Madam, - If liberal democratic values are "nowhere to be found" in the fundamental texts of the Christian tradition, as Claire Healy claims (December 5th), perhaps she would tell us which civilisation other than Judaeo-Christianity incubated such concepts as the separation of church and state, the limitation of the power of the state, freedom of speech and the dignity of the individual? And which civilisation spilled copious amounts of its young men's blood in defending those values only 65 years ago?
Even a slight acquaintance with Biblical texts will recall such verses as "God created man in his own image . . ." (Genesis 1:27); "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22:21); and "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32), all of which could be described as foundation texts of liberal democracy.
In failing to distinguish between the history of such ideas and the (often appalling) practice of Europeans, both believers and unbelievers, over the centuries, is she not guilty of the same "spectacularly ahistorical interpretation" of the past which she claims to find in Owen Sorensen's original letter on this subject? - Yours etc.,
DERMOT MELEADY, Clontarf, Dublin 3.