national “joyful warriors” summit, where he sat on stage with his wife and two young children and promoted, and at TPUSA’s conference were he promoted ten truths”—a set of short slogans meant to quickly affirm his embrace of right-wing political priorities—which begins with “God is real.”
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