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Interfaith Resources
How do we pray for our politicians and government?
Our diverse religious traditions have different approaches to how we pray for our politicians and government. This series explores the question from the perspective of our various religious communities.
ISARC Books
The findings from ISARC's social audits
Other Resources
Never Give Up!
Theological Reflections For ISARC’s Religious Leaders’ Forum
St. Michael’s College, University Of Toronto, June 2, 2010
Voices of Faith: a multifaith dialogue on homelessness
November 29, 2009, the Multifaith Alliance to End Homelessness hosted a forum at the Multifaith Centre, University of Toronto
Faith Communities and Advocacy with Governments
October 29, 2009 Multifaith Forum at Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo
Beyond Compassion - ISARC Director Brice Balmer's address to the 34th Annual Community Prayer Breakfast, held at the Waterloo Inn, May 6, 2009
Justice Requires a Broader Vision - An ISARC Theological Reflection for the November 8, 2007, Queen’s Park Forum by Sue Wilson, Office For Systemic Justice, Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada
 How do we pray for our politicians and government?
Our diverse religious traditions have different approaches to how we pray for our politicians and government. This series explores the question from the perspective of our various religious communities.
A Jewish Perspective
By Rabbi Ed Elkin, First Narayever Congregation, Toronto (September 2009). Rabbi Elkin participated in ISARC’s Interfaith Prayer Vigil in front of Queen’s Park on March 24, 2009.
 Jews have a long tradition of praying for the welfare of the society in which they live. The earliest indication of this tradition comes from the prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied during the period when the ancient Israelites had been exiled to Babylonia from their homes in the Land of Israel. Living for the first time in a country which was not their own, they were counselled by Jeremiah to pray for its success and prosperity: "Seek the welfare of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and pray to God on its behalf, for in its prosperity you shall prosper" (Jeremiah 29:7).
The earliest text of rabbinic literature, the Mishnah, contains an exhortation to pray for the government, and hints at a darker reason for doing so. "Rabbi Hanina, the deputy of the priests, would often say, ‘Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear of it, people would swallow each other alive’." (Pirke Avot 3:2). Rabbi Hanina, who lived in the 1st century, seems to fear anarchy most of all. It is important that the government be strong, because people need a strong hand to ensure order. Otherwise, the darker side of human nature would prevail and the society would break out into violence. According to Rabbi Hanina, that's why Jews should pray for the welfare of the government. It is true that in the course of Jewish history, it has often been mobs who have engaged in pogroms and other kinds of anti-Semitic attacks. However, it is poignant that Rabbi Hanina himself, the author of this statement, was martyred by the Romans – proving that a strong government, unchecked, can also "swallow its people alive".
Since the 14th century, most Jewish prayer books have contained a prayer for the government, in keeping with Jeremiah's injunction. There were certainly times and places when Jews lived under governments which had policies toward Jews which would have made it very difficult, if not impossible, for them to recite these prayers. We in Canada today are blessed to live in a democratic society which respects the rights of religious minorities. Although we may not agree with every policy of a particular government, we can pray for our country and its leaders without hesitation. My own congregation has a prayer for Canada which we recite every week during Sabbath services: "Merciful God, we invoke Your blessing upon this country, Canada, and on its government and leaders. Guide them that they may administer all affairs of state in justice and righteousness. May peace and security, happiness, prosperity, and freedom, forever abide among us. Unite the inhabitants of this great country in all its diversity. Safeguard our ideals and institutions from hatred and bigotry so that the people of this land may fulfill the vision of Your prophets: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more, For all people both great and small, shall know the Lord."
In this way, we pray that our leaders may conduct their difficult work in accordance with the highest ideals of justice and peace found in the prophetic tradition, and that the society as a whole should continue to respect and honour the diversity which is its outstanding characteristic.
A Muslim Perspective
 By Imam Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service (October 2009).
"O our Lord and Master. Grant our leaders the wisdom to serve the community (Ummah) to the best of their ability, wholeheartedly and sincerely. Let them have the foresight to make decisions without selfish motive, the end of which will be the benefit of the entire society. Let them be just and honest in all their dealings."
We pray for our political leaders because they have the responsibility to serve the community. They were elected/selected to this position and have to regard it as a trust from the Almighty Creator. Imam Ali, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad, wrote a beautiful treatise in which he elaborates upon this responsibility. He instructs his Governors on how to behave, how to treat their fellow human beings, how each level of the government should function, and what should be the qualities of individuals appointed to the various ministries.
 A Sikh Perspective
By Chatter Ahuja (December 2009)
The Sikh Prayer starts with the following:
You are our Lord and Master; to You, I offer this prayer.
This body and soul are all Your property.
You are our mother and father; we are Your children.
In Your Grace, there are so many joys.
No one knows Your limits.
O Highest of the High, Most Generous God,
the whole creation is strung on Your thread.
That which has come from You is under Your Command.
You alone know Your state and extent.
Nanak, Your slave, is forever a sacrifice.
Then the name of ten gurus is recited followed by paying respect to the Holy Book. Then we remember the five chosen ones and pay respect to all who sacrificed themselves for the rights and justice including the four sons of the tenth Guru.
If we are praying for the politicians, we add the following:
We gather together here to submit to You, to appeal to Your grace and Your mercy, may You bless us and our leaders at Queen’s Park and elsewhere, (if for one person we will say his name) with the Wisdom and the Will to be righteous and to help eradicate the poverty and the sufferings of our fellow humans, in your name, Oh Lord, Wahe-Guru!
In the end:
Forgive us O Lord for all our faults. Extend your helping hand to everyone. Grant us the company of those who may help keep Your Name fresh in our hearts.
Through SatGur Nanak, may Your Name be exalted and may all of mankind prosper according to Your Will.
 A Hindu Perspective
By Pandit Suraj Persad, Hindu Chaplain, University of Toronto and Hospital for Sick Children (February 2010)
From the inception of humanity the Vedas prescribe the performance of Special Rituals (Yagna) for the welfare of the Rulers and Protectors of the Nation. The Rig Veda, which is considered to be the oldest literature of humanity, extols us to pray for the Rulers so that –
“Neither enemies nor hypocrites and double-dealers shall bring harm to the Head of State and may that person be free from sin and sorrow. He shall defend and protect us from those who are treacherous and can be injurious” (Rig Veda 2.35.5).
Those who govern and protect are called Kshatriyas and it is their duty to enact laws in accordance with the spirit and dictates of the Scriptures in consultation with the religious leaders in the society. It is also their duty to protect and defend the nation and its citizens at any cost.
For Hindus, freedom is their birthright and this freedom shall not be compromised. Hence, it is the ethos of the Vedic peoples to cherish this inherent freedom and preserve it for the rest to emulate and follow. A popular prayer that is found in the Yajur Veda and which has been routinely recited since time immemorial and continues to be used in the daily worship of many individuals belonging to the Hindu tradition contains the following verse –
“…O Supreme Lord, may brave warriors and statesmen capable of ruling the people be born in our state. Let expert archers and marksmen be born in our state. May there also be born many virtuous women, valorous men, heroic youths and fighters with the will to victory…” (Yajur Veda 22.22).
It is widely believed that Statesmen and Rulers must possess noble traits. Some of these divine qualities and attributes have been enunciated by Lord Krishna who himself was a Kshatriya.
“Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifices (yajna), study of the Scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness” (Bhagavad Gita 16. 1).
Individuals possessing these qualities are worthy of glory and praise regardless of the religious tradition to which they belong. They will surely uplift the community and the nation and their exemplary stature will also have a great impact in the world.
A Unitarian Universalist
Perspective
By Rev. Jeffrey Brown, Minister, Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga (March
2010). Jeff also serves as the Vice-Chair of ISARC.
 Pray for our politicians and government? Unitarian Universalists can’t even agree about what prayer is — or whether it is. No one should be especially surprised, given that as a religious movement, we can’t seem to concur that there’s anything or anyone to pray to. Lock any two Unitarian Universalists in a room, and they’ll come out with at least a half-dozen fundamentally different notions about the existence or non-existence of deity.
So it’s to be expected that there would be no one “Unitarian Universalist perspective” on praying for our politicians and our governments. Some of my colleagues have no difficulty appearing before a government body and invoking wisdom and justice to guide its deliberations. As a life-long humanist though, I have quietly questioned my role every time I have received a request to open a legislative session.
When I ask myself what prayer might signify, I return to words that I first read as a child. They continue to resonate for me and guide my “prayers.” A much older colleague of mine, Lon Ray Call, wisely observed that: “Prayer doesn’t change things. Prayer changes people, and people change things.”
Prayer changes people! Moments of meditation are opportunities for me to focus on what matters most in the world: that our society benefits everyone equitably. Times of reflection allow me to recall that I share responsibility for my neighbours’ — and my planet’s — well-being. The cocoon of contemplation gives me space to move beyond my narrow world of everyday worries to remember that I am one in a larger family of sisters and brothers everywhere.
If prayer only remains interior though, it doesn’t do much. It certainly doesn’t change me when it only rummages inside my head. My prayerful thought is useless if it simply alters my mood and makes me happier. In fact, I don’t believe that prayer really is prayer until it bears the fruit of action. Prayer truly flourishes when it changes how I behave in the world.
Do I pray for my political leaders and my governments? Sometimes, but not often. Do I remember them in my meditations? Yes, but no more than any living creature with whom I share this life. Do I remember them in my reflections? Yes, for I recognize that they have it in their hands to help the too many people in my community and my province who are without suitable shelter, who nightly sleep malnourished and hungry, and who lack real access to appropriate health care.
And that prayer changes me. It spurs me in two directions. First, it pushes me to give more to my local food bank and community centre, my mental health centre and hospice. Second, and equally important, it goads me to write and visit my legislators to demand that our governments support programs that help empower people we have so marginalised. By my presence, my prayers echo in the halls of power. I change — and perhaps begin a shift in the people who hear me — with or without an “amen” to punctuate my words.
Prayer is action that changes the world!
A Christian
Perspective
by Mardi Tindal, Moderator of The United Church of Canada (April 2010)
This represents my personal perspective as a Christian lay woman who is currently serving as the Moderator of The United Church of Canada.
I am a member and leader of a church known for its diversity, and expect that each of us would answer differently about how and why we pray for our politicians and government.
 Both how and why I pray begins with the example of Jesus who taught his friends to pray what is best known as The Lord's Prayer. Jesus modeled the spiritual, communal and justice-seeking practices which Christians are called to follow. He acted in accordance with his Jewish spiritual formation as he prayed, modeling the importance of remembering, through daily prayer, that God is the source of transformation, and that we are called to remain connected on a regular basis, with the source of our being.
Each morning I pray a variant of the Lord's Prayer, both found in scripture and also Jim Cotter's paraphrase which rests on my heart with both comfort and challenge. It can be found on page 916 of The United Church of Canada's hymn book Voices United, though I have memorized it so as never to be without it.
My morning practice follows the advice of John Main of the Christian Meditation Movement, by which I commit myself to be silent, still and simple for the sake of focused prayer, normally with a lit Christ candle. My evening practice tends to follow the Ignatian examen, opening myself to God's grace as it flows through events of the day for which I am most grateful and least grateful. Politicians move in and out of my prayers, as they come to my heart and mind, during both morning and evening prayer.
In the morning, I hold politicians in God's Light especially as I pray these lines from Cotter's paraphrase:
The way of your justice be followed by peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
I pray that God's way will be made known to others and to myself, and that we would receive the grace to recognize and the courage to follow God's way.
In the evening, when I pray with memory of gratitude and ingratitude, my attitudes toward politicians and political decisions tends to come into clearer focus, along with blessings of how I might more faithfully engage with them according to God's way. In other words, the person who's changed the most through my prayer life is me, and prayer helps me to see more clearly what my call is in relation to political challenges. At least that's a description of the good days.
Being a leader in anxious times is a difficult task. We tend to project the best and worst of ourselves on leaders, including politicians. It's a heavy load, and it tends to help all kinds of leaders - politicians included - to know that they are prayed for. The very knowledge of this sacred connection can be both comfort and challenge, a reminder of our call to faithfulness to God and to one another.
A Buddhist Perspective
by Deba Mitra Bhikku, Buddhist monk, Phommaviharam Buddhist Temple, Kitchener. In conversation with Brice Balmer (May 2010).
In Buddhism, the government is a contract with society and the politicians and employees are called to be righteous, wise, and merciful with equal respect for all people. Buddha has advice (Dasaraja Dhamma) for the king in a number of sutras. The good leader is concerned for the welfare of all society. So monks and lay people call their leaders to ethical standards.
However, Buddhists do not pray for their government politicians and leaders. They wish the political leaders to be mindful of their ethnical commitment and responsibility to secure righteous governance that includes the economic and spiritual welfare of the subjects, justice, and peace in the country. They expect politicians to act out of selflessness, moral uprightness, mercy, and political wisdom.
Many perceive that Buddhism is apolitical - it is not.
But politics is always messy. Therefore one must be clear about the situation and one’s own perspective. Is one acting in mercy? Is one on a path of wisdom? Is one concerned about all the peoples and the welfare of society, not just a personal agenda?
Meditation provides a peaceful mind to discern, clarify, and gives necessary insight to know how to address the preceding concerns. Buddhist political activism, however, does not confine to meditation cushion.
The history of Buddhist societies, including the recent events in Myanmar, provides countless evidence of Buddhist practitioners - both monks and laity - engage in peaceful public demonstrations to get across their concerns.
Voices of Faith: a multifaith dialogue on homelessness
 On Sunday, November 29, the Multifaith Alliance to End Homelessness hosted a forum entitled Voices of Faith: a multifaith dialogue on homelessness at the Multi-faith Centre, University of Toronto.
Panelists included Imam Abdul Hai Patel, Muslim; The Right Rev. Terry Finlay, Christian; Rabbi Tina Grimberg, Jewish; Nancy Dinnigan-Prashad, Baha’i; and, Pundit Eshwar Maharaj-Doobay, Hindu. The event was moderated by Rev. Sherman Hesselgrave, pastor at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto.
Rabbi Grimberg reminded us that not everything we see is done in justice and so, like Abraham in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we have to come forward and speak out. “Twisting the elbow of the divine”, is part of our calling to ensure that justice is done. And so for Jews a big part of prayer is the way we look after one another. The Jewish tradition is rich with examples of caring for the less fortunate. Gleaning in the ancient agricultural society was the act of leaving inherent gifts to others in a dignified way. Today, the reality of homelessness is shameful in a rich country with so many resources. God has not willed for someone to be on the street, and so we have to stand up for change.
Imam Patal commented that in the last fifteen years he has seen homelessness increase on the streets of Toronto. Islam states unequivocally that we cannot allow people to be homeless or go hungry. Islam does not even allow harm to animals. Charity, one of the five pillars of Islam, requires every adult Muslim who has wealth to give two and half percent of what they have to the poor. On top of that, voluntary charity asks Muslims to give even more. Neighbours (even when they are not Muslim) must never go hungry. Part of worship in Islam is to help the poor, feed the hungry. Each Muslim is accountable on judgment day whether he or she fulfilled these obligations. Islam sees all human beings as equal and our actions and government actions must reflect this.
Bishop Finlay stated that from the Christian perspective God’s cosmos is not one of greed, but one of generosity. All of us are created in God’s image and all should be treated as such. Scripture calls us to care for the poor, the widow, the oppressed, because poverty and homelessness is an affront to God. The time has come for us as multifaith partners to speak together, and with secular voices, as one, to have greater impact through such groups like MFATEH, ISARC, or the Dignity for All campaign. We need to be supportive and affirmative of politicians, but we also need to respectively and strongly point out where there are gaps. We also need to educate our communities against NIMBYism, because this goes against the call to love our neighbours. As a unified group we should support a tax hike that will go specifically towards addressing poverty.
Ms Dinnigan-Prashad explained for Baha’i there is one God and one human family. Unity is a spiritual reality and the absence of unity and justice results in greed. Bahá'u'lláh (and all of God’s prophets) looked after the poor. We will not have peace until unity is realized so current Baha’i activity focuses on neighbourhood community development, which includes care for the poor. In fact members of Baha’i community must give ninety percent of their wealth (they don’t need) away. How can we consider ourselves one family when some are homeless and hungry? Bahá'u'lláh says we need to have the spirit and the will to do good because service to humanity is service to God.
Pundit Eshwar Maharaj-Doobay pointed out that for Hindus every action begins with thought. We should therefore celebrate and be thankful that the idea of working together multifaith will lead to good action. Our karma is that we have duty to each other; to look after the poor. Your reincarnation is based on how you currently live. To support one another unselfishly is the highest karmic duty and will gain one salvation into a higher realm. Government must treat all with dignity and respect. All religions call us to be good to all humankind. If we do not it will be our karmic doomsday. If we do nothing, it is equivalent to participating in a bad action. When there are more opportunities for the strong that means something has been taken from the weak. We need to raise the consciousness of all to the needs of the poor. We need to educate government about their duties to look out and care for the weak. Our goal is to act together for goodness.
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