Letters

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?

Jesus' life and death were an example to us [April 12]. He had to die to be resurrected. Jesus attempted to show us that death is not the end. He was trying to remove some of the fear and desperation from our lives and prove that we are more than meaningless specks of dust on this planet. We have eternal life. ELIZABETH PALMER-BIGLER Holiday, Fla.

Thank you for presenting the reactions of believers over the centuries to the Passion of Christ. I have never believed that Jesus died in order to satisfy some sort of debt. In his life, his death and his reappearance, Christ came to show us God the Father. Why remains a joyous mystery. NORMA MELONE Campbell, Calif.

The death and resurrection of Jesus are a revelation on a grand scale of what takes place in every life. We all go through suffering and joy, death and resurrection, on one level or another. The energy that keeps us going in the midst of this human cycle is the presence of Christ's spirit in us. Why did Jesus die? To show us how life works and to empower us to live fully now and forever. (THE REV.) HAL WALLOF Providence Forge, Va.

What am I missing? I thought Jesus was sent by God to live and die as a man, to suffer and bear our sins. His Resurrection is a sign of God's forgiveness and everlasting life for all who believe in him. LIZ WINSTANLEY Issaquah, Wash.

Jesus stood up to the injustices of the world and was crushed in the process. That is happening all over the world today, and not only to Christians. People of every religion who see wrongs and try to right them lose their lives. That is what the Christian spirit is all about. LOUIS OSTROM Madison, Wis.

There is no Quid Pro Quo with God. The lesson of the Crucifixion and Resurrection was meant to be simple, not something to crease the brows of countless theologians over the ages. The Second Coming is manifest and resides in the godly among us--those who tirelessly and earnestly work in the service of humankind. EDWARD HUJSAK La Jolla, Calif.

Christ died in a dramatic and painful way to demonstrate that even in the most ignominious death, there is a spectacular resolution. Thus death is not the end of hope or life. Christ's death was necessary so he could rise again, the ultimate proof that he was no longer a son of man but the Son of God. CARLOS M. MAGALLANES Pasadena, Calif.

It is inappropriate to look for explanations of Jesus' death that blame God. God is not the one who killed him but the one who raised him from the dead. Jesus died because those in power ordered him killed. They could not tolerate someone who challenged the status quo as forcefully and thoroughly as Jesus was capable of doing. (THE REV.) DOUGLAS P. CUNNINGHAM New York City

The varied explanations of Jesus' death reflect the myriad ways we approach God. The marvel of the Crucifixion is that no matter what kind of questions you have, they can be answered. The way to understanding the reason for Jesus' death lies somewhere closer to embracing all the serious interpretations rather than just one. By integrating the different ideas about Jesus' death, its real meaning for each individual can be found. GILES BOLAND Wellesley, Mass.

>> Some readers felt our reporting on various theories about Jesus' death was inappropriate for a newsmagazine. "We don't know why Jesus died. We don't even know if he existed," wrote a Virginian. "You might as well write an article titled 'What Is the Meaning of Life?' Such questions have no answers." A reader from Washington State asked, "Why not a discussion of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin or how Santa gets to every kid's house in one night?" And a snarky Californian let us know he is "looking forward to TIME's story on the Flat Earth Society."

FALLUJAH ERUPTS

Your report on the sadistic and brutal killing of four American civilian security guards in Fallujah, Iraq, was a reminder of how horrific war can be [April 12]. Perhaps in the future we should think more carefully before waging it. The Vietnam conflict taught Americans not to go to war without sufficient reasons. It is a lesson that we remembered for many years. And when we forget it, Americans die needlessly. WAYNE MICHAUD Bristol, Vt.

The killings of the American security contractors were not "murders" as you said, nor were the men "civilians." They were a type of mercenary soldier. Private armies are legitimate targets for the Iraqi resistance fighters. ROBIN MILLER Metairie, La.

The only answer to the violence in Iraq is to speed up the timetable for elections. That would be a way to take the insurgent Iraqis' minds off violent protest and channel their energy into a scramble for votes. Then Iraqis can blame their elected officials if things don't turn out the way they like instead of the U.S. CLAUDIA SCHAEFER Athens, Ga.

NOT FOR ATHLETES

Your report on steroid use in professional sports, "Baseball Takes a Hit" [March 15], included a photograph of Organon USA Inc.'s product Durabolin. The drug, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the control of metastatic breast cancer in women, is no longer marketed in the U.S. and has not been for some time. We voluntarily discontinued marketing and selling it about three years ago. Organon never produced or promoted Durabolin for the purpose of athletic-performance enhancement. By including a photo of Durabolin, TIME erroneously and unfairly suggested that the company has contributed to the problem of unlawful steroid use. PATRICK J. OSINSKI, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL ORGANON USA INC. Roseland, N.J.

WOOING THE DIEHARDS

Joe Klein's Column "How To Win Over A Nation of Partisans" [April 12] was exactly on the mark. Partisan hysteria from both right and left in this campaign has reached a stage at which the linchpins of American political progress--reasonable dialogue and compromise--are nearly nonexistent. BOB JONES Woodstock, N.Y.

Perhaps the current partisan acrimony arose partly from the Federal Communications Commission's elimination in the 1980s of the fairness doctrine in radio and television broadcasting. If broadcasters and talk-show hosts had to make an earnest effort to present both sides of an issue, maybe voters could find a middle ground. DOUGLAS A. CLARK South San Francisco

Klein was dead wrong in advising John Kerry's campaign to move to the middle and stay away from "the usual partisan claptrap." Why should the Democrats be the goody-goody party while President Bush and the Republicans govern like right-wing extremists with no apologies to anyone? The Democrats need to fight back hard, get down and dirty and remind their supporters that the election of 2000 was stolen. The Democrats have turned the other cheek once too often. Now it's time to hit back, and hard. FRANK CHILLE Cherry Hill, N.J.

In his Column, Klein stated that "The Republican strategy this year appears to be hardball." But for nearly four years the Democrats have barraged Bush with name calling and personal attacks. I can't understand how anyone can consider the President the aggressor in the current partisan unpleasantness or how Kerry's below-the-belt blows are counterpunching. It's like blaming the victim. ROBERT WATERS Des Moines, Iowa

JUST CALL HIM HUMBLE BILL

William F. Buckley has always seemed wrongheaded to me, but I've had to admire his articulateness. His answer to the first of your "10 Questions" [April 12], however, included the phrase "humble folk like you and I," instead of "like you and me." One hopes this grammatical bobble was not an unintended error. Or is this Buckley's folksy way of uniting with the masses against ivory-tower academics? Does this mark a late-in-life turn to grammatical populism by Buckley? I am accustomed to conservative solipsism but not conservative solecism. Humble folk like I expect more from unhumble folk like he. MICHAEL GRIFFITH Cincinnati, Ohio

Buckley responds: I intended a little fun, in the context of teasing the pretensions of left-wing faculty. Archie Bunker-talk can come in handy. It is used as "yassir" might have been used, to suggest subordinate status.

MEXICAN-AMERICAN VALUES

In "New Patriots In Our Midst," Michael Elliott contested Harvard professor Samuel Huntington's view that Mexican Americans are not interested in assimilating into U.S. society [April 12]. I reject Huntington's unfounded fears about immigration in general and Mexican Americans in particular, whether they are new immigrants or those of us whose roots reach centuries deep into U.S. history. Perhaps Huntington should venture outside academia's cocoon and learn to appreciate the patriotism and contributions made to America by those who are not Anglo-Protestant. American Hispanics serve as an important conduit to all of Latin America, which is probably the U.S.'s last potential ally in a world so much against us. SATURN NINO NORIEGA Alamogordo, N.M.

Rather than replacing Mexican culture with U.S. culture, Mexican Americans are integrating the two, creating a biculture that celebrates both Cinco de Mayo and the Fourth of July. It's the best of several worlds, all in one place. Mexican Americans can enrich us, just as the Italians, Irish, Germans, Danes and others have. That multiethnicity is what makes America great. I suggest that Professor Huntington search elsewhere for elements that corrode U.S. culture. He might start with Jerry Springer and some TV shows that ridicule our core values. MIGUEL GOMEZ WINEBRENNER Chicago