Sir, – Christianity has been taking a hammering the past few years in your columns.
A recurring theme is that atheists and secularists do not want their children indoctrinated with religion at school.
But there are newreligions on the block and Scottish children are being indoctrinated with them at school.
One is the doctrine that the universe began with a Big Bang. There was no creator, the new religion tells us. All that we see around us today started with a Big Bang, then gradually evolved, Darwin-style, into the universe we see today.
But how could we have an explosion creating life if there was nothing there to cause theexplosion? Has anybody created an explosion out of nothing?
I reckon Christians’, Muslims’ and Jews’ belief in a creator God is at least as credible as thatpropounded by today’s scientists.
The other new religion consists of a blind faith in man-made climate change and global warming. No matter how much evidence is brought forward to counter their arguments, the believers refuse to accept that human beings had no effect on the Earth’sclimate for millions of years and that, for the past few thousand years, our influence has been insignificant while our world has undergone several warming and cooling periods.
Me, I prefer to believe in a creator God and am grateful for the wise teachings of the prophets in the Old Testament and of Jesus and his disciples for their legacy showing us how we should live our lives in harmony with others.
Science teaches us about the laws of nature. Hitler and Stalin and many other dictators lived by them the survival of the fittest, the suppression and annihilation of all who do not conform to the wishes of the chosen race or cult.
The gentle teachings of Jesus Christ together with the best of thedemocratic ideals of the Ancient Greeks, form the basis of our modern democratic and caring society today with its stress on the freedom and value of the individual and equality of all before the law.
Science deals with the physical, the body and the brain, but it takes no account of the human soul.
The new religions, being science-based,follow suit.
They are a poorsubstitute for Christianity to pass on to the next generation, especially when the new religions’ science is so flawed.
George K McMillan. 5 Mount Tabor Avenue, Perth.
Schools should promote values
Sir, – What does David Robertson (January 26) mean by Christian beliefs? I suspect his own.
Since the time of Paul, Christians have argued and fought with each other over beliefs.
Even within thePresbyterian, Anglican and Catholic churches there are majordifferences of views.
Vladimir Putin calls himself a Christian.
Mr Robertson’s beliefs seem identical with those of Sarah Palin.
He refers to “secular” atheists. I know of no other kind.
He is a secularisthimself as he believes governments should not interfere in religion.
However, he does think religion should play a special role ingovernment.
That is the basis of his disputes with secular societies who see noreason why views based on religion should have special value.
I know of no person who wants schools to promote atheism ornon-belief in thesupernatural.
Most think pupils should decide for themselves what to believe when they are old enough to do so. Religion should be studied inphilosophy with diverse opinions considered.
My school did not think so. We were expected to believefundamentalist Christian dogmas as if they were undisputed truths, just as pupils in Saudi Arabia may not question Wahabbi teachings. These were of no help in our lives. Later I found such in Buddhism which does not oblige me to believe any dogma.
Schools and parents should not promotereligious or political ideas but values such ashonesty, reliability, responsibility, empathy and compassion.
John Munro. 68 Buccleuch Street, Glasgow.
Atheists are not missing out
Sir, – I can assure Leslie Morrison (January 29) that secularists andatheists are not missing out by not believing in God but they are missing out on receiving a superstition-free education for their children, who are considered to be captive targets in the education system for Christian indoctrination.
Your correspondent claims the local Catholic primary school in Brechin has a waiting list of non-Catholic families who just want the basics of Christianity instilled in their children.
Given that allScotland’s churches, Catholics and Protestant, are steadily losingnumbers and suffering closure after closure, I would say that thesemay be the same families that do not want to set foot in a church.
If parents want religion instilled in their children, then they can go to the mosque, church or gurdwara as they see fit.
It is not the government’s job to fundsectarian indoctrination via schools, but it appears for some that school is the new church.
Alistair McBay. National SecularSociety, 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh.
Perth should follow Cupar
Sir, – It does notsurprise me to read that Atholl Street in Perthhas become almostdangerous to walk down due to air pollution.
Ever since the council exchanged the large roundabout at the police station end of the street for a family of traffic lights, the build up of traffic has worsenedconsiderably.
Cupar had the same problem of terrible jams along the High Street due to numerous traffic lights at the eastern end.
These have all been removed in exchange for a roundabout and zebra crossings.
Please can we take a leaf out of Cupar’sbook and return to roundabouts and zebra crossings?
I cannot help feeling that the City of Perth has more traffic lights per yard or road than any other town or city in Scotland and standing traffic is the major culprit for air pollution.
Timothy Hardie. 25 St John Street, Perth.
Motorists do not respect law
Sir, – Are the majority of motorists unable to obey motoring laws?
Many not only exceed the speed limits but then write to newspapers to complain about speed cameras and average-speed cameras.
But then these same motorists have many other laws they want to ignore such as parking where they know it is illegal, drink-driving, using a hand-help mobile telephone, driving without insurance and tail-gating even when the vehicle they are crowding is close to the speed limit.
Tom Black. 83 Lawside Road, Dundee.
Answers are in Angus rule book
Sir, – I find it rather intriguing to read of the futile efforts of Angus Council to find a solution to the problems posed by the unlawful encampment of travellers at the council headquarters and elsewhere throughout the district.
The simple solution is for the council’s legal department to dig outthe Civil Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and read Section 112.
This sets out themanagement rules for the district’s parks,gardens and open spaces and are made to ensure good behaviour and to prevent any nuisance by people using them.
One such rule is that, without prior consent of the council, no one can bring any vehicle orcaravan into any of the above mentioned places.
The section states that, if any of these rules are not obeyed, then the council may require the person, or persons, who has broken or is about to break a rule, to leave the area.
Failure to leave is then an offence under Clause 118 (a) of the 1982 Act, with a penalty of up to £100.
It further states that people must obey all authorised instructions both displayed by the council or issued verbally by its employees.
If the legal eagles in Forfar cannot lay their hands on the relative details of the act then, like myself, they can read it on the notice board down at the skatepark car park at Montrose golf course near whereseveral travellers have been ensconced for quite some time now.
I do not know what can be plainer than these conditions of usewhich give the council a way out by enforcing these rules.
John M Page. 8 Panter Crescent, Montrose.
Tax freeze benefits rich
Sir, – Cosla may not support John Swinney’s funding settlement for Scotland’s local authorities (January 30) but I hope he is reassured by the fact that Margaret Thatcher would have.
The cuts the SNP is inflicting on publicservices show the same lack of respect for local democracy that she exhibited.
Just as Mrs Thatcher did, Mrs Swinney is passing disproportionate cuts on to local authorities at a level which will have a direct impact on public services like social care and education.
Imagine the fuss the SNP would create if the UK Government treated Holyrood the same way.
In a move which also mirrors the rate capping Mrs Thatcher loved, the SNP is again forcing its council tax freeze on local authorities.
This comes despite clear evidence from Naomi Eisenstadt, the SNP Government’spoverty adviser, that the council tax freeze disproportionately benefits the wealthiest and is funded by cutting public services needed by the poorest.
Imagine the fuss the SNP would create if the UK Government forced such a regressivemeasure on Holyrood?
As ever for the SNP, the constitution must come before supporting the vulnerable insociety.
Dr Scott Arthur. 27 Buckstone Gardens, Edinburgh.