Writeback

Belfast Telegraph

Dear Sir/Madam,

In a second flailing attack on Humanism, R Crawford (April 16) displays great strength of conviction, but little evidence of any serious reflection on the issues.

In the first place, Crawford asserts that evolution, despite all the evidence amassed by geologists, palaeontologists, botanists and zoologists, is false because it contradicts something in the Bible. But the Bible also says that the sun goes round the Earth. Are we supposed to renounce our understanding of the Solar System because some ancient Arabs had a different idea? Perhaps we should also revert to the ancient idea that disease is caused by evil spirits and give people in hospital exorcism instead of medicine?

The account that science gives us of the long history of planet Earth, with ice ages, meteor impacts, dinosaurs, extinctions, adaptations, etc., is much more compelling, I think, than the folk-tales of Arab tribesmen, and it has the advantage of being supported by evidence. Of course, people should be free to enjoy Arab folk-tales if they wish, but they should not expect others to value them so highly.

Crawford asserts that Humanists have no morals. The reasoning seems to be that you must believe in the supernatural to have any moral beliefs. Rubbish. Moral codes do not fall out of sky. They are the rules that we agree between us so that we can live together in society. In the same way that we have agreed the rules of the Highway Code so that we can use the roads together. Humanists support the legal system and the democratic process because they provide an orderly basis for society. And they also allow for change when circumstances alter or new evidence comes to light, eg. the law on marijuana will have to be changed to accommodate MS sufferers. Laws based on supernatural edicts, however, cannot be changed. If God hates usury, divorce, homosexuality and contraception, then those things are banned forever.

Crawford seems to be ignorant of the history of our legal system. Britain replaced church courts with secular courts back in the Middle Ages. Our legal code is not based on any holy scripture, but on reason and argument. That is what distinguishes our courts from the religious courts of some Islamic countries. Crawford may denounce our legal system as Humanistic, but I think that most people will feel that they have a better chance of justice in our courts than in any religious court.

Humanists do not gloat over the decline in religious belief. They merely regard that decline as inevitable, given the advance of scientific understanding. Humanism represents a sincere attempt to replace religion with rational beliefs and values, and should be respected as such.

Les Reid

Secretary

Belfast Humanist Group