In his response to my letter, William Fraser (Letters, December 24) referred to Lucifer as being my hero. Why did he assume this?

Simply because I pointed out one or two frequent misconceptions in respect of the Devil and our notions of evil?

When I cited Lucifer as a prominent nomenclature, it was in respect of his ubiquitous presence in Western culture and writings for 2,000 years - Milton's Paradise Lost being an excellent example.

The number of times the term Lucifer appears in the Bible is irrelevant since I was concerned with a much broader social and historical perspective.

Mr Fraser must not confuse expressed facts with personal conviction on my part or, indeed, anyone else's.

As the great American lawyer Clarence Darrow once remarked, "The Bible is a great book - but it's not the only book."

-John Samson, Gander Hill, Haywards Heath