Sir – Mr Pullman (Pullman’s new religious work, September 17) is quoted as saying that: “For every man or woman who has been led to goodness by a church, there has been another who has been inspired by the same church to a rancid and fanatical bigotry for which the only fitting word is ‘evil’.”
He is, in effect, claiming that 50 per cent of all Christians are inspired to a form of ‘evil’.
In the interests of truth, he should issue a public apology via the pages of The Oxford Times, retracting this grossly offensive and transparently unfounded statement.
Concerning his allegation that the idea that Jesus Christ was the Son of God was initiated by St Paul, Mr Pullman obviously overlooked John’s Gospel 9, 35-38, where Jesus Himself plainly states this to be the case. In addition, he also overlooked the 20-plus other places in the Gospels where Jesus Christ is referred to as being the Son of God.
I would finish by saying that Mr Pullman is entitled to his views on Christianity, but surely his case would be better made if it displayed more regard for the truth, and less overt bitterness towards Christians.
Maurice Smithson Oxford
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