A recent letter concludes, “Nevertheless, the true atheist, while meriting Christian charity, must
be subject to a just measure of suspicion, his materialism denying divine justice and moral
absolutes as fairy tales to be ignored or used to exploit benighted believers, betraying in turn a
morality best described as, ‘if you can get away with it then it’s OK.’”
I am not certain how simplistic the writer wishes us to conclude that they are.
I suppose there are non-believers who are utterly immoral. That said, there isn’t a need for the
threat of eternal damnation to be a moral and decent human being. It would seem that the
letter writer has committed the eighth deadly sin, namely to accuse another of something of
which the writer is guilty.
“The atheist,” isn’t even the subject, whether or not they are “true.” And in fairness, what the
heck does that even mean, save for to cast aspersions? Let’s focus instead on the “Christian,”
who in theory owes a measure of charity. The purported Christian here, doesn’t afford that
dignity, instead they hurl stones at purported glass houses. It isn’t a pretty look for one offering
moral absolutes.
Ironically, the tone mirrors the tone-deaf stance of the current executive, who often invokes
Christianity, but seldom reflects it.
Brian Barnett
Glendale, Mass.
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