A Look at Presidential Hopeful Ben Carson and his Adventist Faith
Republican candidate and presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson has long-since been a political figure. Aside from his career as a politician, Carson has worn many hats – one of which is a retired and largely successful Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon.
While all of Carson’s many accomplishments are tremendous and noteworthy, his moral foundation and Christian faith have been of recent buzz. Carson is a Seventh-day Adventist, a Christian denomination that shares many ideological tenets of evangelical Christianity. He is the only Seventh-day Adventist in the presidential race as well as the only black male candidate.
Newsweek recently profiled Carson and his faith and found that his life story – and his success – is largely credited, in his opinion, to his religious beliefs. According to Newsweek, the Detroit native grew up in the church. He chose to be baptized a second time at the age of 12, telling his pastor he had not yet understood what being a Christian meant at his first baptism at age 8.
Carson has attended a Seventh-day Adventist church ever since and says his faith has been a strong and enduring. “Doubt has crept out of my life over the years. Too many doors open and miraculous things have walked in,” he told Newsweek.
Carson has always held firm to his beliefs on morality and politics, but he notes that his devout faith will not affect his ability to lead the nation effectively should he be elected. At present, Carson is a worthy adversary in the race for the presidency and was met with a round of applause during the first Republican presidential debate for stating, “there are no politically correct wars” when responding to a question about torture.
When asked about the presidency, Carson responded with a message of tolerance, one that seems to appease the masses and stay consistent with his own Christian beliefs.
“Part of the job is tone. You need to be a healer and understand that if someone disagrees with you, it doesn’t mean they’re evil.”
Learn more about Seventh Day Adventism:
A History of the Seventh Day Adventist Church
Who are the Seventh-Day Adventists?
Seventh-Day Adventists & Religious Liberty: Freedom to Believe
Where in the World are Seventh-Day Adventists? An Infographic
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