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Faith Vote '08

It was unsettling to read your cover story declaring that the Democratic Party "ignored the faithful for decades" [July 23]. As a liberal Christian and an ordained minister, since when do I not fit the label of "the faithful"? The Democratic Party has been steadfast in support of the poor, minorities and social justice in our nation for many decades. Those who take seriously their faith in God are intimately involved with these issues. "The faithful" is not synonymous with "Fundamentalists." You do the rest of us an injustice by implying as much.

(The Rev.) William H. Taber ROCHESTER, N.Y.

If Democratic presidential hopefuls must talk "about the God who guides them and the beliefs that sustain them," then it is doubtful they will come off as genuine. The need to hire "faith advisers" is also telling. The real problem for Democrats is that the policies they back always outweigh the views they express.

David Jeffers, NAVARRE, FLA.

As a young atheist who was brought up in a Catholic household, I was appalled to see that being atheist was the worst possible position for a presidential candidate. Atheists are not soulless people without morals. One does not need to have faith in order to know right from wrong--it's called common humanity. It seems the only reason our nation looks for faith within ourselves and in our leaders is that we unfortunately have faith in neither.

Michael Andrew Spieles VANDALIA, OHIO

Democrats have simply lived by Abraham Lincoln's creed that one's religion is a personal matter and not an indicator of political capability. Our nation's faithful have never been ignored. They just didn't realize it because no one ever used their religion as a litmus test to get elected.

Anne Golembeski ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

For the Love of God and Potter

RE Lev Grossman's "The Doubting Harry" [July 23]: My generation is plugged into iPods, phones and Facebook yet disconnected from everything but apathy. Harry Potter is a modern reminder that teenagers are capable of more than what our materialistic society tells them they are. In her series, Rowling brings ideals and virtue to Harry's tortured and disillusioned realm. Perhaps by not including religious overtones, Rowling is both reflecting the world's current secularism and transcending it with a simple concept: love.

Melissa Pan, PLANO, TEXAS

Grossman cites the lord of the rings author J.R.R. Tolkien and The Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis as Christian writers who suffused their work with religion. He then complains that Harry Potter has no one to pray to because Rowling has deleted God. Grossman ignores the Christian themes of love and free will that Rowling makes explicitly clear are Harry's only means of salvation.

Anna Cotton, CARMICHAEL, CALIF.

After Watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I asked several children in the audience if they felt that the movie portrayed a "secular, bureaucratized, all-too-human sorcery, in which psychology and technology have superseded the sacred." They all answered no. They said it was a lot of fun. Do you really think that 8-year-olds go to see Harry Potter with deep analysis in mind? They were more critical of the "yucky kiss" than of any religious undertones supposedly hidden in the script. Let children be children for as long as possible!

Lois Cohn, LONG BEACH, CALIF.

Of Ferris Wheels and Funnel Cake

Anyone who has loved cotton candy, sno-cones, the smells of competing barbecue booths and the squeal of a Yorkshire pig can appreciate your Essay on county fairs [July 23]. I was taken back to the nostalgic time of an exciting week at a fair in Carroll County, Ind., more than 35 years ago. Thank you for reminding me that those smells, sights and moments untouched by city life still exist for many kids today.

Jane Pickart, ATLANTA

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