For many politicians, faith is a vital part of one’s ideology. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, who is not as outspoken about his personal life, is no stranger to going viral regardless. The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives often makes headlines for his stances on important issues, which begs the question of what (or who) he believes in.
Recently, he likened Donald Trump to an “old boyfriend” that “just won’t go away,” and like clockwork, the hilarious politician has gone viral once more. Therefore, it’s only a matter of time before the Republicans are on his neck again, and raising matters of faith in an attempt to knock him and other Democrats down. But what is Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ religion anyway?
Is Hakeem Jeffries religious?
According to a religious map of the House of Representatives by The Washington Post, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries identifies as a Christian, under the Baptist denomination. However, Jeffries rarely comments on faith-related matters, save for quoting the Bible in some of his statements. Politics and religion have intersected for a very long time, and for Jeffries, this may ring true as well. But if Hakeem Jeffries is a Christian, why is he vocally against the “Christian”-filled Republican party and its members? For example, Rep. Jeffries is a vocal ally of the LGBTQ+ community, and is also staunchly pro-choice, which the average Republican shudders at.
It’s no secret that for many Republicans today, Christianity is more of a weapon than anything else. And for many white Americans, it is a tool to undermine, devalue, and trample on minority rights. Thankfully, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries isn’t having any of that. The liberal Democrat will quote the Bible’s true message of Christianity– that love conquers all, and we must love our neighbors as ourselves. And according to the religion’s founder, Jesus Christ, that’s the Golden Rule. Evidently, many Republicans need to take a page out of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ book, which, believe it or not, is The Bible.