President Obama speaks on protecting religious freedoms at the National Prayer Breakfast
buzzz worthy. . .
As his Holiness the Dalai Lama sat in the audience, today at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Hotel, President Obama said in an excerpt from his speech:
" Our job is not to ask that God respond to our notion of truth -- our job is to be true to Him, His word, and His commandments. And we should assume humbly that we’re confused and don’t always know what we’re doing and we’re staggering and stumbling towards Him, and have some humility in that process. And that means we have to speak up against those who would misuse His name to justify oppression, or violence, or hatred with that fierce certainty. No God condones terror. No grievance justifies the taking of innocent lives, or the oppression of those who are weaker or fewer in number.
And so, as people of faith, we are summoned to push back against those who try to distort our religion -- any religion -- for their own nihilistic ends. And here at home and around the world, we will constantly reaffirm that fundamental freedom -- freedom of religion -- the right to practice our faith how we choose, to change our faith if we choose, to practice no faith at all if we choose, and to do so free of persecution and fear and discrimination.
There’s wisdom in our founders writing in those documents that help found this nation the notion of freedom of religion, because they understood the need for humility. They also understood the need to uphold freedom of speech, that there was a connection between freedom of speech and freedom of religion. For to infringe on one right under the pretext of protecting another is a betrayal of both. "
Obama is a professed Christian, but with respect to an ecumenical spirit, he quoted the Tora and the Islamic Hadith in his speech
Obama stated he plans to keep fighting fr and protecting religious freedoms. He also noted Pope Francis will be visiting the US later this year, an event the President said looks forward to.
The National Prayer Breakfast is held in DC annually.
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| AP photo. |
As his Holiness the Dalai Lama sat in the audience, today at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Hotel, President Obama said in an excerpt from his speech:
" Our job is not to ask that God respond to our notion of truth -- our job is to be true to Him, His word, and His commandments. And we should assume humbly that we’re confused and don’t always know what we’re doing and we’re staggering and stumbling towards Him, and have some humility in that process. And that means we have to speak up against those who would misuse His name to justify oppression, or violence, or hatred with that fierce certainty. No God condones terror. No grievance justifies the taking of innocent lives, or the oppression of those who are weaker or fewer in number.
And so, as people of faith, we are summoned to push back against those who try to distort our religion -- any religion -- for their own nihilistic ends. And here at home and around the world, we will constantly reaffirm that fundamental freedom -- freedom of religion -- the right to practice our faith how we choose, to change our faith if we choose, to practice no faith at all if we choose, and to do so free of persecution and fear and discrimination.
There’s wisdom in our founders writing in those documents that help found this nation the notion of freedom of religion, because they understood the need for humility. They also understood the need to uphold freedom of speech, that there was a connection between freedom of speech and freedom of religion. For to infringe on one right under the pretext of protecting another is a betrayal of both. "
Obama is a professed Christian, but with respect to an ecumenical spirit, he quoted the Tora and the Islamic Hadith in his speech
Obama stated he plans to keep fighting fr and protecting religious freedoms. He also noted Pope Francis will be visiting the US later this year, an event the President said looks forward to.
The National Prayer Breakfast is held in DC annually.
