[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 45 (Monday, November 17, 2008)]
[Pages 1415-1416]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the United Nations High-Level Debate on Interfaith Dialogue 
in New York City

November 13, 2008

    Mr. Secretary-General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: 
Laura and I are pleased to be back here at the United Nations, and I am 
grateful for the opportunity to once again address the General Assembly.
    I want to thank King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia for his leadership and 
for convincing us all to come together to speak about faith. I 
appreciate the participants who recognize the transformative and 
uplifting power of faith.
    One of my core beliefs is that there is an Almighty God and that 
every man, woman, and child on the face of this Earth bears His image. 
Many years ago, faith changed my life. Faith has sustained me through 
the challenges and the joys of my Presidency, and faith will guide me 
for the rest of my days.
    I know many of the leaders gathered in this assembly have been 
influenced by faith as well. We may profess different creeds and worship 
in different places, but our faith leads us to common values. We believe 
God calls us to love our neighbors and to treat one another with 
compassion and respect. We believe God calls us to honor the dignity of 
all life and to speak against cruelty and injustice. We believe God 
calls us to live in peace and to oppose all those who use His name to 
justify violence and murder.
    Freedom is God's gift to every man, woman, and child. And that 
freedom includes the right of all people to worship as they see fit. 
Sixty years ago, members of the United Nations General Assembly 
acknowledged this truth when we adopted the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights. The declaration proclaims that everyone has the right to 
choose or change religions and the right to worship in private or in 
public.
    The United States strongly supported the adoption of the Universal 
Declaration. In fact, the American delegation was led by a former First 
Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. When we voted for the Universal Declaration, 
the American people reaffirmed a conviction that dates back to our 
earliest days. Our Nation was founded by people seeking haven from 
religious persecution. The first amendment of our Constitution 
guarantees the free exercise of religion for all. And through the 
generations, our Nation has helped defend the religious liberty of 
others, from liberating the concentration camps of Europe to protecting 
Muslims in places like Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
    Today, the United States is carrying on that noble tradition by 
making religious liberty a central element of our foreign policy. We've 
established a Commission on the International Religious Freedom to 
monitor the state of religious liberty worldwide. We strongly encourage 
nations to understand that religious freedom is the foundation of a 
healthy and hopeful society. We're not afraid to stand with religious 
dissidents and believers who practice their faith, even where it is 
unwelcome.
    One of the best ways to safeguard religious freedom is to aid the 
rise of democracy. Democratic governments don't all look alike. Each 
reflects the history and traditions of its own people. But one way--but 
one of the defining features of any democracy is that it makes room for 
people of all backgrounds and all faiths. Democracies allow people with 
diverse views to discuss their differences and live in harmony.
    The expansion of democracy also represents the most promising path 
to peace. People who are free to express their opinions can challenge 
the ideologies of hate. They can defend their religious beliefs and 
speak out against those seeking to twist them to evil ends. They can 
prevent their children from falling under the sway of extremists by 
giving them a more hopeful alternative.
    Over the past 8 years, I've been privileged to see how freedom and 
faith can lift up lives and lead the world toward peace. I remember 
clearly a congregation in the State of Kansas, in my country, whose 
members stayed together and prayed together, even when a tornado had 
torn down their church. I've seen faithful caregivers on the continent 
of Africa who take AIDS patients given up for dead and restore them to 
health. I have seen mothers across the Middle East whose faith leads 
them to dream of a better and more peaceful future for their children, a

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dream shared by mothers all around the world.
    I appreciate every nation participating in today's dialog. Through 
dialog we can draw closer to the day when our prayers for freedom and 
peace are answered, and every person on Earth enjoys the rights and 
dignity granted by an Almighty God.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 11 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall at the 
United Nations Headquarters. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.