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Our Aug. 29/Sept. 5 Special Report on spirituality drew heartfelt letters from readers of diverse religious and spiritual persuasions. "I was baptized Methodist, confirmed Congregationalist, married Catholic and am now practicing Tibetan Buddhism," wrote one. "All of these are a part of who I am." Another was inspired by the articles, saying, "In my experience, our overly capitalistic society breeds narcissism and materialism. Your reports on the prevalence of spirituality in America have given me renewed hope." Others bemoaned the watering down of religion. "Much of today's 'spirituality' looks like a feel-good experience designed for bored consumers," said a clergyman. And some thought it "unfortunate that people spend so much time and energy obsessing over questions that will likely never be answered," as one reader put it. "How about focusing on reality? There is nothing mysterious or complicated about being a decent human being."
Religion in America
NEWSWEEK's Aug. 29/Sept. 5 cover story on spirituality was enlightening ("Spirituality in America"). While reading the articles, I kept thinking that because there are so many diverse religious beliefs, it isn't possible for there to be one "true" religion. There cannot be one right way to worship or one correct set of beliefs. Therefore, the only false belief is one that denies other people the freedom to worship as they wish. There should be a place in society even for those who believe there is no Almighty.
Richard Weiss
Valley Stream, N.Y.
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Your article would have us believe that Americans have little interest in religion and spirituality beyond what's in it for themselves. This focus ignored a major element of most religions: concern for the less fortunate. Faith is of little worth without its manifestation in good works of service and alms for the needy. Your survey, "Where We Stand on Faith," did not consider service as a possible reason for practicing religion. Is the concept so alien to your perception of American values and ideals?
Gary Ruschke
Elder for Mission & Service
Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church
Sunnyvale, Calif.
How sad that in the 21st century the vast majority of Americans haven't evolved beyond believing in magical and unproved ideas, like God and heaven and hell. Without critical and independent thinking, we make it easy for politicians to manipulate us into war, advertisers to persuade us to go broke buying unnecessary things and religious leaders to convince us that they have any more understanding of the truths of the universe than we do.
Arlen Grossman
Monterey, Calif.
Jerry Adler asserts that "in America even atheists [his emphasis] are spiritualists, searching for meaning in parapsychology and near-death experiences." As a longtime atheist, I can tell you that I am not searching for meaning of any kind and do not suffer the "existential anguish" he refers to earlier in that article. To me the whole concept of faith in some deity is, in a word, preposterous. I choose to stay firmly connected to reality, as established by the scientific method of inquiry. I accept both the beauty and the ugliness on our little planet as the result of millions of years of evolution and don't need a "relationship" with a concocted god to make my existence and the prospect of eventual death palatable.
Bruce Dunwell
San Andreas, Calif.
I was very disappointed not to see any mention of 12-step programs in your articles. The original 12-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous--and the many programs that have followed based on the same basic 12 steps--is very spiritual, and has had a huge success with people like me who were totally disillusioned with all formalized religions. The key aspect that makes 12-step programs the only spiritual way that works for me is the third step: make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understand God. Those last four words are what did it for me--finally, a form of spirituality where no one else was telling me what my God should look or be like!
Evelyne Stern
Redondo Beach, Calif.
While your special report on spirituality was detailed and informative, it was not thorough and ignored the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches. Orthodoxy is lived in the Middle East (the birthplace of Christianity) as it is lived throughout the world and here in America: with vigor and adherence to the Gospel. Attention should have been focused on this ancient and vibrant facet of American spirituality. Orthodox Christians from Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, India and beyond are active in America and cannot be glossed over easily. Cheers and jeers for an almost comprehensive report.
Bishoy M. Mikhail, Ecumenical Officer
Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America
Cleveland, Ohio
The authors of "In Search of the Spiritual" are insufficiently skeptical. The spiritual practices that many believe enable them to experience God directly more likely just bring them into closer touch with aspects of their own psyches. Moreover, good works inspired by such practices, such as helping to preserve the environment, are equally good when otherwise inspired.
John G. Fletcher
Livermore, Calif.
Kudos to NEWSWEEK for such an in-depth and informative Special Report on spirituality. It's not surprising that a survey shows a majority of Americans believe in God. Now, if we can convince our Supreme Court justices of it, maybe they'll make wiser decisions concerning church and state. Otherwise, someday they may remove in god we trust from our currency.
Joseph P. Paris
Rochester, N.Y.
In "A Passionate Voice and A Moral Vision," you say that Bishop Gilbert Patterson "sides with President George W. Bush on moral matters" but is "a vehement opponent of the Iraq war and a staunch supporter of programs like affirmative action." That is precisely the view that some would have us believe: moral matters are confined to a few well-rehearsed personal choices. The truth, however, is that the war in Iraq and affirmative action are moral matters of the first order. If only those engaged in the political debate and the press who cover it had a bit more education in basic ethics, we could see that there are many issues that should be addressed with more fervor and moral clarity.
Stuart Sprague
Anderson, S.C.
Life in a Foster Family
I have read your magazine cover to cover for years, always beginning with the My Turn essay. The brief glimpses into the lives of others amuse, trouble, inform and always prove that the seemingly ordinary among us have extraordinary stories to tell. But I have never been so moved, nor so overwhelmed, by conflicting emotions as when I read Julia Kraus's Aug. 29/Sept. 5 essay, "If I Told You, Would You Want to Hear?" I felt anger at the senseless cruelty inflicted on innocent children and helpless that I can't do more to stop it. Yet I felt amazed by the selflessness and compassion of Kraus and her family. Caring for tortured children is nothing short of heroic. I also felt frustration at the religious right's self-righteous demands for a "culture of life" without any meaningful solutions to the complicated circumstances that make some children's lives absolute hell. Kraus's story reminds us that what troubles our society can be tragic and complicated and hard to hear, but hearing those troubles might help us find real solutions to our real problems.
Keith Whipple
Naples, Fla.
Defending Jerry Lewis
The Q&A with showbiz and Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon legend Jerry Lewis truly undermines the good work he has done (Newsmakers, Aug. 29/Sept. 5). Instead of focusing on the particulars of the long-running telethon, Nicki Gostin focused on the myths of the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis relationship. How sad! This man needs to be lauded rather than jabbed at. Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for all you have done throughout the years.
Chris Wiken
Muskego, Wis.
Rumsfeld's Remarks on China
Fareed Zakaria's Aug. 15 article, "Mishandling the China Challenge," badly misstates the tone of Donald Rumsfeld's recent remarks in Singapore, in which China was but one subject. Zakaria takes Secretary Rumsfeld to task for "crudely" attacking China with cold-war-style rhetoric, which Zakaria claims produced a backlash among our allies in the region. Following a lengthy discussion of the importance of the growing U.S. strategic partnership with its allies in Asia, the secretary outlined a forthcoming report by the Department of Defense on China's military activities. In remarks reviewed and cleared by the State Department, Rumsfeld stated: "The United States and many other nations in the region seek to cooperate with China in many fields--diplomacy, economics, global security. China can be an important part of that cooperation." He then summarized the upcoming report: that China is continuing its military buildup, is spending amounts far greater than it has publicly disclosed and is seeking ways to undermine other countries' abilities to project power and come to the defense of allies in the region. These are all facts. If Zakaria thinks that China's buildup is of no concern to its neighbors, he clearly has not spoken to many of them. And if he believes that U.S. officials should not speak candidly and truthfully about issues that potentially affect the defense of America's friends and allies, he has not learned from history.
Lawrence DiRita, SpokesmanThe Pentagon
Washington, D.C.
Corrections
Due to erroneous caption information supplied by the photo agency, Retna, we incorrectly stated that the photo of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in "Satisfaction Guaranteed" (Aug. 15) was taken in 1970. It was taken in 1978.
Our Aug. 29/Sept. 5 graphic "New Perils at the Pump" compared the fuel consumption of various automobiles and depicted the size of the tanks needed to hold each vehicle's average annual gas intake. Due to a miscalculation, the tanks were drawn too large.
In "Down with Mutual Funds?" (Aug. 29/Sept. 5), we misspelled the surname of Morningstar, Inc.'s vice president of research. He is John Rekenthaler.
In "The Lost City" (Sept. 12), we reported that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco had been "hesitant to declare martial law or a state of emergency." In fact, Blanco declared a state of emergency on Friday, Aug. 26, before Hurricane Katrina hit the state. NEWSWEEK regrets the errors.
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