Sir, - "Where was God during the US atrocities?" asks Rev Bill Darlinson (Rite and Reason, September 25th). He does not ask: "Where was Evil during the US atrocities?" Evil does not even get a mention though he, arguably, is the real prime suspect. Indeed, none of your correspondents mention him; they refer to "evil" but not to Evil. The difference is enormously significant.
Christians believe that all atrocities are primarily due to Evil, albeit working through human puppets who say yes to his ideas. The words of Baptism set the scene : "You [God] sent your only Son into our world to cast out the power of Satan, the spirit of Evil, to rescue men...this child who has to fight the Devil in all his cunning".
Christians implore God daily, in the Our Father prayer, to "deliver us from Evil", though the use of the "evil" word takes greatly from our awareness of what the words mean. The prayer to the Archangel Michael asks him to "be our shield against the wickedness and snares of Evil".
In short, if Evil were not the most powerful troublemaker in our midst, Christ would not have been sent, and be still here through His priests; the latter would be redundant and may as well disappear faster than they are currently doing.
The answer to the question of where Evil was on September 11th, then, if the foregoing logic is valid, is "smirking as his puppets devastated".
He has continued to smirk as reaction comments do not even consider his role. His smirk must be particularly intense as Christian clergy leave him out of account.
The relevant questions surely are : "Why did Christians not do things in recent years to equip the September 11th suicide bombers with the grace of God as a shield against Evil's ideas? What are they doing now to so equip potential bombers from being puppets of Evil in future?" - Yours, etc.,
Joe Foyle, Sandford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.