THE other day on BBC Radio Four I heard Dr Jonathan Miller say that anyone who believes in God has lost the capacity for rational thought.

Dr Miller and his sympathisers fail to comprehend the fact that it is not necessary for a concept, such as belief in God, to bear the stamp of empirical proof before it can be taken seriously.

Belief in God has dynamically underpinned human society for thousands of years and has provided the perfect platform for debate.

Mankind’s religious sensibility is profoundly influential and it is the source of inspiration behind many of the civilising achievements that benefit society.

I maintain that religious belief has proved to be of immense benefit to mankind and that radicalised atheists such as Jonathan Miller and Richard Dawkins have definitely got their wires crossed.

GEOFFREY LINDLEY, Branksome Wood Road, Bournemouth