I remember a passage from one of the "Doctor" books of the fifties, where the director of surgery, a pillar of the local church, was checking out a young houseman, for potential to be a surgeon.

From memory, the coversation went:-

DOS   "Supposing you were operating and you suddenly found you had produced a serious bleed, what would you do?"

HOUSEMAN "I would have suction applied to clear the field, then repair the bleed"

DOS   "Vey well, but what if the bleed were unstoppable?"

HOUSEMAN (mindful of the DOS's religious leanings) "I would pray to the almighty for guidance Sir."

DOS "Do you not think, Doctor, that it might be in the patient's best interests to call in a consultant surgeon, before seeking the advice of an unqualified practitioner?"

Apposite, I think, in ths case where the discussion hinges on whether religion should be allowed to influence legal process. Law has its place, and so does religion, but "God told me to do it" quite rightly cannot stand in a court of law. If it were a court of morals, the situation might be different, as there both sides would be dealing in the abstract.

Don T.

Do T.