My letter to the Herald Sun prompted an unexpected but very welcome rebuke from Patterson himself:

Hi, thanks for writing to the Sunday Herald Sun re the Faithworks column.

But why all this Christian-bashing? Don't you see the irony in calling Christians narrow-minded?

If we're talking about the primacy of logic then consider the possibility that, as you I think believe, that humans are products of chance but when it comes to human reason we can believe in logic! Think about it

You think you arrived at your position because you are a free-thinker who rationally weighed the evidence, and then freely chose atheism over theism. You love to castigate Christians for being "anti-science" if they deny evolution from goo to you via the zoo, and to preach that they should adapt their thinking to the "science" of our day.

When a Christian points out the impossibility of a biological system (or

feature) forming by pure chance you accuse them of invoking a "God of the gaps". YET, when you are asked how a particular feature could come about solely by chance you invoke "Evolution of the gaps" (i.e., we don't know HOW but we do know that Evolution MUST have done it!) You claim antibiotic-resistant bacteria is proof protozoa evolved into a person.

You assert that there is no absolute categories of good and evil, that all morals are merely personal, social and evolutionary constructs but then you can still describe Christians and Christianity as absolutely immoral, repugnant and evil and a danger to humanity and not feel even a twinge of hypocrisy at the monumental illogic of your position.

You think Secular Humanism actually promotes religious tolerance. You claim to hold no dogma. Yet, you're just as rigid and stubborn with your beliefs as any Dogmatists.

You are, my friend , in danger of becoming a fundamentalist.

Anyway, thanks for writing and please do again

Bryan Patterson