WHAT a shame that Mr. Mulvihill cannot stand to be reminded of the true meaning of Easter.

If he feels so offended by a letter reminding him of the Gospel message, he could simply not read it. In the same way that his letter has not been censored for its views, neither was the original.

That tolerance and freedom of thought and expression is an important part of our society.

I do, however, feel that Mr. Mulvihill has missed the point. Being a Christian is not about following blindly what parents, teachers or priests tell you, but is about having a personal relationship with Jesus.

This is what many churchgoers have lacked and experiences of 'church' (as opposed to

Christianity) leave them feeling let down and betrayed, especially at this time of year.

As for being brainwashed from birth, this assumes that all Christians are born into Christian families.

This is far from the truth. There are more than one billion Christians worldwide and the number of those trusting in and following Jesus is growing by 100,000 every day.

This is far from blind faith, it is people experiencing the love of Jesus for themselves.

I hope and pray that Mr. Mulvihill and many others like him will consider over this Easter period what the purpose of their life is. Is it a meaningless trudge with nothing at the end of it or is it the gift of a loving God with everlasting life at the end for those who trust in Him?

Simon Biddlestone,

Lucas Avenue, York.

Updated: 10:21 Tuesday, April 18, 2006