Selling opinions on the shelves
On entering Sainsbury's in Wolverhampton I noticed a bookstand on which numerous copies of Richard Dawkin's new book, The God Delusion, were placed for sale at a reduced price.
At first, I was struck by the sheer incongruity of a supermarket selling such a work, and a number of disturbing questions arose in my mind.
However, I put these aside and concluded that it might not be a bad idea for supermarkets to promote such books after all, if they encourage more of their shoppers to enter important debate.
What I find most annoying is that despite the fact we live in a society which continuously bombards us with the message that no single belief, ideology or agenda is to be promoted above any other, we have here a large supermarket actively advancing one viewpoint at the expense of all other views, just because it is a secular viewpoint with which, I dare say, the supermarket concurs.
Does Sainsbury intend to sell other books alongside that of Dawkin's which completely, clearly and reasonably refute Dawkin's shaky arguments?
It might like to begin selling the book A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins, by Thomas Crean.
Elizabeth C Sweeney, Pendeford Avenue, Wolverhampton.
