Like many readers of this newspaper, I am used to John Guillaumier's sporadic excursions into the realm of his own brand of nihilistic philosophy.

The impression I get from his writings - or, better still, my reaction upon perusing his regular contributions to The Sunday Times - is to attribute his relentless iconoclastic crusade, paradoxically, to a latent innermost desire within his own self to search for the ultimate truth by instigating controversy regarding belief in the Supreme Creator.

It is as if, by exposing the 'inanity' of this belief, he is indirectly yearning for somebody to prove him wrong, to counter his arguments by providing tangible signs to appease his perennial doubts.

Faith is a wonderful experience for open hearts and minds. And as the saying goes, "faith sees the invisible, believes in the incredible, and receives the impossible", but equally, "for those who will not believe, no explanation will suffice".

Since nobody proffered a satisfactory explanation to Mr Guillaumier's arguments, he seems to have decided to increase the dose of irreverence in his missives, even at the risk of prematurely reaching saturation point.

In his latest letter, (The Sunday Times, November 29) he has surpassed himself.

With all due respect to Mr Guillaumier, this latest invective runs the risk of being interpreted as an exercise in contumely, touching raw nerves in the Maltese psyche.

His fulsome jibes at "the populace, especially the lower class... (who) flaunt idols and crucifixes...", and at "women crossing themselves on buses...", have all the potential of hurting believers in the Christian faith.

Mr Guillaumier may be flaunting his agnostic banner in favourable currents, given the materialistic trends in today's society. However, he must not let his enthusiasm dull his sensitivity to the feelings of those who profess their belief in a Supreme Being, a God, a Creator.

If "crucifixes all over the place" are truly irking Mr Guillaumier, I can only say that I feel sorry for him as he is going through psychological hardship. It is near impossible to clear Malta of religious effigies in order for him to lead a more relaxed life.

However, it is worth reminding Mr Guillaumier that the crucifix is a symbol of unlimited love. He may ignore the image, though he would do well to ingrain its message in his heart of hearts.