_______________ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY BY ALAN WOLFE (11/25/98)

In reading Alan Wolfe's "One big happy family" and all the other commentary on the 1998 midterm elections, I find one crucial element missing, and I wonder why no one mentions it. The murders of Matthew Shepard and Dr. Barnett Slepian so close to the elections pointed out for many Americans, as mere rhetoric never could, what the future might be like under a "Christian" government. Half-hearted liberals were motivated and swing voters, horrified by the violence, swung to the Democrats. While we may not be ready, as a nation, to buy something nice for our nephew's gay wedding, the vast middle is far from embracing a Taliban America. -- David Dunne Cambridge, Mass. The majority of Christian conservatives are more tolerant than liberal journalists (who are intolerant of Christian conservatives) believe. -- Mark Erickstad Alan Wolfe doesn't seem to understand what truly committed Christians are thinking and believing. We certainly do not and cannot trust anyone or anything (including politicians and politics) to bring about a genuine restoration of Christianity to America other than God himself. It seems that Wolfe is the one who isn't tolerant of Christians! -- Wayne White Alan Wolfe writes: "God tells me what to do, they often said, but my God cannot tell another what to do; only his or her God can do that." This is either a misquote, a misprint or a misrepresentation. No Christian, by any definition of that word, would capitalize someone else's god. To a Christian, there are no other Gods. Anyone can call themselves Christian, and anyone can say they are conservative. Unfortunately for you, it's not that easy to label people. Hey, I've got this profound idea. The next time you write about Christians, read the Bible first. Just as I would read the basic text of any belief system or scientific concept before espousing an opinion on it. Christianity is a smidge more complex than your VCR. -- David Cash As Americans we are committed to religious tolerance as a nationally enshrined constitutional doctrine. Hallelujah. Alan Wolfe finds evidence that we not only have this as the letter of the law but are spiritually embracing it as a part of our attitudes and way of life. Again, hallelujah. Wolfe celebrates, as do many of us, the lack of ability of the religious right to muster the votes to promote its agenda in the last election. Mega hallelujah. However, in his attempt to paraphrase the very complex phenomena that make up the "conservative" religious perspective, he makes a statement that incorrectly summarizes their position "God tells me what to do, they (religious conservatives) often said, but my God cannot tell another what to do; only his or her God can do that." This presupposes that the nature of God changes based on a believer's perception and is relative. Perhaps Table Talk is a more appropriate forum for this to flower, but relativism as to the nature of God is a perspective that adds little light or substance to a discussion of the importance of religion in modern culture and current voting practices. -- Craig Cornell Redondo Beach, Calif. N E X T+P A G E+| Do apes really use language?