Atheism 'a hobby'

David Robertson (Letters, 7 April) refers to "fundamentalist" atheists. Atheism is disbelief in any supernatural god beings. Does he think "non-fundamentalist" atheists are those who believe in one or more such beings but not in others?

If so, then Christians are atheists since they don't believe in any gods but that of the Hebrews, regarding those of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Aztecs and Hindus as fictitious.

Equating atheism with "Stalinism" is like saying "Christianity" was responsible for the Crusades, Inquisition, witch-hunts, slavery and the recent atrocities in the Balkans more than 40 years after the death of the Russian dictator Joseph Stalin.

There are good and bad atheists, just as there are good and bad theists, and it is nonsensical to generalise or use stereoptypes about either group.

Atheism is not a belief system any more than not liking chess is a hobby. Atheists vary as widely in their beliefs, intelligence, education, morality and spirituality as do Christians, Muslims and Jews.

JOHN MUNRO

Buccleuch Street

Glasgow

I do not concur with the disparaging WC Fields quote cited by Malcolm Parkin, (Letters, 6 April) which has neither humour nor substance.

My reply to David Robertson (Letters, 7 April) is that we should categorise religion as a diminishing social function, and not as a state institution. It will not go away.

"Gods" seem to be part of the human psyche, the past hosting more colourful ones than now.

But most have since "spirited away" either as a result of increased knowledge or through brutal suppression. And in place of his "atheist fundamentalism" I would substitute "freedom of speech".

However, I fully agree with Richard Lucas (Letters, 7 April) that religion is "a category like politics" – hardly a commendation. He also believes that many alternative religious views – to his – are "deeply flawed" – the root cause of much religious conflict.

The blunt fact is that there is no consensus as to there being one God, Heaven, or right and wrong, merely a ragbag of ideological rules providing a platform for personal power rather than for society.

He introduces the "origin of life" as a topic, ostensibly one of the missing intellectual issues.

The fact is no-one knows how or when the universe was formed or the source of matter, and probably never will. But to accept the fables in Genesis as a basis for this origin nullifies any possible cogent debate.

My contention remains that religion is hollow, it is a creation of man for man and is merely another form of mysticism.

In many countries, however, it is used as a "moral" tool for repression or to justify atrocities, and all under the banner of God.

JIMMY WILSON

John Street

Dalbeattie

Rev J Harrison Hudson (Letters, April 9) is incorrect to say that the Church of Scotland founded our great historic universities.

St Andrews was founded in 1412, Glasgow in 1450 and Aberdeen in 1494, all by the Catholic Church.

Edinburgh University was founded after the Reformation by the town council.

COLIN MCALLISTER

South St

St Andrews