By Casey Harper

Congressmen, President Barack Obama and faith leaders from around the country met for the annual prayer breakfast in Washington, D.C. Thursday. At the breakfast, House Minority Leader Democrat Nancy Pelosi took the opportunity to invoke “the prophet Muhammad.”

Before reading from the Gospel of John, Pelosi talked about the similarity of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

“In the Gospel of John we see the golden rule that stands at the heart of the gospel, and as we hear these words from John 13, 15, and 17, we know that this message, this command of love is not confined to the New Testament,” Pelosi said. “The same message stands at the center of the Torah and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad too. In the Torah it says, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ and from Muhammad, ‘none of you has faith until he loves for his neighbor or brother what he loves for himself.’”

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, creators of the movie “Son of God” and the television show “The Bible,” both shared the podium at the breakfast. Immigrants from Ireland and England, the Downeys told their story of living the American dream.

“The American Dream represented freedom and opportunity,” Roma said.

“We both came seeking that same American Dream,” Mark added.

Mark began as a nanny and Roma as a coat checker for a restaurant. Soon, Roma was an actress in the popular show “Touched By An Angel” and Mark was behind popular reality shows like “Shark Tank” and “The Voice.” The couple pointed to their rise to media stars as something that could only happen in America.

“I’ve notice a growing impatience with prayer in our culture these days,” Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said at the breakfast. “[Jesus] walked among the poor and the lowly in this world so that he could raise up to new heights in the next.”

Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Arkansas Sen. John Boozman will be tasked with planning next year’s breakfast. Kane read from the book of Galatians 6:9. “Let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.”

Obama also spoke, a day after his visit to a Baltimore Islamic Center to speak on religious tolerance, where he told Muslims “We are one American family.”

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