Concerning ethics and atheists, Allen S. Thorpe (Readers' Forum, May 31) overlooked at least two principals that transcend all religions and suggested that atheists can have stronger ethics than any religious group.
The first principal, which existed before religion but which many religions have hijacked and presented as their own, is that shining beacon known as "truth" (along with its handmaidens: justice, knowledge, integrity and similar ideas).
The second principal, which predates religion and is "hard wired" into all of us, is the survival of the family and tribe. That is why a parent irrationally and without hesitation will throw him/herself into an icy river or burning house to rescue his child.
If anything, atheists can have a stronger hold of truth than a group of religious people who bind themselves with dogmas that close their minds to seeking truth. Simply, I would encourage Thorpe to think some more about it: to seek the truth.
Lawrence Nilssen
Draper