A Different Ending

IN REGARD TO Jim Wallis' piece on "Giving Religion a Bad Name" ("On The Way," May 1993): God forbid the terrible, terrible tragedy and loss of life of innocents [in Waco]. At first I became upset at your article, but in final summation we drew the same or similar conclusions as to how it might have been resolved.

I remember hearing one of the daily reports of the fact that David Koresh was reciting religious passages over the phone to FBI agents and they hung up on him. It dawned on me that I felt what was needed was for religious leaders of the world to open communication lines with him themselves. Perhaps the tuning fork would have rung clearer and a focus could have resulted in a sane resolve.

Scott Manning

Ft. Dix, New Jersey