“Obama to create faith-based office”
By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama said Thursday he will establish a White House office of faith-based initiatives that will show no favoritism to any religious group and adhere to the strict separation of church and state.
Addressing the National Prayer Breakfast, Obama spoke of how faith has often been a divisive tool, responsible for war and prejudice. But, he said, “there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being,” and all religions teach people to love and care for one another. That is the common ground underlying his faith-based office, he said.
In personal terms, he talked about the role of faith in his life, from his Muslim-born father and a mother skeptical of organized religion to his own embrace of Christianity as a young man.
“In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding,” Obama told the gathering of lawmakers, dignitaries and world leaders. “This is my hope. This is my prayer.” …
Obama planned to sign an executive order later in the day creating the White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. It would expand and refocus the faith-based office founded by former President George W. Bush.
Obama said the organization will not favor any one religious group over another, will work with communities and will act “without blurring the line that our founders wisely drew between church and state.” Click here to read more.
Other Coverage of National Prayer Breakfast
USA Today Blog
“At Prayer Breakfast, Obama prays for ‘God’s grace’ to fill the ‘space between us'”
The annual National Prayer Breakfast was held this morning in Washington. As we’ve said, President Obama attended — and he’s using this day to make some faith-related announcements.
He’s creating an Advisory Council on Faith, and he’s naming Joshua DuBois (who ran candidate Obama’s faith-based outreach efforts) to head a renamed White House Office for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The Associated Press adds that the president will also today “ask for a legal review of the White House faith-based office before deciding whether to allow federally funded religious groups to hire only their own.” Click here to read more.
Also:
LDS Church unlikely to participate in Obama’s faith-based initiatives
