Letter to The Editor - It has enhanced human living conditions throughout history

to THE AGE
     Jon Jovanovic is himself irrational in equating ‘religions of all persuasions’ with a ‘hurtful and damaging irrationality’ that is ‘faith-based’ (4/12). Not only does he neglect to consider the massive wickedness perpetrated by atheistic regimes (France post-1789, Russia post-1917 and China post-1949), but he fails to see that there are two kinds of irrationality, one of lesser cognitive value than logical reason but the other superior.
     We have various names for this ‘higher irrationality’: conscience, intuition, inspiration, mysticism, imagination, second sight, the sixth sense, and so on. It has enhanced human living conditions throughout history and sacred traditions are essentially its guardians and advocates, wrongdoing by benighted religious persons and groups notwithstanding.
  NJ, Belgrave, Vic