Letter: Atheist disagrees with Humanists

AS A convinced atheist - following decades of contemplation - I disagree profoundly with the Royal British Legion decision to allow representation from the Humanist Society of Scotland at Edinburgh's Remembrance ceremony (News, 10 October).

This is no more than a publicity-seeking exercise, based on HSS claims that many who died for the country were Humanists. Were they registered as such? Did they fight and die for Humanism? The first World Humanist Congress took place in 1952.

Its seven principles were updated 50 years later, and apart from the rejection of God, all would be shared by virtually every adherent of any religion. This is more accurately an Atheist Association, but "Humanist" offers them a cloak of acceptable political correctness.

Going to war is an occasion for national unity and any remembrance of it should be equally unified; religion or absence of it is utterly irrelevant.

Sub-division of recognition and remembrance on this narrow basis demeans and devalues the ceremony.

The humbling declaration "We will remember them" embraces every single person who died in the country's service.

Robert Dow, Tranent