08 February 2010

Stephen Fry speaks about Catholicism

A remarkable 20-minute lecture at The Intelligence² Debate.  After a few introductory disclaimers about having no objections to piety or religious belief in general, Fry proceeds to lambast the Catholic church for its historical (and current) dogmas and dictates, especially regarding their policies about sex (his analogy about food/sex aberrancies at about 16:00 is particularly striking). 

Fry does not mince his words.  It's a powerful presentation, and depending on your own beliefs, you will know whether you want to hear this talk or not.

12 comments:

  1. that was incredible, thank you for sharing it.

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  2. Frye seems to make a living at this shtick these days. I think it anti religious bigotry, and I have little if any religious convictions myself.

    Voltaire and his comrades successfully neutered the Catholic Church. To attack it today is simply beating a dead horse and requires no courage. Want to be a modern day Voltaire? Criticize Islam.

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  3. What is striking about this is more that nearly all of it is anti-Catholic polemic from the Reformation era. It says much more about the power that this stuff still holds in England, even for non-believers, than it says about Catholicism itself, or even Stephen Fry. Some of it is flatly false, other parts are true, and other parts rely on a purposed misunderstanding of Catholic argumentation.

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  4. I like the way he links Islam and Catholicism together.
    Probably born in a Catholic Hospital.

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  5. Disclaimer: I'm a Christian; but not a Catholic.

    Nice mix of emotive, strawmen arguments with trival dissing of other topics there Stephen :(

    Shame there was no real engagement or searching for contextual understanding.

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  6. Well done Stephen Fry, never heard him speak about Religion before. I thought he was quite accurate and truthful in what he said. As a card carrying atheist I'm probably biased. But I believe any talk like this by anyone, is beneficial to humanity's ongoing struggle against the forces of outdated, immoral, insulting religious dogma. We are human beings with our own inquisitive minds. It is a crime that religion has the power to taint minds such as a child's at a crucially developmental age.

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  7. Pedantically: it's not a crime since it isn't illegal.

    Atheists with anti-religion chips on their shoulders are almost (but not quite) as annoying to me as blinkered religious types. The atheists usually appear to have a good reason for their chips, but often seem to me to have as much trouble as the rest of us in spotting their own inconsistencies :/

    "Don't allow anyone to educate any children in a manner inconsistent with my philosophy" sure sounds authoritarian to me.

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  8. Excellent, thank you for sharing that,

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  9. This was one of the best speeches ever! He should run for primeminister/ruler of the world.

    Thanks!

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  11. Pedantically (edit: and sarcastically): and since it's not illegal, it could never be morally wrong.

    I call my "anti religion chips" reason, logic and evidence. They've never let me down.

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  12. Finally got a chance to sit down and watch. Very interesting. I wasn't familiar with Frye. He's articulate and makes some great points.

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