The British Humanist Association rightly identifies David Cameron’s remarks about Christianity as being inappropriate, divisive and unwelcome.

By praising the ‘good works’ of Christians in such a partisan way is deeply offensive to the majority of good, kind and morally upright citizens.

I take great exception to the inference that only Christians can ‘do good’ and therefore they somehow have the privileged right to control over our civil society.

If the Christian church had a blemish free record for the last 2,000 years they might have a case for their cloying and sanctimonious claims to moral superiority.

However, centuries of wars, witch hunts, torture – both physical and psychological, extortion by penances or indulgences, instilling guilt as a means of mind control, banning indigenous culture and celebration, demonising innocent people especially children and institutionalised child abuse, do not in my book give any grounds for taking any moral stance, let alone the high ground.

Gods were invented by humans to explain the unexplainable in a time of ignorance.

Religions have exploited that vulnerability for power and control ever since.

Dave Rickard

Rydens Westown

Bothenhampton