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Contact: Todd Cohen, University Relations, (785) 864-8858

Text of remarks by Tim Miller, professor of religious studies

These remarks were given at today's joint university-city of Lawrence National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service at the Lied Center on the KU campus.

Our nation and all of us in it are forever changed.

In a moment of utter despair, amid a catastrophic loss of life, one challenge that faces us immediately is to somehow rekindle hope:

Hope for peaceful repose for the innocent victims. They will live on in the cherished memories of those from whom they have been so cruelly ripped away.

Hope for peace of mind and soul for the families and friends of the victims. The loss of one who is close, especially one who dies so needlessly and tragically, is so great as to be nearly inconsolable. Hope for those unfairly stigmatized because of their religion or ethnicity.

Hope for ourselves, that we may not jump to unwarranted conclusions, and that we may avoid casting guilt too broadly.

Hope for our nation, that it may seek true justice and not only revenge, recognizing that violence and conflict are interactive in nature, and to have the courage to try to understand why it inspires such intense hatred among some of the people of the world.

Hope for human history, which has seen vast tragedy, needless and ignorant. We have witnessed the senseless deaths of millions upon millions in genocidal wars, pogroms, holocausts, and ethnic cleansings.

It is not Islam that is our enemy, any more than Christianity or Buddhism or Judaism or Hinduism is our enemy. It is not Muslims who are our enemies. The religions of the world all teach that humans should seek justice, treat their fellow human beings with love and generosity, and have compassion for the poor, the lonely, the outcast. Islam is not a violent religion because a few of its adherents have committed violent acts any more than Christianity is a violent religion because a few of its adherents have engaged in violence and tried to justify it by saying it was religiously inspired. All of the world's major religions recognize the profound truth that even in the worst of times, the guiding precept for us to follow is not hate in return for hate but love.

Consider :

Judaism: Leviticus 19:17: You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Christianity: Matthew 5:43-44: You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Islam: Quran, Sura 60:8. It may be that ALLAH will bring about love between you and those of them with whom you are now at enmity, and ALLAH is All-Powerful; and ALLAH is Most Forgiving, Merciful.

Buddhism: Dhammapada 3-5: Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world; through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law.

Confucianism: Analects 4.3-4: He whose heart is in the smallest degree set upon Goodness will dislike no one.

Taoism: Tao Te Ching 63: Do good to him who has done you an injury.

Hinduism: Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda 115: A noble soul will ever exercise compassion even toward those who enjoy injuring others or those of cruel deeds when they are actually committing them-for who is without fault?

Martin Luther King echoed that theme eloquently in the 20th century:

"[We] must not succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter or indulging in hate campaigns. To retaliate in kind would do nothing but intensify the existence of hate in the universe. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives."

And further (paraphrased):

Those who believe in nonviolence are convinced that the universe is on the side of justice. Consequently, they have deep faith in the future. They know that in the struggle for justice without violence they have cosmic companionship.

I will close with words from the Nobel Prize acceptance speech of the Dalai Lama:

As individuals and nations become increasingly interdependent, we have no other choice than to develop what I call a sense of universal responsibility. Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities. When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. And there are ways in which we can consciously work to develop feelings of love and kindness. For some of us, the most effective way to do so is through religious practice. For others it may be non-religious practices.