Hillary Clinton: Faith Helped Save My Marriage

During a speech on Monday, Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton said faith in God helped her cope with Bill's numerous infidelities.

Still standing by her man, Sen. Hillary Clinton said Bill's admission that he had an affair is what helped her decide to stay the course of her marriage to the former president. However, Hillary also said she was not sure if she would have stayed with her marriage if not for her faith. During a Democractic forum where three lead candidates talked about faith and values, Hillary said:

I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought.

Hillary was speaking in front of a forum sponsored by the liberal Sojourners/Call to Renewal evangelical organization. Also invited to speak at this forum were rivals John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama. This forum allowed these three presidential hopefuls the opportunity to speak about their most personal beliefs. Hillary spoke openly about the ways in which she was tested both publicly and privately while the world debated her marriage. She said it was during times like this that prayers and faith helped her cope with the many issues surrounding her marriage. She went on to say that it is times like these where it is essential that you are grounded by your faith. When it was his turn to speak, former Senator Edwards said he prays-and sins- everyday. The crowd at this forum gasped loudly when moderator Soledad O'Brien asked Mr. Edwards to name his biggest sin. Edwards was able to gain the crowd's support when he said his sins were so many that he could not name just one. He said:

I sin every single day. We are all sinners and we all fall short.

Trying to score points with the Sojourners, Edwards appeared at this forum wearing a purple tie (Correction thanks to Bocephalus: Purple is Sojourners' signature color and not necessarily O'Brien's favorite color as I previously reported. Thanks for catching my error Bocephalus ). Edwards also described himself as the candidate best committed to the Democrat's goal of fighting the war against poverty. Edwards does not feel his belief in evolution goes against his belief in God. Edwards also feels gays should have the right to marriage, but he went on to say as president, he would not impose this marriage right on the rest of the country. Edwards feels the United States should not be labeled as a Christian country, even though he himself says he has a deep and abiding love for God. Edwards said he has been going to church since childhood, and that he was baptized when he was a teenager. He did admit he strayed off the path as an adult, but he says he came back to his belief in God when his teenage son died in 1996.

It was the Lord that got me through that.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, admitted her religious beliefs do not come easy for her.

I take my faith very seriously and very personally. And I come from a tradition that is perhaps a little too suspicious of people who wear their faith on their sleeves.

This forum allowed each speaker to have their say for 15 minutes during the CNN broadcast before a live audience in George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium. Clinton, Edwards and Obama were questioned by O'Brien and church leaders from across the country. When it came time for Obama to speak, he preferred to talk more about policy and issues than any personal issues he may have. When asked if he agreed with President Bush, about the war on terror being a war against good versus evil, Obama said there is a risk in using such a narrow vision in defining a global struggle.

The danger of using good verses evil in the context of war is that it may lead us to be not as critical as we should about our own actions.

He went on to say the attacks of 9/11 were the results of evil, but Obama was quick to point out the United States' treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay is unjust.