Jim Makin's Nov. 15 letter, "The inner heart of an ideology," lectures readers about reason, but it contains claims that are anything but rational or factual. For starters, Makin seeks to shift blame for atheist violence and bloodshed by buying into the idea that atheism's political and societal manifestation — communism — can be described as a "religion." To call that claim ridiculous would be too kind; communism is nothing less than state-sponsored atheism, and in the last 90 or so years, it has racked up a human rights record that is unparalleled in brutality, oppression and death.
Atheism is a core element of communism, not just a side dish. It gave the purveyors of communism license to remove all threats to its power by any means necessary. As Dostoyevsky put it, "When God is not, anything is permitted."
Makin goes as far as to accuse pro-life Christians of expressing a version of "sadism." It's bad enough that Makin denies the biological fact that the unborn are human beings. (Anyone who disagrees should be prepared to argue that pregnant women have two hearts, two blood types, two sets of DNA and, roughly half the time, a penis.) But to accuse people of sadism for wanting to protect unborn babies from abortionists' death tools is stunning to the point of ghoulish insanity. If this is Makin's idea of rational thinking, then I'd much prefer to wear his "irrationality" as a badge of honor.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.