Rebecca Tame, of Parke Road, Bovey Tracey, writes:
I was surprised and somewhat disappointed with Mr McLellan's letter (Shame About the Sniping, MDA, November 21) in response to my letter (Believe in Mankind, MDA, November 14).
The point of my letter, which he clearly missed, was not to publicly deride the Christian faith or to 'snipe' as he put it at the reverend, but to merely point out that just because you believe in something, that does not give you the monopoly on faith, and does not mean that other beliefs are not valid.
My intention as an atheist was to join with Christians, and anyone else of any other belief, in the church to pay my respects on Remembrance Sunday.
Of course I expected God to be central to the sermon, I was never damning Christianity and I am not that naïve.
That was not the point I was making. To say that I would be free to organise something next November in Bovey Tracey Town Hall with 'others of a similar persuasion' I found to be a little patronising. This response only served to show my original point about a lack of respect.
I am sure that Reverend Hamilton meant no disrespect in his sermon, but words are a powerful tool and, when addressing people, especially a community, every belief system should be taken into consideration. After all, religion is about unity, not segregation.