ITEMS OF INTEREST July 13, 2009 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

with contributions from Barack Obama, Rose French, Emmanuel Goujon

IT IS EASIER to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; it is easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is one rule that lies at the heart of every religion—that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples—a belief that isn't new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions around the world. It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today.

President Barack Obama
Speech at Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
June 4, 2009

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH recently released a $20 million rebranding effort aimed at attracting younger members to the large but diminishing Protestant sect. The new ads will appear over the next four years as part of the denomination's "Rethink Church" campaign.

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