Read more widely before raging against God

GARY James is (as usual) resorting to religion bashing (Argus, August 16), what Peter Hitchens, brother of the late atheist Christopher Hitchens, described as “the rage against God”.

I respond to some of his comments. In the Genesis story, Adam was alongside Eve when she was tempted by the serpent, and thus equally guilty of falling to the temptation of the serpent (the devil). Eve was not the tempter.

His quotation from Clement is irrelevant despite James conferring sainthood upon him, as he was not a contributor to Scripture and his comment is clearly false. The Apostle Paul’s comment needs to be seen in context.

Most Protestant churches accept divorce while believing marriage to be the ideal, are not opposed to contraception and have women ministers. The abortion issue is difficult. Most Christians, while sympathetic to desperate pregnant women, are not in favour of the widespread “slaughter of the innocents” since they believe that human beings are created in God’s image and that a real person exists from conception.

Since James seems to be into Genesis, why did he not quote Genesis 1: 27: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female he created them?” Men and women are created in God’s image.

And why did he not quote Paul’s statement in Galatians 3: 28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus?” Both statements were far ahead of the cultures of their day.

Yes, unfortunately, it did take centuries before slavery was abolished in the UK and US and women’s rights established there. Christians were at the forefront of both campaigns. I suggest that if James were to read the Scriptures with an open mind, he might be pleasantly surprised to encounter the God he is raging against. HEINRICH ASCH Parow