Blinded by faith
Sir: Paul Johnson's article (And another thing, 1 May) dismisses our Christian her- itage and national identity, embodied con- stitutionally in the monarchy and the Sovereign's accession oath `to maintain the Protestant Reformed religion established by law'.
Mr Johnson, so clear-sighted and patriot- ic in so many other spheres, is apparently a victim of his own Jesuit education, which has blinded him to the spiritual importance of what took place in this country in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Anglican Bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley chose to die (in 1555), along with millions of other Christians through the centuries, because they believed that the Papacy and Roman Catholic dogma were totally at odds with Scripture and the true faith 'once given to the saints'. They were not 'a small ruthless minority', but a great cloud of witnesses, as the Bible calls them. They were godly men and women the like of which is not appar- ent in public life today, who were certain in their conviction that the scriptures were, as the Coronation Service describes, 'the very oracles of God', holding authority over man-made tradition — however 'vigorous, innovative and holy' this may appear to be. These uncompromising followers of Christ were called Protestants and at this time we are still a Protestant nation.
Michael de Semlyen
Byeways, Old Shire Lane, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire
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