Illuminating an Atypical Spiritual Quest

'What He Believes': While readers were glad we shed some light on Barack Obama's religious convictions, many weren't particularly concerned. One said, "A candidate's beliefs have no bearing on his or her ability to perform the functions of the presidency." Another added, "In the current economic situation, Americans don't care about Obama's religion as long as he loves our country." And a pastor emeritus noted, "Obama's theology shouldn't be the basis for determining his fitness; how many Founding Fathers would pass a religious 'litmus' test?"

On 'A Smarter Way to Fight': "You can only change a single mind with a single bullet, but you can change a million minds with a single good idea."
Don Simon
Loveland, Colo.

Obama ' s Spiritual Identity
I generally vote Democratic, but until I read "Finding His Faith" (July 21), I hadn't really found any compelling connection to Barack Obama beyond agreement with many of his policies. I know he is a Christian, but I didn't know how he came to his Christian faith. It was not simply a continuation of his parents' beliefs. He found his religion by personal search, by intellectual and spiritual journey. He does what I want a president to do: he thinks things through. That's what we need, America.
Dana Bobek
Valencia, Calif.

My Christianity encourages kindness and forgiveness, and reminds us that Jesus loves us all. After his spiritual searches at Columbia University, Senator Obama finally arrived at the church where the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. espoused a vastly different outlook, one of anger and hate. It was there that Obama befriended Wright and accepted him as a spiritual adviser. After two decades as a member of the Reverend's flock, Obama renounced the association when it became politically expedient to do so. His is not the form of Christianity with which I am comfortable.
Peter Fowler
Oakland, Calif.

I am very concerned when seeing any article dealing with a candidate's faith or religion because it feeds into the religious right's attempts to transform this nation into one based on Christian beliefs. The Constitution clearly mandates that there will be no test for religion or belief of any candidate for public office. The Founding Fathers were deists and wanted a clear separation between church and state, with John Adams writing in 1797 that "the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion"! Thomas Jefferson refused to answer any questions about his religious beliefs when running for, and as, president. He stated that an atheist is equal to a believer for the office of president, and that religion is not required for morality. He was right, and the intent of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to keep religion out of politics should be respected by all journalists and media.
Robert Denis Holewinski
Lake Mary, Fla.

I'm fed up with all this talk about candidates' religious beliefs. What do they actually tell us? We elected a president who prays and believes God has called him. And what did we get? A President who misled the country and took us to war, authorized torture and destroyed the Justice Department. If this is what a God-fearing Christian did, why should anyone care what our next president's religion is? Why keep talking about it?
Marty Klein
Palo Alto, Calif.

I read with interest your article about Barack Obama's religious faith. I, for one, would like to see a similar piece on John McCain. I've seen very little coverage on this, though it is an important subject to many of us. Where does he stand on the social theology of Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr? I understand he has converted from Episcopalian to Southern Baptist. That's quite a shift. Does it reflect a personal epiphany? How does religion inform his politics? Does he pray daily? What does he pray for?
H. W. Shaeffer
Los Angeles, Calif.