Atheist societies are not all free

In his letter (May 30) Brian McClinton suggests that the more atheistic a society becomes, the greater the freedoms and prosperity enjoyed by its citizens.

By The Newsroom

Published 1st Jun 2016, 10:03 BST

Updated 1st Jun 2016, 12:38 BST

Strange to relate he doesn’t mention that 100% atheist state, North Korea, which is hardly a stunning example of freedom and prosperity. Neither was atheist Communist era Russia and China for that matter.

Of course Mr McClinton will bleat that not all atheists are communists, but he is quite content to lump under the term ‘religion’, Christianity and the more violent forms of Islam found in Syria, Afghanistan etc.

What is sauce for the Christian goose is sauce for the humanist gander.

Come to think of it, if his articles on the Ashers bakery issue are anything to go by, humanist tolerance for those who disagree with their viewpoint leaves a lot to be desired.

Perhaps humanists have more in common with communist dictatorships than they care to admit – even to themselves!

Tom Ferguson, Ballymoney