Obama's Faith-Based Initiative Tells Us About More Than Just Policy

This morning I was lucky enough to watch President Barack Obama (still fun to say) speak at the National Prayer Breakfast. Keeping aside the fact that there is a National Prayer Breakfast, which strikes me as very odd, I must say I found many of his words needing to be followed by a strong, Amen!

I was touched to hear the President speak disappointedly of the ways faith is often used as an excuse for intolerance. I was ecstatic to hear the President speak of the need for separation of church and state. I was excited to hear humanists (a group I commonly identify with) mentioned as a prominent group of organized Americans. Oh and I was so elated to hear the President speak of the skeptical views of his mother, as I deeply honor my inner skeptic.

To me, this marked an important and exciting day for the religious, spiritual, humanists, and secularists of our country, both in terms of policy and hope for a more tolerant and accepting humanity.

As the President said, "Mission of love and service is at the heart of all humanity."

May it be so.

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