Sir, – I have been fascinated by the continuing debate on atheism in your paper. There seems to be a tendency among the anti-atheist letter writers to treat atheism as a “religion” that doesn’t believe in God rather than a group of people who believe that God is a fundamentally flawed concept that limits philosophical, spiritual and scientific enquiry into the world.
It is possible to believe in a profoundly spiritual world without the shackles of superstition, a world where people are ethical because they want to be and not because they fear eternal damnation. In fact it seems to me that atheists tend to be more . . . er . . . Christian than Christians. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I read with some sadness Michael Nugent’s letter (October 29th), although I recognise his right to express his views.
It is understandable perhaps to reject an idea or concept associated with pain or discomfort, as unfortunately occurs with institutional religion.
However, I would suggest that it is humans who instigate this pain.
Therefore, I would be equally cynical of a society addressing ethical issues based on compassion, without reference to a higher power.
Assuming Mr Nugent has read the Scriptures in depth and rejected them, I would like him to consider whether he agrees with GK Chesterton: “If I did not believe in God, I would still want my doctor, my lawyer and my banker to do so”.
One thing is certain, we did not create ourselves. – Yours, etc,
