In his hand

We just wanted to let you know that on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, the Jan. 19 issue of WORLD, "Roe vs. Wade at 29," was displayed in front of the congregation. Paul Kuroda's enthralling cover photo was the perfect visual as we sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." Our family appreciates WORLD so much, cover to cover, and your cover photos are getting better and better. Sometimes one picture is worth a thousand words. - Jim and Anne Connell, Grove, Okla.

Could any?

I wish that cover photo could be enlarged to billboard size and planted on all the main highways of America. Could any woman be so stony-hearted as to destroy her child after looking at that wonderful, innocent face? - Joyce Meyer, Jamison, Pa.

The main thing

Many thanks to Tim Graham for a very well-done article ("Holding the line," Jan. 19). Although most people are ill at ease with abortion, they do not want it declared illegal. However, the legality of abortion is an important point but secondary to the main objective of saving lives. Given prayer-based, consistent political leadership, compelling pro-life arguments about the consequences of abortion for women could sway many people in the broad middle on abortion and greatly reduce the number of abortions in this country over the next 10 years. - Howard W. Busse, Girard, Ohio

Talibanized

"Christians as Taliban" in the Jan. 19 issue gave me a chill all the way up my spine, not only for its content, but also because it is exactly the terminology my own sister used to describe my Christian beliefs. It seems she is on the cutting edge of the new Democratic focus. Maybe our best hope is that the remaining Christians who still vote for Democrats will finally jump ship. - Elaine Neumeyer, Jasper, Ga.

Gear up

Gene Edward Veith hit the nail on the head about the growing evidence of anti-Christian media bias in "Christians as Taliban." Christians can expect to experience increasing doses of what Mr. Veith labels "theological terrorism" in public-policy skirmishes and cultural battles. No need to dive into foxholes, though-just "gird your loins with truth" and gear up for spiritual warfare. - Jonathan Imbody, Springfield, Va.

Their fair share

I loved Marvin Olasky's column, "Political Fatwas," in the Jan. 19 issue. He's perfectly correct in observing that evangelical Christians are increasingly being compared to Taliban-style zealots. I would add that some in the GOP are doing their fair share of demonizing, united with Democrats under the "Big Tent" against "religious extremism," which increasingly is being redefined to include biblical Christianity. - John Ciarrone, Wellington, Ohio

War story

Can we ever relate to the Secklins' tale of war with the elusive and often unfathomable enemy of diabetes Type 1 ("Non-lethal options," Jan. 19). Just over a year ago, our youngest boys were diagnosed with it nine weeks apart. They were 23 months and 3 years old at the time. On a not-unusual day, we have had blood-sugar readings anywhere from 18 to 379 in the same child. We thank God for the great strides research has made, without which we would be dealing with a moving target in the dark. But, like the Secklins, we are opposed to stem-cell research because we believe that such research cannot be pleasing to God. - Kenni R. Parr, Tunkhannock, Pa.

Real promise

As a parent of a 6-year-old diabetic girl, I was heartened to read "Non-lethal options." The possibility of a cure that does not require islet-cell transplants or stem-cell research is good news indeed. Thank you for looking beyond the stem-cell hoopla and publicizing research that has real promise. If only the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation would do the same. - Anita Ashland, Monona, Wis.

What is?

As a huge fan of the Beatles and WORLD, I am a little perplexed by your review of the Beatles' One album ("The music," Jan. 19). Under "objectionable material," you report "none," but in "The Ballad of John and Yoko" the Lord's name is used in vain. If that is not objectionable, what is? - Tom Franks, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Call it

Andree Seu gives an interesting historical analysis of mutations in the definition of the word convenience, as well as implications that left me sorrowful for the poorer, less honorable definition under which we now live ("True convenience," Jan. 19). If God said children are His gift to us and by them we are blessed (Psalm 139), then what right do we have to tell Him they are an inconvenience? I suggest a different, more concise definition to this ever-changing word convenience: selfishness. - Susan San Nicolas, Lompoc, Calif.

Smothered

As a public-school trustee I would ask, is it the local administration and the trustees who are terrible at spending money or is it all the state and federally mandated rules that smother public schools with requirements and "rights" that cost the extra $1,600 per student ("Schooling the spenders," Jan. 19)? And, if you take all the salt and light out of the public schools, who will supply it? - Jim Cummings, Austin, Texas

Awaiting

My opinion is that The Fellowship of the Ring is an excellent movie, although parents should be cautious about taking younger children to see it ("Powerful Rings," Jan. 12). I thought that the line between good and evil was very clearly drawn, but what really struck me was the power the ring seemed to have over those around it and the loyalty the members of the fellowship had for each other. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of The Two Towers. - Calah Duryea, 16, Palmetto, Fla.

Deeper

Gene Edward Veith's deeper look into the heart of The Lord of the Rings and the new movie have given me a witnessing edge and an even greater enjoyment of the novel. - Elizabeth Ferenczy, Coxsackie, N.Y.

Nazgul U.

Probably the easiest way to convey why Harry Potter is so different from The Lord of the Rings is to illustrate what the Middle Earth parallel would be. The Middle Earth equivalent of Harry Potter would be a story about a young Hobbit who just doesn't seem to fit in with the other Hobbits of the Shire. One day the Nazgul come and take this poor lonely Hobbit to their lair where they care for him and teach him how to wield supernatural power. J.K. Rowling takes a very real, and very dangerous religion and seeks to portray it as partially good. In her antiseptic series all the dark reality of the world of witchcraft is hidden. To maker matters worse, her target audience is impressionable young children. The difference between Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings lies in the context in which the witchcraft is portrayed. One seeks to blur the line between good and evil in the real world and another seeks to draw the line between good and evil and show the universal truth of goodness in any world. - Robert Perez, Burbank, S.D.

Knowing one

Janie B. Cheaney's essay, "Extraordinarily common," in the Jan. 12 issue reminded me of my feelings when I first read J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. Afterwards I did not feel disappointed by the fact that I knew a true story that was better, but joy because I know the One who made it possible for all of us to overcome and cast aside the lure of the "one ring" of sin. - Allen Round, Rock Springs, Wyo.

Better than nothing

When partisan environmental leftists discuss Mr. Bush's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, they draw a picture of G.W. kicking polar bears into the ocean, millions of rumbling oil rigs plastering Alaska, and black gold squirting all over the pristine wilderness ("The gloves come off," Dec. 22). Few mention that only 2,000 acres of the 19-million-acre reserve, an area about the size of a large airport, would be used for technologically advanced horizontal drilling stemming from one central location. Mr. Bush's plan will produce additional resources, reduce foreign dependency, and lower energy costs. It also makes much more sense than doing nothing until the next time we're paying two bucks for a gallon of gas. - Chris Lilik, Clarks Summit, Pa.

Corrections

The New York Senate Majority Leader is Joseph Bruno (Jan. 19, p. 9). Rep. Loretta Sanchez of California, who proposed allowing abortions at military hospitals overseas, is a Democrat (Jan. 19, p. 17). AlliedSignal, Inc. merged with Honeywell, Inc. in December, 1999, and became Honeywell International Inc. (Feb. 2, p. 11). The Capital Research Center reports that only about one-fifth of pre-9/11 corporate giving went to groups that were not hostile to business ("Self-loathing philanthropy," Feb. 2). - The Editors