President's religion shouldn't matter

In response to Robert Graham's letter, "Whatever Obama is, he's not a Christian," Mr. Graham stated that "Obama's religious faith is demonstrated in his left-wing political beliefs." It's too bad that we have a continuing need to label someone's faith. Because someone attends a certain church does not mean they believe or accept every aspect of what is taught. Religion is a personal (and I wish private) matter that, unfortunately, is ingrained in our political system. JFK made it clear when he became president, that he would make decisions that were best for the country and not necessarily best for Catholics. Everyone will chose their own religion or chose none. That is what we believe in, in America. The president can't always be of "your religion." If Obama is Christian or BLT ... he is not my religion. There are many religious affiliations in this country, and the president is not your spiritual leader. The president runs the country and hopefully surrounds himself with the most qualified people whether they are left-wing or right-wing, men or women from all cultures and religions. My hope is that we, as Americans, would be tolerant enough to support Barack Obama in seeking advice from all available sources. It really doesn't matter if the president is Christian or atheist, conservative or liberal. What matters is the president being wise enough to seek knowledge and understanding from those who know more than he does about any given issue. Other things matter too, but religion is not one of them.

Cheryle Ruceis

Glen Ellyn