According to Hillary Clinton, she prays regularly to ask God for support and to help those who are in need of guidance. The 2016 presidential candidate shared the importance of her religious beliefs and practices during the recent democratic debate hosted by CNN.
During the event, a female member of the audience asked Clinton for whom and to whom does she pray for. Clinton then said that she recognized the woman, who was identified by media agencies as Denise, from church serves she attended in the past.
The democratic candidate then said that she prays to God for people she knows who are going through any form of difficulty in their lives.
"I pray, very specifically, for people whom I know - by name - people who either have gone through, or are experiencing, very difficult times - illness, divorce, death, disappointment - all of the life experiences that confront most of us," she said.
"I pray for the will of God to be known so that we can know it and to the best of our limited ability to try to follow it and fulfill it," Clinton added.
As noted by Clinton, praying is an important part of her life and it's what gives her the strength to overcome matters that challenge her. In her current state as a U.S. politician, she said that she deals with pressure on a regular basis and without prayer or her religion, she probably would not be able to find the strength to deal with her problems.
"So I pray on a regular basis during the day, because I need that strength and I need that support, and especially when you are in the position that I'm in and that Senator [Bernie] Sanders is in, where you are asking people to vote for you, to give you the most important job, not only in our country, but I would argue in the world," she said.
Clinton also told the audience that she prays for certain individuals even though she disagrees with them. As she speaks with God, she asks Him to help her understand other people's mindsets so that she can understand them more.
Critics, however, questioned the authenticity of Clinton's answer regarding her habit of prayer and devotion to her religion due to her stance regarding the issue of abortion. Just days before the Democratic debate, Clinton appeared at Fox News' Democratic Town Hall on March 7 and answered questions about the matter.
When asked regarding the rights of unborn children and restrictions on abortions, Clinton stressed the importance of upholding women's rights. She even commended Planned Parenthood for its services.
"I think we have to continue to stand up for a woman's right to make these decisions, and to defend Planned Parenthood, which does an enormous amount of good work across our country," she said during the event according to Salon.
