That spirited agnostic Minister of Education Kader Asmal asked for prayer last week. Hundreds of people of every race, religion and background stopped the traffic outside 123 Schoeman Street, Pretoria, to rename the Ministry of Education building Sol Plaatje House. Zanile Mbeki unveiled the plaque, Boitemelo Plaatje-Molefe, the pioneer’s granddaughter, read a tribute, and the minister made a speech. And wanted a prayer.
He said it should be an ecumenical prayer, using the word in its proper world- wide sense of inter-faith, not merely inter-denominational. But how do you do that with all these religions to choose from? This is the prayer that was used.
“Great Spirit among us, we come to you from many backgrounds.
“We name you Qamata, Modimo, and Thixo; we hail you as the Supreme Lord, Jehovah, the Light of Humanity, Brahma, Allah, Almighty.
“Some come near you using the name of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, or the Prophet, praise be upon them all; and some of us approach through the spirit of our ancestors.
“Others warm to the deep spirituality of a humanist ethic, in the fulfilment of womanhood, or empowering of children.
“From all our different personal traditions we come together today to acknowledge your presence among us, and praise you.
“For you are one Spirit, whose nature is always to have mercy, justice and truth. Because your Spirit is planted among us we reap the harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, loyalty, humility and self-control.
“You are our Mother and Father, you are the ground of our being, the hope which springs eternal, the dawn the darkest night cannot hold back, the freedom no oppression can chain, the sigh of the oppressed which stirs the cleansing storms of liberation, the purity which neither greed nor pride can sully, the Spirit of empowerment in us all.
“We come to celebrate your presence among those who have gone before us. We remember especially Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, who saw with your eyes the cruelty of oppression around him, whose heart was moved with your compassion at the suffering and hardship imposed upon the people, whose urgent pen wrote with your clarity, and whose courage stirred with your vision.
“Because of him and a myriad others we stand together today as free people. We pray for the same compassion, the same urgency, the same courage, to confront and conquer the tasks that face us now.
“As we name and dedicate this building which we can touch we also dedicate those things we cannot touch: the energy it houses to empower our children to know the greatness of humanity in body, mind, soul and community, and to enjoy their lives to the full.
“To those who spend their lives here, and to those for whom that portion of their life is spent, grant the blessing of your Spirit. So let it be.”
There were two reactions. Some were affronted. Nurtured to think of spirituality solely in the paradigms of traditional religious institutions, they resented being classed with “the rest”. They did not deny that other people must be tole-rated, but were quite convinced that they themselves were the only true way to God. Maybe a modern democratic state with a model Constitution must have freedom of religion, but that did not mean that all religions could be given emphasis. After all, they knew God had spoken to them – but not to all these pagans and unbelievers.
Other people found the prayer spoke for their own deep feelings whether they were religious or not. It articulated their sense of a vital force at work in the inner being of all South Africans, a vision that empowers all of us, whatever our personal background. Cynicism never did an ounce of good. We need that spiritual energy to conquer the temptations of grab and greed that make the nation stumble. Our children need faith, hope and courage to cope with their future, and we need to bring together the rich heritage of our spiritual resources to empower them.
Religious fratricide is spiritual suicide. Those whose spirits seek liberation recognise the Spirit everywhere. Even in what used to be 123 Schoeman Street.