Presidential candidate Howard B. Dean has described himself in a recent interview with the Bosten Globe as a committed believer in Jesus Christ, noting that he will include more references to Jesus and God in his upcoming stump speeches.
According to the Globe report, Dean is a Congregationalist whose wife and children are Jewish.
"Christ was someone who sought out people who were disenfranchised, people who were left behind," Dean told the Globe. "He fought against self-righteousness of people who had everything. ... He was a person who set an extraordinary example that has lasted 2,000 years, which is pretty inspiring when you think about it."
Perhaps indicative of Dean's new emphasis, said the Globe report, was an appearance at an African-American church in Columbia, S.C.
"In this house of the Lord, we know that the power rests in God's hands and in Jesus' hands for helping us. But the power also is on this, God's earth – Remember Jesus said, 'Render unto God those things that are God's but unto Caesar those things that are Caesar's.'"
Dean continued: "In this political season there is also other power. Not as important or as strong as the power of Jesus but its important power in the world of politics and the world of Caesar."
Dean told the Globe that religion was a private matter for him while growing up:
"My father used to tell us how much strength he got from religion, but we didn't have Bible readings. There are traditions where people do that. We didn't," he said. "People in the Northeast don't talk about their religion. It's a very personal private matter, and that's the tradition I was brought up in."
Dean added: "I don't get offended when George Bush or Joe Lieberman talk about their religion. ... I have a feeling it has something to do with them as a human being, and they are entitled to talk about what makes them human."
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2004 Elections
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