Despite hailing from Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift was raised in a Christian household in Nashville, smack in the middle of the Bible Belt. As she revealed in the 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,” that’s a background she continues to identify with. “I’m a Christian,” she said. However, the context was political and not religious, though the two are connected. Swift explained her reasoning for declaring her support for Phil Bredesen in his (ultimately unsuccessful) effort to beat Marsha Blackburn.
Visibly emotional, Swift criticized Blackburn’s use of religion to push forward a political agenda that seeks to erode people’s human rights. “I can’t see another commercial and see her disguising these policies behind the words ‘Tennessee Christian values. Those aren’t Tennessee Christian values … That’s not what we stand for,” she argued. Aside from this clip, Swift has said little else about her relationship with religion. But some of her songs suggest she feels disheartened by the way Christianity has been corrupted and politicized.
In the 2007 song “Christmas Must Be Something More,” Swift reflects on the myriad ways Christmas has lost its meaning amid society’s consumerism. “The day holds something special / Something holy, not superficial / So here’s to Jesus Christ who saved our lives,” the lyrics read. It’s been pointed out that Swift strayed from her usual neutral stance with this song, which was more religious than any of her others at the time.
