I feel it is necessary to clear up some incorrect statements made by Peter Bess in his Nov. 5 letter.

First of all, not all Christian denominations agree with the Catholic Church’s stances or beliefs on abortion and the death penalty, although surely many of them do. There are Protestant denominations that view the death penalty as unjust and morally reprehensible (as well as abortion). There are even some denominations that do not view abortion as sinful or evil.

The same is true with the topic of homosexuality. Christians are far from being united in their ideology. For instance, the Catholic Church holds many views that are intrinsic to their denomination that many Protestants view as false and misleading – such as the concepts of the Trinity, praying to Saints, original sin and the existence of Purgatory.

Although I agree that John Kerry’s policies hardly represent official Catholic positions, his job is to represent the American public, not the Holy See. If John Kerry were to represent only the Catholic stances on issues, he would be disenfranchising many Protestants, which make up a considerably larger percentage of our population than Catholics.

I personally don’t care what a politician’s personal religious beliefs are, because they are just that – personal beliefs. It is irrelevant whether the president is a Protestant or Catholic – it is their political policies that matter. In short, the policies of elected leaders should be based on their interpretations of the needs of the public they serve, not the religious doctrines of their denominations.

Clark Danderson

graduate student