Sir, I am puzzled by the letter from Alan Bell (May 29) who seems to think that gay people, in league with the Government, are trying to rewrite his Bible.
To start with, as Mr Bell says, religion is a personal choice. He is free to live by its tenets both before and after the same sex marriage bill goes through, and his Bible will remain intact.
But others who do not share his religion are also entitled to go about their business without Mr Bell demanding that they live their lives in accord with his Bible.
They are entitled to engage in marriage even when they do not share Mr Bell’s belief that it is a “religious joining”, far less a uniquely Christian one.
Is Mr Bell to demand that atheists must not marry, since they are not religious?
What about those who worship gods other than his? Are British Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus to have their holy books trumped by Mr Bell’s Bible?
In his autobiography, the Calling of a Cuckoo, published in 2002, the former Anglican Bishop of Durham David Jenkins tells how he was “repelled by the narrow-minded dogmatism and arbitrary authoritarianism of so much Christian discourse and behaviour”.
When I read Mr Bell’s letter, I see exactly what Bishop Jenkins meant.
Alistair McBay. National Secular Society, 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh.
Condemn this inhuman act
Sir, Concern has been raised at the Mosque gathering among all Muslims at the murder of our soldier in Woolwich. We condemn this and believe that it is inhuman.
It was carried out by a mindless individual who is certainly not a Muslim. In Islam nobody is allowed to carry out an act like that.
There is no justification for this act and it has nothing to do with our religion.
We strongly condemn the people involved and offer our condolences to the dead soldier’s family.
Mohammad Mukhtar. Chairman, Fife Islamic Centre, Methil.
This road is a health hazard
Sir, Regarding Fife Council and the policy of not allowing employees to empty refuse bins accessed by travel on rough roads.
I have on occasion over the past years used the recycling centre at Ruby Bay in Elie and have seen the access road deteriorate to the state it is in now full of large holes, lumps and bumps causing extreme vibration to any vehicle using it and discomfort to drivers and passengers.
My question to Fife Council is, will the recycling centre be closed or will the road be resurfaced for the benefit of their employes and the public?
Douglas Humphrey. 28 Woodside Road, Elie.
Jim’s views are so conflicting
Sir, Nobody could accuse my friend JimCrumley of consistency. Like every good journalist, he always keeps an open mind even if it is to totally conflicting views.
Thus, he supports the campaign for Scottish independence from the UK while condemning UKIP’s campaign for independence from the EU. William Wallace a hero and Nigel Farage an extremist.
The contradiction goes deeper, for Wallace wanted a sovereign Scotland just as Farage wants a sovereign UK; as opposed to the aim of the regime that Jim supports, which is to relegate Scotland to the status of a minor colony of the Franco-German empire.
And now (May 28) he rightly extols the glories of Caird Hall, calling for its renaissance, to transform it into “a 21st century public space, through which public life can flow”.
That is precisely what the Perth City Market Trust proposes for Perth City Hall, which Jim, true to form, wanted to demolish.
Vivian Linacre. 21 Marshall Place, Perth.
In what way was it “robust”?
Sir, It appears that Fife Council’s publicity machine has gone into overdrive over the need for savings and school closures (Courier, May 28). Is there a key by-election in the offing perhaps?
In fairness to its executive spokesman, Bryan Poole, he has come out fighting over the need for a review of the school estate. Indeed, he was good enough to provide me recently with a detailed account of how the authority’s “scrutiny” system is meant to work. But I am still puzzled, and so too will be the parents of the threatened Tanshall Primary School in Glenrothes.
How on earth can the council say with any credibility that the review process to propose closure of the facility was “robust”?
Nobody in the precinct or in the western part of the town has been provided with a satisfactory explanation. There is no indication that council officials have looked at the bigger picture.
Nobody has come forward to say why it is right to close a school in a precinct which has no shops, no community facility, and has some of the worst levels of deprivation in Fife.
Labour leader Alex Rowley often makes great play about an anti-poverty strategy. He has the chance to convert words into deeds, withdraw the proposal, and try to look at a positive future for the school.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.