Faith Based

Re "Thou may not discriminate," editorial, Feb. 9 I agree that anyone should be considered for employment at any faith-based organization. There is, however, nothing wrong with disqualifying a person if he or she cannot support the organization's mission statement. Government support must be based on the work and the results being achieved. Just as no test of religion can be applied to anyone working for the government, no test of religion can be applied to the religious or nonreligious motivation of organizations working for the government.

J. David Kuo, 44, an evangelical Christian and former top official of President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative who later accused the administration of failing to live up to the president's promise of "compassionate conservatism," died Friday of cancer. Kuo's family announced his death Saturday on his Facebook page. "Last night at 10:25 our beloved David found his reward in heaven, with his savior Jesus Christ," the family wrote. "With a peaceful last breath, he won his courageous 10-year battle against brain cancer.

The conventional wisdom is that President Obama has embraced some of the Bush administration's foreign and anti-terrorism policies while charting a generally liberal course on domestic issues. But there is one controversial domestic priority Obama has retained: his predecessor's "faith-based initiative" to provide federal funds to religious social service agencies. Obama never said he would dismantle the program, even though it was part of Bush's outreach to conservative "values voters."

It's the economy, brethren. That's the basic idea behind a new campaign launched Wednesday by a progressive faith-based organization to influence the 2012 election. The PICO National Network said it is enlisting clergy nationwide to register voters, get out the vote and spread a message of economic equality. Calling the campaign "Land of Opportunity," PICO said its goal is to sign up 75,000 new voters and reach a total of 1 million people who will support its message and vote for … well, there's the rub. Presumably restricted by IRS rules that prohibit churches and nonprofit organizations from supporting political candidates, PICO isn't supporting anyone in particular, its director of policy, Gordon Whitman, said in a conference call.

Re "Justices weigh 'faith-based' case," March 1 What good is the 1st Amendment if citizens cannot sue to prevent the White House from spending tax money to promote religion? The Supreme Court should proclaim that taxpayers have legal standing to challenge faith-based initiatives such as those engineered by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. President Bush's shameful record of insinuating religion into politics demonstrates that the government will not police itself.

It is tough to write about "Letters to God" without feeling like you're kicking a kitten. Based on a true story about a boy with brain cancer -- co-written and co-directed by the boy's father, Patrick Doughtie -- the film is meant to convey a message of spiritual faith, hope and inspiration. Directed by David Nixon, who also made the successful faith-based film " Fireproof," the film has sincerity to spare but precious little dramatic tension or filmmaking flare, rendering it more laborious than labor of love.

Re "A Separation of Church and Hate," Sept. 1: As I read this article about the Church of the National Knights in Osceola, Ind., and the damage this church is doing to its neighbors' peace of mind and property values, I couldn't help wondering if this faith-based organization would be eligible for federal tax dollars to provide social services under President Bush's proposal. I would be very much opposed to my tax dollar going to the Church of the National Knights, but if the federal government uses tax dollars to fund faith-based organizations and state and federal prohibitions against discrimination are waived for sectarian groups, what would prevent these hatemongers and followers of Hitler from receiving federal funds?

Re "House Passes Faith-Based Charity Plan," July 20: My copy of the Constitution states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." The members of Congress who voted for this must be using a different version. If this bill becomes law, then tax dollars from adherents of non-deistic religions and from atheists will be used to fund these faith-based charities. Let us hope that the Senate shows more wisdom. Richard E. Goodman Camarillo "Religion and Rights" (July 20)

George W. Bush has been president two weeks. Within that period he reinstated the abortion gag rule; he suggested we open parts of the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling to avoid a potential energy crisis, while it seems four out of five vehicles are gas-guzzling SUVs. He now wants to use federal funds for "faith-based" social programs. Oh my, I fear this is going to be a very long four years. JOAN A. MAGGS Granada Hills

Re "Russia Policy Under Review," Dec. 12: I suppose that we should be grateful that the Bush administration's talk about becoming "more assertive" about promoting democracy in and by Russia -- meanwhile undercutting our freedoms here in the U.S.A. -- has not, as yet, gotten to the point of selling regime change to the American public. Also, there is a slight question of how Bush Inc. proposes to do in Russia's case what it has so far come a cropper with in tiny and relatively weak Iraq.

Fine performances and authentic emotion trump some heavy-handed speechifying in co-directing brothers Andrew and Jon Erwin's faith-based, anti-abortion drama "October Baby," a film whose poignancy is hard to deny whatever side of the abortion debate you fall on. Following an intriguing first act in which health-challenged 19-year-old Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) learns that she was actually adopted (after surviving a failed late-term abortion), Jon Erwin and Theresa Preston's script stumbles with lame attempts at humor and "hipness" as Hannah sets off on a road trip with friends - in an unreliable old VW bus, no less - to track down her biological mom. A forced hotel stop involving Hannah and childhood pal and co-traveler Jason (Jason Burkey)

Washington state is promenading down a controversial aisle that's familiar to Californians after its Senate approved a bill last week legalizing same-sex marriage. The lower house and the governor are expected to approve the bill as well. But such civil rights victories can be fleeting, as Californians learned after a court decision legalizing gay marriage was overturned by Proposition 8 in 2008. A similar battle is looming in Washington, where opponents plan to gather signatures for a November ballot initiative declaring marriage to be reserved for opposite-sex couples only.

Rick Perry returned to the presidential campaign trail on Sunday with a fire-and-brimstone rallying cry to evangelical Christians whose allegiance in the South Carolina primary will be a pivotal force in the Republican nomination race. Opening a two-week tour across the state where he launched his campaign in August and now hopes to revive it, the Texas governor invoked his Christian faith throughout his remarks to supporters at a diner in Spartenburg, a bastion of religious conservatives in upstate South Carolina.

The Roman Catholic Church and its affiliated nonprofit organizations have every right to hold true to their religious convictions while doing good works. But when a nonprofit, religious or not, is carrying out the government's work with government money, it must to do so on the government's terms. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform should keep that in mind Thursday as its members take up the issue of federal grants intended to help the victims of human trafficking build new lives.

In many quarters, Hollywood has long been regarded as an essentially godless place. But judging by the offerings at the movies this season, and more in the works, Tinseltown is rediscovering religion. In the span of just a few weeks starting in late August, audiences looking for God at their local multiplex have had their choice of titles, including "Higher Ground," a chronicle of one woman's struggle with her faith; "Seven Days in Utopia," an inspirational golf drama; and "Machine Gun Preacher," about an evangelist who takes up arms in Africa.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry plunged into a New Hampshire fair on the second day of his presidential announcement tour in the brash and bold style that has been his trademark. With his entourage of Texas Rangers at his elbow, he strutted through the crowd, brown cowboy boots on his feet and Lone Star cuff links on his sleeves, giving sharp salutes and thumbs up to some voters and grabbing the shoulders of others in a warm and lusty hello. He was swarmed, to be sure. But even at an event organized by conservative groups, some kept their distance as Perry worked his way through the lunch line and sat down at a picnic table, where he closed his eyes and offered a blessing before biting into his hamburger.

Re "Storm Strains Bush's Ties to Black Clergy," Sept. 20 I presumed that the dialogue between the Bush administration and black clergy was focusing on, among other things, the plight of the black poor in America. George Bush's epiphany after Katrina seems to suggest that such a dialogue never took place. In addition to courting and being courted by the administration, I hope that the black clergy is working across denominational lines to institute a faith-based investment fund to address poverty and economic issues among its congregations and communities.

Re "Church, State and Money," Editorial, Jan. 30: It is my opinion that our society, which encourages an open mind to learn and accept each other's differences, needs to stop being afraid of "Christian evangelicals" performing acts of charity in their God's name. Faith-based means all faiths. Most religions believe their spiritual path is the only road to their God, so why single out the "Christian evangelicals"? Most religions have a God that encourages reaching out to the poor and needy.

Elements with the State Department are attempting to silence an American diplomat who believes he was personally charged by the White House with promoting President Obama's interfaith initiatives. The diplomat is the U.S. ambassador to Malta, Douglas Kmiec, a professor of constitutional law at Pepperdine and former dean of the law school at Catholic University of America. He served in the Office of Legal Counsel under Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush and, as a devout Catholic, for many years has been prominent in the antiabortion movement and among those arguing for a larger role for faith-based efforts in public life.

When Salvation Army founders William and Catherine Booth began preaching to the destitute on the streets of London in 1852, people didn't yet use light bulbs or telephones. Now, the faith-based social service charity, a potent symbol of Christmas tradition, is fully digital, recently streaming online a Christmas pop concert held in Glendale, collecting text donations via mobile phones, and developing an iPhone app with a ringing bell. The cornerstone of the electronic effort is the Online Red Kettle ?