2016 Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders addressed the issue of God in Sunday night's CNN presidential debate.

When a voter from Flint, Michigan, asked Sanders if God was “relevant” to him, the 74-year-old Jewish candidate said yes, and he took the opportunity to remark on the inclusiveness of his presidential campaign.

“I think – well, the answer is yes,” said Sanders. “And I think when we talk about God — whether it is Christianity or Judaism or Islam or Buddhism — what we are talking about is what all religions hold dear and that is to do unto others as you would like them to do unto you."

Sanders said that his moral obligation to follow the Golden Rule -- a spiritual maxim that is found in the Bible as well as the Koran -- required he care for underprivileged children as well as neglected veterans.

Ruling Through Reciprocity

Sanders explained that as a leader he would treat others as if they were his own loved ones. He added he would not turn his back on those in Flint who had been poisoned by toxic levels of lead found in the water supply.

“As the grandfather of seven beautiful grandchildren, I want you to worry about my grandchildren, and I promise you I will worry about your family,” he said. “We are in this together.”

The candidate said he was “very proud to be Jewish.”

Sanders went on to explain the personal reasons behind his spirituality.

"Look, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler in the Holocaust. I know about what crazy and radical and extremist politics mean,” he said, taking a jab at the extreme anti-immigration talk coming from the GOP and particularly from Donald Trump.

Sanders recalled that as a child he had seen people with tattooed numbers on their arms that indicated they had survived Hitler’s Nazi camps. Witnessing this, Sanders said, had informed his politics.

God Means Togetherness

The Democratic socialist candidate has hitherto been reserved when talking about his religion and his Jewish background.

Sanders, who could become the first Jewish U.S. president, has said that he believes that although God means different things to different people, his concept of God is focused on togetherness.

“I think everyone believes in God in their own ways,” said Sanders. “To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.”

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