Letter: Satanic abuse: let us not forget the real victims

Sir: There are, it might be said, more things in heaven and earth than even Brian Appleyard can dream of ('Who the devil shall we blame?', 27 April). Many people in the UK today could convince him of the reality of satanism and witchcraft, which are (unfortunately) more than a 'hangover from a dark, religious past'.

'Atheist, secular Britain' is in reality deeply superstitious and spiritually ravenous. To verify this, one only has to note the space accorded to the horoscope pages of almost every newspaper and magazine, or witness the profusion of New Age healers and tarot readers on our high streets.

Mr Appleyard may be surprised to learn that people on this side of the Atlantic (I number myself among them) also believe in a coming judgement as described in the Book of Revelation. I write not as a Victorian religious loony, but as a 24-year-old holder of a doctorate in quantum mechanics. I am, to the best of my knowledge, quite sane.

I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Appleyard in his assertion that we are trapped by the existence of all possibilities, however vile, within us. I also believe that God, through Jesus, has provided the answer.

Yours faithfully,

MICHAEL BROOKS

Lewes, Sussex

28 April