Religion

It's a bit like a vegan saying "all meat is the curse of mankind".

Religion has problems because it involves human beings who, even without religion, are greedy, ambitious, self-assertive, malicious and insecure. These qualities are part of every humans' condition.

Read the daily papers.

I've seen their manifestation at football matches, picket lines, political and environmental demos, even parents at their children's matches and certainly at queues for sales. Religion provides one other outlet of selfish humans expression, one of many.

The irony is, certainly in the case of Christianity, that if only the adherents practised what their religion teaches, there would not be a problem. Ghandi said: "I love your Jesus Christ, but not your Christians." Why not? "Because they don't behave like your Jesus Christ."

Religion has given us universities, hospitals, schools, monasteries (presocial services), music, literature, a moral compass and legions of saints and sinners. That's humanity.

And as for faith. Faith is the ability to believe what your heart and mind tells you is true without the need for scientific proof.

Mike Baldasera, Darlington.

CORRESPONDENT Eric Gendle's letter concerning religion (HAS, Aug 15) contains much to be praised, but the truth as to the existence or nonexistence of that which we as a species have deemed to term "God"

comes only after death. The problem with religion is not faith, but the belief that there is only one true faith.

God told the Jews theirs was the true faith. He told the same to the Christians, to the Muslims and to every faith on this planet. This means that if God does exist he is either a liar or showing that faiths which teach morality and compassion for others are true faiths, and thus true paths to the divine.

Thus, what matters is not which faith you follow, but that you have faith and, in doing so, treat others with the same respect and compassion you would want them to give to you.

All religions carry within them wisdom and moral principles to live by. But it goes wrong when people take good ideas and turn them into doctrines. Countless numbers of people have and are dying because of doctrines created generations ago which have no relevance to the modern world.

CT Riley, Spennymoor, Co Durham.