Only in America
Sitting in a balcony of the National Cathedral, I found myself most moved when the procession of clergy walked in, each in distinctive religious garb. A cardinal’s skull cap, a Muslim headress, a Yalmulke — and fifteen other men and women, each representing a distinctive faith….Greek Orthodox, Hindu, various protestant denominations.
Would this happen in any other nation? It is a powerful statement of America’s full embrace of religious freedom and pluralism.
Is Spiritual Serenity Impossible for Obama Right Now?
A dozen photographers, each with lenses as long as my arm, click furiously at Obama in the first pew. I can tell with my eyes closed if Obama has bowed his head in prayer because the sudden burst of clicks sounds like a swarm of cicadas. What is it like to be watched by the world while you pray?
He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands — A Universal American Hymn?
Watching the Children of the Gospel Choir sing “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands” and remembering that I, as a Jew, sang this in my elementary school, reminded me that there are, indeed, ways of speaking and singing about God that touch universal themes and can inspire many faiths.
He’s got you and me, brother, in his hands.
He’s got you and me, sister, in his hands.
He’s got everybody in his hands.
He’s got the whole world in his hands.
Most of the prayers by Christians are nonetheless words that can be embraced by many. The Archbishop Demetrios, the primate of the Greet Orthodox Church quoted from Matthew 22, but to highlight universal ethical teachings:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
In a way this is the American formula: From an explicitly Christian tradition but with a message that transcends Christianity.
The African American Spiritual Influence
I’ve never heard a more inspiring rendtion of Amazing Grace than that sung by Dr. Winsley Phipps of the U.S. Drum Academy — his fist raised in the air as he shouts “we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise” The African American spiritual influence has not been cloaked during this inaugural. Today there was a black gospel choir….He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands…. Dr. Phipps… and the Joseph Lowery’s benediction which began from portions of Lift Every Voice and Sing, known as the “Negro National Anthem.”
A Murderers Row of Pray-ers
They orchestrated many of their prayers at this service in an unusual and powerful way. Instead of having the clergy all stand at the Canterbury pulpit, they had a row of them standing about twenty feet away from President Obama, Michelle Obama, the Bidens and the Clintons and prayed directly toward them. They were prominent leaders of their faith, each one a person of spiritual grandeur, offering a wall of prayer for the first family.
posted January 21, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Sub-heading analogizing “Murderers [sic] Row” to assembly of prayer leaders is problematic, to say the least.
So is your (and National Cathedral’s??) omission of Buddhists and other non-theistic religous traditions practiced by millions of Americans. Same goes for omission of other major, non-Abrahamic and non-Hindu theists.
As the founder of beliefnet, we’d anticipated better.
posted January 21, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I always thought the song, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”, was to mean, that the Lord has the Whole World In His Hands…….
But, it sure seemed that the song had Inserted Obama where the Lord used to be in that song, today….
posted January 22, 2009 at 11:03 am
Your Name at 7:58 pm — “Murderer’s Row” is another way to say “All Stars.” A New York sportswriter used the term to describe the Yankees’ lineup, which included a bunch of powerful hitters. Being included in a Murderer’s Row is a compliment.
To this nonbeliever, any diverse gathering of clergy merely underlines the absurdity of following any faith tradition. Each one of those clergy has to believe that his faith is the one true faith. And obviously not all these people can be right. Most likely, none of them are right.
I was delighted with the shout-out to nonbeliever’s in Obama’s inaugural addres, though there was still way too much God-talk for my tastes. I voted for Obama in spite of his religious views, not because of them.
posted January 22, 2009 at 12:15 pm
In response to the statement in the previous post – “Each one of those clergy has to believe that his faith is the one true faith”: It is possible to view one’s faith the same way one views one’s native language. One does not think one’s language is the one true language. One’s faith can be viewed as a meaningful way in which we express ourself in addressing the More of life. Stories, symbols, metaphors, parables etc. are a language of faith. There is a zen saying: the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon.
posted January 22, 2009 at 12:53 pm
The post at 11:03 was me — that password thing timed out and I neglected to re-enter my name.
Your Name at 12:15 — I understand what you mean — that each faith tradition is simply a different way to approach the big questions.
But among that group were high-ranking officials of major religious denominations — denominations that have very specific doctrines that make very specific claims. To a Muslim imam, Hinduism is idolatry. To an evangelical, Buddhists are on a sure road to hell.
What I’m trying to say is that you may view each of these religions as different notes in a marvelous symphony, but the clergy of those religions can’t share that view — to those people, their faith is the true faith. If one truly believes that one’s faith is correct, then it isn’t possible to admit that other faiths are valid.