Question 5

In God in the White House, Randall Balmer brings up how Richard Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson both used their religion to gain support from evangelical voters to get elected president. The difference is that while president Johnson had foreign and domestic policies that reflected his religion while Nixon seemed to use Religion as a way to gain votes and not an authentic experience. Johnson was religious and it seemed to reflect in some of his policies and religious messages were frequent in his speeches. One of the policies where his religion can best be seen is that the strong must protect the weak This was a policy that Johnson used in order to combat the spreading of communism in Southeast Asia, and specifically Vietnam. Nixon, on the other hand, used religion as a political tool and a means to gain support and votes from Evangelical Protestants but also tried to appeal to other denominations through organizing prayer services. This was seen by many to be a scummy move in which Nixon tried to get the votes of wealthy elites who had a wide range of religious beliefs. Nixon would though get influenced by Evangelical leader Billy Graham so much so that Graham because an advisor for Nixon for many important decision during his administration.
Both Johnson and Nixon used religion while President but the authenticity of that religion is what separates them. Johnson was more authentic in his beliefs and used it to influence his policies surrounding the Cold War. Nixon however, only seemed to use it as a way to gain votes and be more popular with the wealthy elite.