Local religious leaders, expert reflect on faith in the election

Faith and justice are one and the same for the Rev. Emanuel Harris, senior pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church in Goochland County, Va.,  and a longtime member of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Richmond & Vicinity. 

“A big part of my faith is shaped by what they call ‘liberation theology’ which states that God is not indifferent when it comes to oppression, but God is on the side of the oppressed,” Harris said.

God cares about everyone, he said, not just the rich and privileged. He noted that everyone deserves to be advocated for, especially those impoverished and unable to advocate for themselves. 

He said he regards the role of faith in politics, particularly in this election season, as essential and consequential. 

“As a leader, my job is to watch out for whatever affects the people in my flock, in my community, whatever best meets their needs, whether it be Democrat or Republican,” Harris said. “I just want to be sure that the needs are being met in the community. More specifically that would be affordable housing, adequate health care, and the eradication of poverty.” 

He said his preaching is informed by his broader beliefs in these justice-related issues.

Harris discussed the history of voter suppression specifically during the Reconstruction era when many southern states issued poll taxes in an attempt to keep African Americans from voting. These poll taxes remained in effect until 1964 with the ratification of the 24th Amendment. 

Harris said as a way to rectify this historical injustice that noticeably still affects the elderly population of his congregation, his church has held voter registration events, helping people check their voter status so they know where they can vote. 

“My planning is always proactive, that’s the kind of minister I am,” Harris said. “I don’t tell them who to vote for. They know how I feel about issues because I preach about the very things I talk about.” 

Harris said discerning which candidates to vote for isn't a matter of following the status quo, but positioning oneself to act as a check on the world: is everyone being loved and cared for equally; which candidate will ensure this. 

He said he doesn’t make moral distinctions between Democrat or Republican candidates as either party can fail to address the issues that matter to the wider community

Rabbi Emeritus Gary Creditor, the senior rabbi of Temple Beth-El in Richmond from 1993 to 2014, is well-versed in the intersections of faith, morality, and politics. 

“It doesn’t really matter what religion you’re in, but faith has statements that we all point to,” Creditor said. “They all give us basic foundational morality.”

Creditor, a registered Democrat, said religion brings broader meaning to political issues, encouraging people of faith to come together and advocate for what they believe to be just and right for society. 

He explained that various religious foundational teachings surrounding morality inform current societal issues, including immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion.

“I’ve learned in my experiences that no matter what faith we turn to, there are going to be many commonalities in terms of attitudes to these matters,” Creditor said. 

Creditor told a story from when he was a young rabbi living in Massapequa, N.Y. One day a woman in his congregation came to him with a dilemma. Due to her pregnancy, her blood pressure was approaching a level so low it could kill her. Her family wanted her to have an abortion to save her life. She didn’t want one. She asked the rabbi what he thought she should do. 

“We had a very very long talk, about abortion, about risking your own life, we want all over the place,” Creditor said. “And in the end, I supported her not having an abortion.” 

Creditor shared this story in relation to the emotional weight many of the issues on the ballot this November carry. He said there are complicated components and nuances surrounding these issues that should be respected when discussed. They’re not just a matter of pro or anti, he said, there must be a middle ground. 

“When somebody sits down with a minister, a priest, an imam or a rabbi, there are lots of faith parts that are involved in the conversation,” Creditor said. “It is not the sloganeering that you see from politicians or anybody else.” 

Asked about what specific issue he thinks is the most important, Creditor said faith has something to say about all the issues on the ballot this election season. 

Samaneh Oladi, an associate professor in the Religious Studies program at VCU, said she also believes faith and politics intersect, most times even without one recognizing.

“These are things that, even in secular liberal democracies, you can never really divorce,” Oladi said. “Our faith impacts who we vote for, whether we like it or not, at a subconscious level.” 

Oladi, who specializes in Islam, said the intersections of faith and politics are particularly relevant within the voting process. 

“For a lot of Muslims, voting is not just a civic duty, but it’s also a religious duty,” Oladi said. “It’s like a spiritual responsibility or even a moral responsibility.” 

She explained how the principle of justice in the Islamic tradition has urged varying Muslim community leaders to encourage their congregants to go out and vote. She said she has seen leaders organize campaigns and use Friday Sermons to address key election issues. 

Voting, Oladi said, is a way to push for a more equal society and uphold the idea of justice crucial to the Islamic faith. 

However, with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Lebanon, Oladi said she has seen a notable shift in Muslim voting patterns. 

“Muslims are now split where traditionally they would have voted for democratic parties, you see because of what’s going on, especially with regard to Palestine, they are exploring other options,” Oladi explained. 

Oladi said this disillusionment, or feeling that nothing will change, is often experienced in minority communities and can result in one not participating in the voting process at all or voting for reactionary candidates, often third party, in resistance. 

As there is increasing uncertainty and fear around this election season, Oladi said it’s still crucial for people to participate in the political process and be knowledgeable on civil discourse to guarantee they have a say. 

“The outcomes may not be perfect, it may not be the ideal scenario that you were hoping for, but it could perhaps be better than the alternative,” Oladi said. 

Though the influence of faith on political decisions is inevitable for Oladi, she said she still tries to view issues from a holistic perspective, seeing what the best solution is out of all that’s available. 

“How minorities are treated in this country matters to me as a U.S. citizen,” Oladi said. “It matters to me how our access to health care, issues of poverty, access to education in this country, is affecting our fellow Americans.”

Since civic engagement and religious obligation converge, Oladi said, we should be mindful of both when it comes to the election. 

Contact writer Grace Randolph at grace.randolph@richmond.edu.