Some readers may recall the words of the priest at the funeral of the Hawes family from Cavan who were murdered by their father.
He said: “Do not seek answers or surmise about behaviour. It was a tragedy beyond our understanding.”
If these words had been heeded no lesson would have been learnt from this tragedy which highlighted the cruel underbelly of a religiously patriarchal Irish society which fed the neurosis of Alan Hawes.
Recently I challenged the absurd claim by Prof Rooney that he had cracked the mystery of Original Sin and in so doing I highlighted that science and religion are in opposition. This prompted a rebuttal from Thomas Hardy (February 21) who believes that the (yet unsolved) mysteries of science equates to the mysteries of religion and that science cannot prove the non-existence of God, a soul etc. This is sophistry at its lowest level as it is of course impossible to prove the non- existence of anything. Science doesn’t deal in non-existent entities, but in the study of the nature and behaviour of the physical universe. Science deals in facts which must be explained by reference to other facts. It embraces the search for the evidence which will unlock the mystery. Religion embraces ignorance – if it can’t provide evidence of a soul or a God then just accept it as beyond our understanding.
Sam Harris in his ‘Letter to a Christian Nation’ cuts to the chase. “The conflict between science and religion is reducible to a simple fact of human cognition – either a person has a good reason for what he believes or he does not.”
When we are considering the veracity of any proposition we engage in an honest appraisal of the evidence and employ logical arguments. Mr Hardy, in line with contemporary religious thinking, seems to believe that some other standard of intellectual integrity applies.
Believing without evidence is normally considered a sign of madness or stupidity and our judicial system would fall apart if it accepted such recourse. Yet religion is one area of our lives where the lack of evidence is still highly regarded.
Mr Hardy advises us that “There is an abundance of positive evidence for the Christian faith”. His lack of candour exposed by an unwillingness to share the evidence with us (the Bible’s ambivalence and lack of accuracy makes it evidentially unsuitable).
By all means have faith but do not condescend by claiming there is hard evidence to back up unprovable claims. If there was evidence you wouldn’t require faith.
DANNY TREACY
Templepatrick, Co Antrim
May should show her mettle and sack dissidents
The current state of Westminster politics is an appalling shambles compounded by disgraceful behaviour. The nation faces decision day with a parliament upside down reeling from splits inside the Conservatives and Labour. It is shameful that party and personal interests are being put before the country. Aren’t we fortunate that Labour don’t organise here and the Tories have no votes here?
The remainers game-plan of extending article 50 once will soon become twice and thrice and on it goes. The extension isn’t for a specified time line, it is unspecified. Extending article 50 keeps the UK inside the EU beyond the forthcoming May elections to the EU Parliament, meaning that the UK has to participate and elect impotent British MEPs. Next step is paying for the formation of an European army.
Mrs May has a last-chance-salon opportunity to save the integrity of the real people’s vote by casting aside her Brexit in-name-only tag. She should begin to show her mettle and demonstrating strong leadership by sacking her three dissident and disloyal ministers Rudd, Gauke and Clark for their underhand threat to revolt over a no-deal negotiation position. Otherwise the prime minister becomes a total prisoner of the remainers.
Perhaps the problem is that she is already too willing a prisoner. Mrs May is on record as saying that she does not intend to lead the Tories into the next election. Great – but she must lead the nation out of the EU or resign now.
DAVID McNARRY
Strangford, Co Down
Hatred of Catholicism
The recent controversy over Sean Murphy’s film Unquiet Graves on the notorious killings between 1972 to1978 has exercised many comments especially those personally affected (February 22). When one reads Lethal Allies one can come to another view, especially when political and paramilitary links are taken out of the equation, one can see that it was hatred for them being Catholic.
This odium fide should also be a means that they could be recognised as martyr and that this should be taken up with the relevant Church authorities. That such a view maybe condemned in the light of offence to ecumenical sensitivities; nevertheless such causes have been successfully been pursued in Spain over the martyrs of the Civil War (1936-9) a number not seen since Apostolic times.
Many know that the confidence exerted by the 1944 Education Act, where Catholic thirst for education enabled a cadre of future leadership to grow. The extremist dregs of Protestant bigotry was determined to end this and only succeeded in furthering Catholic thirst to grow. That so many ordinary Catholics died due to their baptismal witnessing must and should be looked into.
JDP McALLION
Clonoe, Co Tyrone
Political policing is alive and well
When the PSNI was formed in 2001 we were promised “a new beginning to policing” and “a police force for all”.
Yet almost 18 years later, it’s obvious that the influence of the RUC still permeates throughout the PSNI. Stop and Search of Republicans and their children has intensified. In this past week the Police Ombudsman has announced delays to reports covering more than 20 loyalist murders (where collusion is suspected) after “significant” new information was found on PSNI computers.
Is it any wonder that the PSNI is holding back information which demonstrates the clear evidence of collusion by the RUC and Special Branch in the murders of nationalists and republicans?
Last week, almost 18 years after the formation of the PSNI, The Irish News reported that 83 per cent of the PSNI’s most senior personnel are Protestants. Almost 2,000 employees of the PSNI are former RUC members.
How can anyone in the republican community encourage nationalists to join this political police force?
M DOHERTY
Belfast BT11
Matter of economics
Regarding the “failings of Keynesian economics” referred to by Desmond Devlin (February 22), the massive crash of the finance system in 2008 was the result of blind faith in the theory of perfect markets and perfect finance. The proponents of these theories were Milton Friedman and Friedrich Von Hayek and others. The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, following their ideas, failed to regulate rapid securitisation and the crash was the result. The film The Big Shot tells the story.
We are all considerably worse off as a result. It was not Keynes’s idea.
PHIL ALLEN
Carrickfergus, Co Antrim
