A journey into art, religious beliefs
I enjoyed Steve Zeitchik’s profile of Etan Cohen, director of “Get Hard” [“An Unorthodox Comedian,” March 15]. He writes that traditional religious organizations are suspicious of creative professions. That shouldn’t be any surprise — if you’re trying to teach eternal verities, the last thing you want is new, creative thinking (except maybe for fundraising).
Although some great artists are recognized for bringing the prevailing style to its highest level (e.g., J.S. Bach), more artists stand out for breaking with tradition and orthodoxy (e.g., the early Impressionists and the first Abstract painters). There is also the bohemian lifestyle of creative people, with too much fun and not enough obedience. And finally, it’s tough to make a living in the arts; if you’re just barely making the rent, how can you contribute to the church?
He also writes that the religious are wary of journalism. Skepticism, which every journalist who deals with leaders needs in abundance, is the mortal enemy of faith.
Louis Cohen
San Diego
Zeitchik’s piece about Cohen and his choices on how to live a life of faith in the modern world is remarkable and inspiring.
When he writes, “I grew up in a Modern Orthodox home not dissimilar from Cohen’s,” he takes me on a journey I did not expect in today’s L.A. Times, but he took me places I wanted to go. I’m not Jewish. I’m a woman.
But as a person of faith living in this secular world, Cohen’s choices and the life he is living have great meaning for me and give me more hope than I would’ve expected to find in a piece about a “raunchy” comedy. The words of Cohen’s rabbi
— “that the truth is godly in some way and if you feel this is a true expression of yourself, follow that” — encourage me, maybe bizarrely, maybe not, not only to see “Get Hard” but also to find and live my own truths. Nealy Kendrick
Los Angeles