At the White House National Prayer Breakfast this morning, President Obama quoted (among other things) a Hadith of the Holy Prophet Mohammed SAW:<\/p>\n
We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all
\ngreat religions together. Jesus told us to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”
\nThe Torah commands, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your
\nfellow.” In Islam, there is a hadith that reads “None of you truly believes
\nuntil he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”<\/b> And the same
\nis true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for
\nhumanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one
\nanother; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those
\nwith whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.<\/p>\nIt is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging.
\nFor it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the
\nwell-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every
\nissue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or resolve
\nancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It
\nrequires us not only to believe, but to do – to give something of ourselves
\nfor the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.<\/p>\nIn this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a
\ngreater good for all of us. Instead of driving us apart, our varied beliefs
\ncan bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make
\npeace where there is strife and rebuild what has broken; to lift up those
\nwho have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of
\nfaith, but our duty as citizens of America, and it will be the purpose of
\nthe White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships that I’m
\nannouncing later today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhat is beautiful about this is that Obama explicitly ties together and emphasizes the common heritage of faith, and the sense of civic purpose that churches and mosques alike engage in as essential components in our social fabric. It’s also worth noting that Obama alludes to those who have no faith at all – after all, it makes no sense to exclude atheists from that sense of shared purpose. <\/p>\n
The National Prayer Breakfast is quite a major event – also in attendance were former British Prime Minister Tony Blair<\/a> (delivering the keynote address) and various lawmakers from the House and Senate (Democrats and Republicans alike). Christianity Today Magazine was in attendance and live-twittered the even<\/a>t (@CTmagazine<\/a>). <\/p>\n
The intriguing thing about the National Prayer Breakfast is that it isn’t an official government event but rather a private one put together by the somewhat secretive Fellowship Foundation, a Christian evangelical group headed by Douglas Coe<\/a>, named one of TIME Magazine’s 25 Most Influential People:<\/p>\n
Coe, 76, has been called the
\n“stealth Billy Graham.” He specializes in the spiritual struggles of
\nthe powerful. … Coe and his
\nassociates sometimes travel (on their own dime) with congressional
\nmembers abroad and–according to investigations by the Los Angeles
\nTimes and Harper’s–have played backstage roles in such diplomatic
\ncoups as the 1976 Camp David accords. Yet Coe also befriends
\ndictators. “He would still hold out hope that these people could be
\nredeemed and try to work through them to help the people over whom
\nthey have authority,” says Richard Carver, president of the
\nFellowship’s board of directors. Some skeptical Evangelicals
\ncriticize Coe’s indiscriminate alliances and his downplaying of
\nJesus’ divinity in favor of his earthly teachings–which allows Coe
\nto pray with Muslim and Buddhist leaders.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n