He also has been accused of only using his religion when it benefited him because, at the inception of his presidency, he didn’t want the electorate to pay too much attention to his own Quaker heritage with its pacifist links. Throughout the Vietnam war, he took many actions that did not honor that heritage, because in an effort to not be seen as 'soft on communism', he did an intensified bombing campaign, including the notable 'Christmas bombing'.
All of these ideas together corroborate the idea that Nixon only used his religion when he believed it to be favorable for his image. So was Nixon a Quaker? I don't know. He may have come from a Quaker family and called himself a Quaker but given his constant lies and lack of commitment to leading a life of morality, many did not consider him one.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-richard-nixon
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-30-me-52214-story.html
https://quakerspeak.com/was-richard-nixon-a-quaker/
https://www.friendsjournal.org/nixons-first-cover-up-the-religious-life-of-a-quaker-president/
https://www.legacyamericana.com/Hes-No-Quaker-Hes-a-Faker_p_2171.html
After reading this, it is surprising that Nixon was favorable amongst religious groups for so long. Even before the lies that took place during the watergate scandal, he had made decisions that were more violent when their was an option for a less violent rout. It was against what many religious groups believe in, not even just the quakers. At the same time, one should acknowledge that when you are president and you are making decisions, unless you are extremely religious is hard to put those values in front the country. Nixon probably did have religious beliefs that may be more than a title, but not enough to effect decisions he makes for the United States.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how Nixon did not follow many of the fundamental Quaker beliefs after growing up as a Quaker. Yet, as president, it was probably hard for Nixon to follow Quaker beliefs as he was going into a presidency with the problem of how to get out of Vietnam as well as how to improve foreign relationships with the Soviet Union. It may not have been possible for Nixon to accomplish all that he did if he had only adhered to Quaker beliefs. Then again, Nixon probably shouldn't have claimed to be a Quaker while he was getting elected if he didn't actually follow their beliefs. On this website I found it interesting how Nixon would actually teach Sunday School while attending Whittier College, so maybe he was just really was religious its just that the presidency restricted how much he could adhere to his religious beliefs.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/17732/richard-nixon-and-12-other-celebrity-quakers