As Dartmouth students scream slogans on street corners and proudly don their candidates' pins in the last hours before voting in the New Hampshire primaries begins, campus religious organizations remain largely uninvolved in preparations for the primary. Although many members of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups on campus are heavily involved in campaigns, the organizations themselves have chosen not to endorse individual candidates in today's primary.
"I've found in the groups people who support virtually every single candidate," Dierre Upshaw '09, a member of both Agap Christian Fellowship and the Navigators, said. "The Christian community is quite diverse here. There's no cookie cutter Dartmouth Christian."
The exception may be former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., who has Christian support on campus because he "wears religion on his sleeve," Upshaw said. Upshaw works on Rep. Ron Paul's, R-Tx., campaign.
Churches in Hanover are also abstaining from backing a particular party or contender because doing so would cause them to lose their tax-exempt status, Nathan Empsall '09, a member of The Edgerton House Episcopal Student Center, explained.
Empsall stressed that not all Christians are inherently conservative. He has found that his organization is more liberal-minded, and many members have chosen to support Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Joshua Drake '08, also a member of the Navigators, stated that the primaries have sparked discussion within the group about individuals' reasons for their support of specific candidates. Recent poll and debate results have dominated discussions on Sunday morning bus rides to church, Drake said, but members of the Navigators do not use the group as a method to rally support for a candidate, he added.
"It's definitely a talking point, but there's no discussion about whether you have to support this candidate or another," Drake said. "Whenever it comes up, you start asking, 'Why are you supporting this candidate?' People's preferences are influencing what they're going to be voting."
Dartmouth students of various faiths, who were interviewed by The Dartmouth, agreed that, while religion may affect what policy or approach to an issue they support, they typically do not choose a candidate because of his or her particular faith. Empsall, for example, decided to work for Sen. Joe Biden's, D-Del., campaign because of how Biden's Catholic background has shaped his general values, not because of his specific religion.
"As a person, he is so down to earth and rooted in his faith. That leads him to always fight for the weak and the oppressed," Empsall said. "His values are amazing."
Upshaw's Christian background has also impacted his political perspective and helped him to decide to support Paul.
"I think what attracts most people is that [Paul] shows that you can be conservatively minded and be concerned with personal liberties while still being anti-war," Upshaw said. "I see war as incompatible with my faith and with Christian teaching."
Sarah Ludin '08, a member of Al-Nur, Dartmouth's Muslim student organization, had a similar understanding of the role her faith plays in her voting practices. Instead of allowing her Islamic background to determine what side she will take on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, Ludin said her morals help her to determine the broader characteristics that she desires in a president. Ludin said she has chosen to support Obama because of his hope for change.
"I allow Islamic values to decide what I find most important," Ludin said. "For example, how we're going to help poor people and are we going to be a positive or negative force in the world."
The primary has also sparked heated debates on campus on how closely related faith and politics should be. The majority of the interviewed students, although supportive of the separation of church and state, also felt that the prevalence of religion in America makes it impossible to completely abolish a link between the two. Empsall, who currently aspires to be an Episcopalian minister, stated that while he would vote for a Jewish, Muslim or Christian candidate, he would not support an atheist or agnostic.
"Since the majority of the people in the country are people of faith, we need a president who can understand the majority of their constituents," Empsall said.
Ludin stated that there are "bigger fish to fry" than the consideration of a candidate's religious beliefs. She said her major concern in voting involves the candidates' plans to address poverty in the United States.
"There has to be room in the political sphere for people to have different deep beliefs about how life should be lived. Politics should create a space for that, but nobody should be in the business of limiting other people's practices," Ludin said. "How do you believe in a secular country but be religious for yourself?"
