Reading matter

The sensible decision taken by the new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary not to place Gideon Bibles at every bedside has been met by howls of indignant protest from some Christians. They say “But it’s a Christian country” (no longer statistically true) and ironically even the quite Orwellian: “Don’t allow a tiny minority to dictate for everyone else.”

Bibles or indeed any minority religious books if supplied by their respective faith groups should be available to patients on request, but to assume that everyone wants one is naïve and arrogant.

NEIL BARBER Edinburgh Secular Society, Saughtonhall Drive