Blog Post 5

In the chapter Do Onto Others of the book God in the White House by Randall Balmer, the discussion of the religious similarities and differences between Johnson and Nixon’s administrations is analyzed by Balmer. In particular how their religious backgrounds and their policies were either implicated by their religion. The similarities between these two men’s religious political implications come from their background. Johnson came from a family with mixed religious views, his mother was a Southern Baptist and his father was a form of Non-Denomination Christianity. Sam Johnson, his brother, has stated that he wasn’t atheist or agnostic, but he was a devout practicing Christian either. At 15 he joined a Protestant group, called the Disciples of Christ, which was apart of the Restorationist movement. Richard Nixon like Johnson, converted to Christianity in his youth, when his father took him and his brothers to hear evangelical speaker Paul Rader. After hearing him speak all three boys converted to Christianity. 

However, these men’s administrations and policies differed when it came to applying their religious beliefs to their Presidencies. Johnson for example, although applied the “golden christian” rule to his presidency, and in particular his Great Society and Vietnam War decision, he was not a practicing Christian in the White House. Unlike Nixon who throughout his time in the White House had constant Church Services, many given by presidential spiritual adviser Billy Graham. However, Nixon after the Watergate scandal, was very looked down upon and having many believe he used his spirituality in order to gain votes, and was wasn’t truly religious at all. Which is something Johnson faced after he received criticism for the Vietnam war not only by Christians, but also by minority groups he had helped with Great Society programs that he said he had a religious moral obligation to carry through.