RECENTLY you were kind enough to publish a letter of mine, in which I stated that I was bewildered at remarks made about the power of prayer (Letters, September 5, 'Baffled by prayer claims').

I’ve just read the Rev Crawford McIntyre’s reply (Letters, September 19, 'Disapproval and disbelief') and am now even more bewildered at the way in which he has taken my words and completely mangled them.

To start with, he states that "Mr Forder is obviously deeply angry". I said that I was baffled, not angry; there is absolutely nothing in my original letter to imply that I was angry, and for the Rev McIntyre to infer that is inappropriate.

He goes on with a slightly convoluted argument, the gist of which is that I blame a non-existent God for the carnage of World War Two, for example. Actually, I was merely pointing out in a rather flippant sort of way that God does not exist; therefore I do not, in fact, blame God for anything.

There is, however, one point on which the Reverend and I can agree; most of the ills of this poor world are caused by the supposedly most intelligent species that ever evolved: us; although there are, of course, natural disasters, referred to (somewhat ironically in the circumstances) as "acts of God".

So please, Reverend, don’t try to put into my mouth words I never uttered.

John Forder

Endmoor