A Response to Pastor's Attack

by Sir Arthur Foulkes

I had no idea until I read Pastor Lyall Bethel’s second attack on me in a letter to the press that “the whole nation” was waiting for me to respond to his first foray, “to show his quality and withdraw his hastily spoken comments”, as he put it.

Pastor Bethel had accused me of viciously attacking churches and pastors “whose passion and job is to bring moral clarity and help to persons crushed by their own moral indiscretions”.

I did not respond because I concluded that the whole nation can read and comprehend and would therefore know that what Pastor Bethel said was simply not true.

The whole nation understands that my criticism of some religious leaders can in no way be equated with an attack on all – “the good apples and the bad” – as the Pastor so foolishly claims.

The Pastor should look to his reading skills so he can understand what has been said before attacking. Finally, I have not the slightest inclination “to show my quality” for Pastor Bethel and I suggest he save his amateurish attempts at psychological manipulation for his pastoral counselling.

Comments

[Lavinia Lofthouse]

The Pastor is naive indeed if he thinks that his childish attack on Sir Arthur is a way to discredit Sir Arthur's point of view.

Instead, Pastor Bethel makes himself look like
a bully who shots from the mouth. I feel sorry for those who are subject to his psycological analysis and am sad to see a member of the clergy engage in the undignified and ungentlemanly behaviour that characterizes the most ignorant of low level politicians.

Fortunately, most citizens of this nation are intelligent enough to focus on the issues, rather than try to start dogfights. Let us devote our energy to the real issues that face our people.