AS AN atheist and a pacifist, I wonder at the current hypocrisy.

We see regularly soldiers returning from tours of duty, after fighting in Afghanistan.

The soldiers are trained to kill people, mainly other soldiers, sometimes civilians get in the way and an untold number get killed.

These exercises are, presumably, designed to make England popular, although I don’t see how it will.

I have served for seven years in the forces and know that most of these soldiers think of themselves as Christians.

They are paraded to church on their return, as I was when I was serving.

They must choose to ignore the teachings of the Bible which I believe contains the Ten Commandments, one of which says ‘Thou shalt not kill’.

These soldiers are braver than I ever was, or will be, but being a brave soldier fighting in other countries will never, I think, put an end to war, nor will praying to an imaginary God and being a hypocritical Christian.

ROGER KEABLE, Burwell Drive, Witney