Letter: Laying the blame

Alan Hinnrichs states a view (Letters, September 20th) which seeks to blame the ills of history on religion and, as he says, most religions seem to have a burden of guilt in terms of intolerance, some more recently than others.

It must be said that the forces of atheism have been wreaking havoc in the former Soviet Union, China, Indo-China and many more countries since the early 20th century.

The blame, in the end, is one which must be levelled at the human race, in spite of its religions. Contrary to Mr Hinnrichs's viewpoint, the irreligious he calls "non-believers" are just as cruel and teach their children as much utter tosh as do the religious.

Their "holy" texts, such as Das Kapital, taught their faithful about the inevitability of the victory of socialism over capitalism. Their saints were Lenin, Stalin and Mao. Stalin alone killed more of his own people than were killed by the Germans during the Second world War. Heaven alone knows how many more were murdered by Lenin and Mao.

The communist heaven was a workers' paradise. These "non- believers" also died in their millions for their atheist faith.

ANDREW HN GRAY

Craiglea Drive

Edinburgh