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Dear Sir,

For two weeks now we've been treated to Gary Simons' particular form of hate speech all wrapped up in the guise of faith. The delightful "love the sinner, hate the sin" nonsense loved by talibangelicals the world over is particularly nauseating. Gary Simons... sees fit to use his faith as a means of excusing and propagating his prejudice. He is no better than the Mormon Church who, up until 1978, used the laughable 'Curse of The Cain Legacy' to discriminate against blacks.

What is astonishing to me, is that he is able to peddle his particular brand of hatred in your newspaper because he, apparently, is a man of faith, a man of god. Why is it that the religious are allowed to spew their prejudice in a public forum? Why do you permit this to happen merely because Gary Simons is a Pastor?

We can pick through Pastor Simon's circular logic quite easily, but some items need highlighting. The '747' argument, so beloved of creationists regarding the probability of life on earth, demonstrates both a lack of understanding of the theory of evolution and of probability.

First, evolution is not a theory of chance, in fact it is exactly the opposite. Given the huge statistical improbability of a hurricane blowing through a scrapyard and assembling a 747, then the creationists only alternative of a creator is therefore even more statistically improbable. Perceived improbability does not imply design.

Secondly, Simons goes on to discount evolutionary theory by suggesting that there is insufficient evidence. This is delusional. The mountain of evidence in support of evolutionary theory is, dare I say, reaching biblical proportions. And it grows daily. To discount this in favour of creationism, or intelligent design (creationism in a cheap tuxedo) is wrong.

It's great that Pastor Simons has faith but he should not use it as an excuse for prejudice and nor should the Bermuda Sun provide him with a vehicle for spreading his prejudice.

Neil Redburn,

Pembroke[[In-content Ad]]

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