Tired of abusive atheists

■ What a tiresome, tendentious crowd these secular atheists of Ireland are. When they’re not dying for a drink on Good Friday or cutting crosses off the tops of mountains, they’re bothering famous actors with our blasphemy laws. Calls to repeal the same law were coming even before the outcome of a Garda inquiry into Stephen Fry was known, suggesting it was a publicity stunt.

The grounds on which secular atheists are seeking a repeal are disingenuous to say the least. The Act was not drafted to censor honest debate, but to promote peaceful and harmonious society by discouraging certain acts intended to be grossly offensive or provoke breaches of the peace. We have decency and pornography regulatory laws for much the same reason.

Blasphemy is not the ‘victimless crime’ secular atheists claim – the Act was clearly not drafted to protect God (who wouldn’t need such protection if He exists) but the sensibilities of people for whom such beliefs are very sincerely sacred.

By way of parallel, some of us may think veganism or fighting for one’s country ridiculous, but would we think it reasonable to disrupt a wreath-laying ceremony on Poppy Day by rushing in laughing to show our disapproval?

That seems to be the equivalent mentality of some secular atheists. Yes, there are probably better ways to regulate discourse than blasphemy laws. But, ironically, until some secular atheists demonstrate their ongoing ability to disagree maturely and respectfully, they themselves provide some of the best rationales to have such laws in the first place.

Nick Folley Carrigaline, Co Cork