Madam, - Colm Hagan (July 15th) is quite right that God has been overlooked in the draft EU Constitution - and with good cause. Christianity and other religions have had a negative influence on European culture, always retarding intellectual, artistic and social progress.
Mr Hagan mentions "the Union's laudable values such as "peace, human dignity, justice and solidarity" and demands that we acknowledge God as their source. These values are rarely apparent in Christian scripture, which record the great violence, cruelty and injustice done by God and his followers. The secular Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides a far more solid basis for modern European values.
Finally, theists must realise that putting the character of "God" into such an important document makes it essentially a work of fiction for non-theists. If the Constitution referred to Zeus or Odin, would Christians be expected to accept it? Secularism is the only way to respect all the citizens of Europe. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID O'CALLAGHAN, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.