In defence of humanist values

In his diatribe against democractic values, John Murray (Letters, Jul 30) asserts that the increasing number of Irish citizens who have embraced reason and logic over dogmatism, must be re-educated in the “values” of the past and rescued from secularism and paganism.

He draws an analogy between those of us who champion democracy and freedom of the individual with that of the leper. He uses the intellectually dubious example of obscurantist dualism to advance his argument.

The values of the past, now rejected by many, were those which judged, those which oppressed, and those which condemned thousands to miserable and empty lives.

The triumph of humanist values and the embrace of human rights to replace the despotic ones promulgated by the egregious ideology which Mr Murray champions, is what human values are all about.

Those of us who have embraced reason will never allow humanist values to be trampled on again. It is through the rule of law and democracy that this will be assured.

Michael O’Connel

Ballyphehane

Cork