Howard Dean in The Washington Times

On Principles & Values: A committed follower of Jesus Christ

Dean, who is a member of the Congregationalist Church, said he does not attend church often, but prays daily. His wife is Jewish, and their two children adopted the Jewish faith. Jesus is an important influence in his life, he said, and has served as a “model” for him. “Christ was someone who sought out people who were disenfranchised, people who were left behind,“ he said. ”He fought against self-righteousness of people who had everything. He was a person who set an extraordinary example that has lasted 2,000 years.“

Dean said [as a child], ”we didn’t have Bible readings. There are traditions where people do that. We didn’t. People in the Northeast don’t talk about their religion. It’s a very personal, private matter, and that’s the tradition I was brought up in.“