Stephen Fry Passionately Argues the Catholic Church is NOT a Force for Good | Intelligence Squared
Stephen Fry shares his insights on why he believes the Catholic Church may not be the force for good it claims to be. In this session from our 2015 event, 'The Catholic Church is a Force for Good in the World,' Fry delves into the Church's history, moral concerns, and its societal impact. Explore his perspectives and engage in the debate on the role of organised religion in today's world.
See the full session here: • The Catholic Church is...
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Imagine a world where those with power had this level of intelligence, curiosity, articulation, kindness, insight, thoughtfulness and self awareness. ❤
If they did they wouldn't seek power in the first place. Power only holds value to the worshipers of fear, and some of the cornerstones of fear is ignorance, oppression, and hate. People without fear don't care about power.
Imagine a world in which ordinary folks were a little bit better? More honest? Less spiteful? Better informed?
Stephen Fry is Jewish and married to a 30 year old young man. That's why he hates the Catholics.
Imagine a world where fry wasn't a zionist
Yeah nah
Content aside, what an astonishingly polished and eloquent delivery, with barely an occassional glance at any notes. As someone who has to regularly present to large groups, Sir, I am in awe.
Beautifully said
"Content aside"!?! The content is everything in this speach!!!
If I could articulate my ideas as clearly as Stephen, I would be so happy. There is absolutely no friction in the pathways between his highly educated mind & his tongue. Brilliant ideas spoken brilliantly.
Stephan is one of the few with voice of reason in this crazy day and age…..
I think you will find there are many more that think like him, but many are discouraged in speaking out for fear of losing their jobs, or social standing in this critical media world.
What imaginary world do you live in. This bigoted , hate-filled way of speaking about the Church & Catholics is all too common and exempted from the condemnation of other prejudices.
@@stapleton6 Exactly. Those of us who are atheist are most definitely persecuted.
@@stapleton6 In the US, out of the 435 elected Representatives, the 100 Senators, and the 2 in the White House.. only one is openly atheist, and that was after he'd already won.
He is literally a man in his 60s married to a young man in his early 30s lol
I love Stephen Fry. When he isn't being one of the funniest men in the world he is one of the smartest, most vulnerable and kind men in the world.
Any dope can criticise anything and look good.
Any dope? You do live in a cave. Perhaps Mr. Fry uses language you do not understand. Or, you just read the title, read the comments and decided to add your two cents. Such a shame you decided not to listen.
@@riverwolf654 only if they have actual logical arguments and facts behind them
@@user-cp6hi1xh5d Are you fro real, youve obviously never seen the charity and education religious orders have given people throughout the centuries. If youre gong to make rash comments, please do your homework. Without religion as much as I dont practice the world would be in an even worse place. We are talking about the human race you know.
@@riverwolf654 yes they gave other poeples money what the took of them when telling them to buy a place in heaven they didn't get of there lieing arses and work for it religion is just a glorified pyramid scheme ,, tell me one peace of evidence you have to prove there's a god ,,,,,not the bible wrote bye men passed down or another book of fiction prove to me there's a god ask the poeple of gaza or Ukraine or iran Syria there's a god ,,,,no there a man I charge deciding if they die today or not .....no god you patronising pillock
I mostly amazed by the fact that Stephen Fry does not use notes or teleprompter during his speech. What an amazing orator.
That's old, old, OLD school oratory -- going all the way back to the ancient Greek philosophers & Sophists, the OG thinkers & speechmakers.
He had notes. Watch again and you'll see him put his glasses on and look at the podium several times.
I mean, brilliant as he is, he is clearly using notes 😅
@@Gomezio And it isn't a problem... not for me anyway.
he already knows what he has to say as a good repeater of ideological memes
What an incredible intellect. He's showing us how important it is think, to enquirer, to think in terms of our human needs and nature, realistically and openly, and without prejudice. He seems to have no hate, just frustration and understandably so. But what I think he packs into this speech in abundance is love. Such a scary word for so many people but I felt welcomed and embraced by his ideas, because all of them are based on a better attitude to human thinking and emotion. What a truly marvelous person
Stephen Fry is truly an articulate and intelligent person.
Who could ever deny the beauty, grace, and genius of Stephen Fry? What an absolute legend.
@@VolodymyrTheClown Fairly sure people with an actual education agree with him
@@VolodymyrTheClown Education? As in, people that read "My First ABC of Bible stories for kids with learning difficulties, the illustrated version"?
@@VolodymyrTheClown I've got an association copy signed by God and given to his son with a touching message on the cover leaf that reads:: "Enjoy your trip! LOL"
Not you then 😂
@@VolodymyrTheClown Fry is not so clever...
Stephen Fry ..brilliant, thoughtful and sensitive..a true leader for those committed to leading a spiritual and ethical life
I love this man. Eloquent, intelligent, honest, passionate.
He CERTAINLY IS.
Honest ? Only opinionated. Passionate ? Merely selective. A denier of human history in the investigation of the totality of the human condition.
@@jacquelinehelgaJohnson-V-ho9ve Too bad he isn't intelligent enough to explain everything, in which case he would learn the weakness of his arguments. Do not equate loquaciousness with knowledge.
He's dishonest and a hateful prick.
Honest?, that’s not his forte, he will lie about anything to get your attention, a compulsive liar and hypocrite.
A remarkable man delivering a succinct, witty and accurate synopsis of all that’s wrong with organised religion. I admire and respect Stephen Fry’s intellect and clarity of speaking.
Christianity, like every other institution, has been polluted by mankind from the very first. Most of Paul's epistles are an effort to correct doctrinal errors new churches were making when still in the first century. Man has destroyed the simplicity of Christ as the Apostles knew it. Want to find a good church? Find one that believes as the first century church believed. Oh yes, what a teasure Stephen Fry is and Chris Hitchens was.
Put not thy trust in Princes!
@@rogersweet3608what prince?
@@meanjustine8266 Human beings Roughly translated
you must be kidding... a guy that twists everything he claims to present about Christianity...
One of my all-time favorite debates. "Man created God in his image; intolerant, sexist, homophobic and violent." -George Weinberg
Intresting surname.
Hmm... That would be better if God would just sit in the corner with endless tolerance, peace all day every day and being a gay?
@@somah1470 What would a world without God look like? I imagine it looks exactly like the one in which we find ourselves.
The politically correct word for religious brainwashing is: Indoctrination.
@@somah1470You didn’t get selected for the debate team, did you?
My Grandmother was excommunicated from the Catholic Church at 16 for the crime of being a pregnant.As a Catholic Italian who with her fiancé who was 22 a Protestant Scot wanted to marry. The Priest hurled vile epitaphs at them and said he would not marry a “mixed faith/birth origin couple”. He had the congregation run them out of the small town Cumberland BC. So proud to be excommunicated!
Do not believe this statement.
There was a lot of wrongs done in d name of d Church yrs ago people have copped on nowadays
If true it is not "excommunication from the Catholic Church " nor evidence that Italians or Protestants are evil ..or an argument that 16yr olds should get pregnant. Some people in any demographic: political, racial, atheist, religious, economic, urban, agricultural , educational ,etc.,do bad things CONTRARY TO THE BELIEFS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO HOLD it doesn't invalidate the beliefs or show that they are to blame.
I loathe priests.
Why not? This happened many times over. @@maxrawnsley1401
I love and admire Mr. Fry! I am a Christian and agree with Mr. Fry.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
Oh you amazing, incredible, intelligent ,empathetic ,genuinely clever and brilliant man. I am humbled and enlightened by your ‘’ truth telling’’.
As someone born into a large Irish Catholic family and who attended Catholic schools, I couldn’t agree more!
Twelve years of Catholic education here which successfully turned me into a non-Xtian.
I went to Catholic School from grade school through college. If I go to Mass, it’s when I want to go. I love Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Fry is brilliant and has brought out the exploitation of all organizations who have ruined decent values.
I attended 2 catholic schools baptised confirmed it turned me away from the church I couldn't agree more
Any organization that spends your donations on lawyers to defend pedophiles is not good in any way.
Yes I also agree. Light and Love Along Your Way.
I am a man who has traveled and seen much, experiences in my life are full, both good and bad, suffering grief and loss as well as love, friendships and belonging, but with all that I have here and now, I could never get this point across as eloquently as Mr Stephen Fry, salute.
Perhaps not, but your comment was incredibly eloquent and you gave me pause to consider some of the fullness of my own life and for that, I salute you!
WELL-SPOKEN I shall try to listen again to the content , however painful it may be. I found it hard to hear that Mr Fry is happy for me to KEEP MY VIRGIN MARY AND THE SACRAMENTS OF MY CHURCH. There no doubt will come a time when he might not be so happy for that to happen.
Nothing amazing here, just a bitter Neo-Marxist in an echo-chamber of his disciples. Stephen Fry, so boring.
@@roypannell504 Are you threatening him?
I was raised Catholic. My mother found great comfort in the Catholic Church. I'm glad it brought her joy. I, on the other hand, couldn't wait to be old enough to reject this institution.
14 years later and this is still as relevant as ever
And will continue to be relevant till all religion irradiated
The Catolic church is almost two thousand years old. Fourteen years is nothing compared to it. And, it will never get rid of its dogma.
2000 years later, even
@@misomil2716 Are you a Then/They?? also its "Catholic" Moron!!
14?
Agreed! I love seeing the people that disagree, their faces twisted and you can see them thinking away trying not to stand up and have a tantrum.... Stephen, you're a genius. You can't get a better speaker on this subject. I wish they didn't cut him off at a time limit, and just let's him talk fully for as long as he wanted!
Indeed. Horrible unfeeling people. See the ones in the front row silently baulking over Hitchen's bit on condoms. Robots!
@nuntana2 The world has gone nuts, just let people live their lives, right? I don't know why in this age everything just goes to a ridiculous level of people jumping up and down about something that frankly does not affect them unless they choose it does...? 😮💨 I guess they want their 5 minutes, but sadly make the 5 mins making themselves look like pretentious robots, that have to have everything there way or... tantrum lol (probably to get another 5 mins 🤣)
❣️the most polite succinct rejection of Catholicism. Deepest thanks to Stephen Fry, brilliance and seemingly fearless. Lots of love dear man❣️
No, just a bitter old Neo-Marxist in an echo-chamber of his disciples. Painting a completely unbalanced picture as well as spinning some lies. Stephen Fry, so boring.
The towering intellect of Mr. Fry stands way above the dogmatic "justifications" of established religions.
No religion has clean hands or attitudes. Look only at how it treats the women of the world. How, now and in the past, women are denegrated and abused. How children are dismissed. How men are shielded from their wrongdoings. How the churches have demanded monies as "donations" from the poorest even to the extent of fining the poor for not attending services on Sunday. Religion is a method of controlling the masses through fear and superstition.
The Apple Shill/Stooge is well read but is not an intellect of note and sounding nasally intelligent is a mile away from being intelligent. He is the epitome of English Snobbishness in which the delivery of information in the couched halls of Institutions long since dead is confused by the equally moribund as being of relevance to the world. He has not in all his time on Earth produced anything approaching the quality of the persons he emulates (Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde, ...) and I think his darker periods stem from the cognisance of that. We all however live in hope and to that extent are inherently religious at heart.
you would like a friendly power to eliminate Christianity, I guess
@@silveriorebelo2920 Not really. I would like people to be free of the influence of all religions. They are all about control, just some are currently more controlling than others.
@@silveriorebelo2920education will do that, it's doing that already!
What an intellectual treasure Stephen and the late Hitch.
Excellent loved every minute & agree with every word.
That is the most animated I have ever seen him. His voice was wavering with emotion because he was speaking from the depths of his emotions. I am deeply impressed. My view of him has changed from indifference to admiration.
He was wavering with emotion because he hates christians and is a huge hypocrite.
One of the really rare times I actually seen him angry.
Organized religion (any religion) is not a force for good in the world. Organized religion is about power!
IMO, all 'organized religions' are first and foremost a political body created for control of the masses.
Power and control over people. It is the exact opposite of personal spiritual growth. That is why some people see 'the church' as the anti christ.....that is a whole different discussion!!
@@DrCrabfingersYou either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
“…” “It don’t Live in The Real World, ain’t never Gonna Understand Reality.”
@@ComfortsSpecter Spirituality and faith in a divine being is not the same thing as an organized religion with a hierarchy of the clergy and the lay people
We are very lucky to have such an intelligent man In Stephen Fry , as a free thinking person ,instead of just accepting what we have been TOLD to believe instead of thinking logically for ourselves about a god. After all since we were born in the last few years it has been rammed down our throats to believe in a god without knowing if there is a god.
If there wasn’t a God - none of us would be here. Put your brain in gear before you start the engine. In other words. Think before you speak.
None of what he is talking about has anything to do with theological argumentation.
I'm speechless. Just 👏👏👏👏 to everything he has said, forever and ever!
He is spot on. Thank you Stephen Fry.
Eloquence, pure eloquence, humanity, grace and intelligence. What a wonderful man.
Love the Bishop and his sidekick squirming in their seats at the onslaught of truth.
I've watched Stephen and Hitch do this debate many times. I never tire of it. They are different in their deliveries, but the message is the same and delivered with the same passion. Power corrupts. The Catholic Church is the victim of its own success. Money and power became the goals and honest regard for people was disregarded.
Thank you. If people want to know more about the RC church they might look back at the foundation of that church, not in Galilee or Jerusalem, but in Rome in the third century. Study why Emperor Constantine turned the empire from classical paganism, with its platonic philosophy and toleration of many different religions, to a minority sect with cells throughout the empire. Christianity. At the start, the church of Rome, was about power and regimenting beliefs under the rule of the father of his people, or the pope. The very word stood for the imperial father, the patriarch, the controller. Constantine and his family dynast were powerful, ambitious and murderous. The empire died but the church remained. It was at the beginning about power and still is - telling women what to do with their bodies, damning gays and the remaining power plays. The residue of three Empires, Roman, Spanish and Holy Roman Empires. Sorry for the length of this rant.
It's not the length of the rant that's the problem, it's the total lack of truth. @@colinmoore9409
So well argued. Could you now write another long rant about the way that islam is so accepting of gays and also allows women to have total control of their own bodies. I can't wait to read that@@colinmoore9409
Thank you so much... as time goes by the vileness of this church will no doubt end in its own tragedy... most religions teach the most dishonest lessons in the world today
Oh, and what lessons are those? @@grahmhw3111
Tax the churches just like you would any other self-declaring "charity". They have had a free ride for WAY too long.
Screw that. I'd rather we just ban them altogether.
And don't forget the synagogues either... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@tonyvindett87 Think of the revenue off televangelists alone! Universal health care, universal education, universal childcare . . .
meh, we need to have an established church to maintain state rituals like remembrance day, coronations, state funerals....so I would keep the state religion tax free - or return it's taxes as a grant and tax all the others (and private schools and non NHS healthcare) They are all businesses.
@@occamraiser The established church says you 'need' an established church for those functions, with their hand out. Dancing naked in the light of a full moon accomplishes just much as an established church ritual, and it's more fun. Cheaper, too.
Wow. As a “recovering Catholic,” I’m in full agreement. Thank you Mr. Fry for your unflinching, brilliant, witty truth. Appreciated the view of discomfited faithful in the room.
Recovering catholic here as well, full agreement as well!
Never heard that term before but I guess I am a recovering Catholic as well. My mother converted when she was 26 also. The Catholic Church was of no assistance to her when she was widowed in her 30s with 4 daughters, one an infant. No doubt because she married a non Catholic in a mixed marriage where our father agreed we would be raised Catholic. Yet she believed and her faith got her through some rough times. I have to say she wasn’t a blind believer and did stick up for us when a priest or nun treated us unkindly. Too many atrocities and crimes have been committed in this world in the name of religion by hypocrites.
Unbelievable!! That was stunning!! Every word was truth!! If only world leaders were so eloquent when explaining how they spend our taxes!! ❤🎉❤🎉❤
This was possibly one of the most eloquent, savage orations I have ever heard. He went point by point with humor, grace, and unflinching focus, to breakdown every Catholic apologist statement. I am truly impressed.
I love that he ends his remarks so positively, so affirmingly. Nothing could more clearly exemplify that his quarrel is not with Catholics, with Catholicism as a concept, or with any earnest search for meaning and spiritual guidance - in short, his utter lack of partisanship for its own sake. Nothing could more clearly demonstrate his simple urgent purpose, to put love and simple decency at the heart of all our endeavors. His basic point seems to be, “you can’t very well claim to be a force for good in the world till at a minimum you stop inflicting these evils on it.”
Isn’t that like saying that his quarrel is not with Nazis but with national socialism? So the Nazis weren’t responsible for their atrocities, rather it was just national socialism? Wow, no one has to take any responsibility. He’s trying to walk the wire and not offend anyone by blaming it on an abstract construct. It is and was Catholics, Catholic people that killed and raped and robbed, just about anybody that didn’t believe in what they believed in. Catholics are defined by Catholicism so they are the same thing. Catholicism and the Catholics that carry out this Catholicism are intertwined into one thing. Don’t minimize their responsibility. Without Catholics, Catholicism wouldn’t hurt anyone. Steven, yeah your well educated and I guess some people consider you smart but your splitting hairs so thin to not be anti anything or offend anyone that you’ve made yourself silly.
@81etc Very well put.
Stephen Fry, an inherently kind and good man, speaks the truth to those who not only don't recognise the truth but would deny it if they did.
Stephen Fry is a genius. I have never heard anyone put over such a strong argument for the Truth. He also has a great sense of humor and is in my opinion a really great and compassionate guy.
We seriously need more Stephen Frys in the world
A superb and well reasoned argument,Stephen Fry is an absolute master and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church should take note!
They have.... they've forbidden clerics from smoking!!
I would entrust my children to a gay friend every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I will never allow a priest of the Catholic Church to be with 500m of them, and certainly never alone!
Was forced to go to Sunday school, congregational in Tollesbury Essex , hated it all that crap , had my moment of glory as a boy soprano singing "All In the April " .. evening , some hippy rising from the dead up a solar powered stepless elevator , God doesn't exist . We are all derived from something we will never understand trillions of trilions of years ago , to get to the nearest what is thought to be a habitable planet would take over 60,000 years .
He has such a command of expressing himself in the English language. No 'like' or 'you know' to be heard
Every radio show, commentary, news report nowadays in the U.S. is given by people saying ," like" , "you know", "um", as if untrained ijits while being highly paid, speaking to large audiences, while stations allow this low level of unintelligent speaking with station managers and all " professionnel" others either don't catch a word or themselves talk the same low class way. Who needs it?
As a first grader in a Catholic school learning about purgatory, the Old Testament, the absolute power of the priests and lack of that power in the nuns, I gave up and never believed again. Catholicism became the antithesis of kindness, fairness, and charity. Plus knowing they're filthy rich, while plucking every last penny from their followers. Oh, and the old priest who sexually abused two of my sisters and tried to groom my twin sister and myself. That about did it. Thank you, Stephen Fry.
Take a detached, critical look at Eastern Orthodoxy. Just a thought.
@@brianhollingworth375 What aboutism? Or are you suggesting that Eastern Orthodoxy is a good alternative?
Its about time these truths were exposed. Ive found out awful things happened to indigenous families who suffered under their care years ago
As an ex catholic, I couldn't agree more. Bravo Stephen.
As a current Catholic, I couldn't Disagree more! The Catholic Church that Jesus Christ established on Peter the rock, way before the new testament was ever written, is indeed a source of good, defending all life from Conception to natural death! Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink
@@matthewbroderick6287you believe in an invisible “being” that created all man women and lesbians.. when you say it out loud it’s actually quite frightening 😅
@alanmc1846 Yes, I do! To not believe is quite laughable actually!🤣
I consider myself to be a "recovering Catholic". Peace. :P
@@billc.4584 I consider myself to be a blessed Catholic Christian, grateful to the Holy Spirit for His Church! Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink
Bravo , Mr Fry. Brilliant! Speak the truth.
Loved it !! Mr Fry is 100% right. All religions are political. Love is my religion ❤️
Why didn't someone think of this before..Have you given a thought to taking out a patent on your wonderfully original idea?....Perhaps it could be picked up by an established political party....Wouldn't that be a first?..
I noticed the catholic dignitaries muttering 'No' and 'but' when they should have listened to Stephen's interpretation of what a Christian should be. Stephen was right when he made his point about the simple Judaean carpenter and how he would not relate to today's Catholic constructs. My message to the Pope is stop driving your followers away with your false narratives.
They are so used to arrogantly telling people "no" to one thing/act/thought after another, that it just comes automatically from them, even when they might better be listening respectfully & considering what is heard with a touch of humble, open-minded honesty & wisdom. Those gestures & mutterings were intended for the audience, as in "Lest any of you take this man's words seriously or to heart, know that we, your betters & leaders in Christ, do not approve. Beware the Devil Fry."
Very few orators have the intelligence and style to effortlessly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the brilliant and much-missed Hitch. Stephen is one of that few.
How lucky we are to hear his ideas, beliefs, superior use of the language to bring facts and reality into the public square. To hear him unpack the articles and behaviors of the Catholic Church is powerful and stunning.
Absolutely brilliant! Good for you Stephen, what a wonderfully accurate delivery your speech was.
My favourite debate ever. I like how the audience's opinion changes so much from hearing two very good polemicists, although admittedly also two bad ones. I guess the Catholic Church doesn't have many clever people to defend it these days.
The only reasons politicians tolerate religion: Money and votes.
Well that's sorted. I love you to bits, Stephen. I would so wish that you would say something on the topic of climate change. Pleeeeeese!
What a magnificent speaker and intellect . And he is correct how many poor Irish had to keep having children to keep the Catholic Church keep its numbers
Just a bitter old Neo-Marxist in an echo-chamber of his disciples. Painting a completely unbalanced picture as well as spinning some lies. Stephen Fry, so boring.
I totally agree with Stephen Fry's viewpoint of the Catholic church. I'm from Ireland (now aged 72), and I saw what the nuns and the priests did to so many children that, by the time I reached the age of 15, I had become an atheist. I enjoyed and appreciated every single word that came out of his mouth, and his intelligence is undeniably enviable.
Hi Eire55, well, my great grand-father was the only family survivor of the Great Potato Famine and emigrated to the US (Boston) where he was persecuted by Protestant British ancestry Americans. Mr. Fry's comments deals with details and mistakes of the Catholic Church in its 2,000 year history - I had cousins killed in the Irish riots of the seventies, now, please explain/describe to me any religion, in the totality of human history, that do not have their own scandals - be honest. As Jesus (if you believe in Him) said -..."“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her..." Show me a country/religion/belief/.../human that has never made mistakes. It is very easy to pick and choose other people/religion/race/etc...'s faults - and make fun of it. Mr. Fry made a fortune doing just that. Having seen combat, I was saved (physically and spiritually) by a priest and a nun who protected me and tended to my injuries in Afghanistan. They risked their lives, and the nun was later raped and killed. Yes, this world is not perfect - never was. I am sorry that I do not "enjoy and appreciate every single word that comes out of his mouth..." and "... that I do not share with you that "...his intelligence is undeniably enviable..." Ciao, L
I also chose atheism at around 16 years old... Religion sounds so romantic and sweet, until you actually look at what they have been doing!
@@fosphor8920 Yes, and what have they actually been doing, lately, as a matter of policy - not as some extremist(s) have done in the past. Humans are notorious for not always "doing the right thing" - it is possible that even you, is not perfect. Ciao, L
@@lancelot1953 You are clearly a very angry and narrow-minded person, and making comparisons about the human race as a whole isn't going to change anything, either past, present, or even the future. Deal with it.
@@fosphor8920 Those of us who have chosen atheism are the ones who think for themselves, unlike those who are tethered by the ancient and ignorant rules made by those who wish to control us with imaginary and fake deities. Stay safe and well, wherever you are.
Such a powerful speech. Only Fry, Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens can take these religious fundamentalists to task. I would have loved to see more of the audience reactions every time he dropped a heavy hitting point. Brilliant.
I’ve never heard someone put my thoughts and feelings into words so eloquently. I watched this multiple times 😅 What a master class in knowledge and putting those uncomfortable facts on the table for discussion. ❤💯💯💯
What “facts”? Please be specific
@TrumpCantRead Child abuse (rape) as perpetrated and perpetuated by the catholic church.
@@TrumpCantRead Watch/listen again, he laid it all out quite clearly I thought.
@@stevewalston7089 You are probably not very well educated on the subject, that why you are easy to manipulate.
Oh YES!!!!!!!!!! ME too............
Ex-Catholic here. And I completely agree
Bought up Catholic but now an atheist, I'm with you....
What an amazing speech and everything he said is so true, I bet the Church wasn’t expecting that speech you could see them squirming and by the applause the sleeping audience was awakened, Stephen Fry total respect and admiration , the best speech I’ve ever heard 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Spot on, Stephen Fry. I was brought a Catholic & my school days were an absolute misery, in many ways. I agree with everything he says.
I was also brought up as a Catholic and attended Catholic Schools before University .Unlike User I had happy experiences and met some wonderful teachers and priests .In my opinion the Catholic Church is a force for good in this tragic World .
@@annewalden3795I feel sorry for you and many others who have been brainwashed,Did you even listen to this gentleman.
What i love is, not just how intelligent steven's argument is, but how even when he disagees with a point how respective he is. When we have opposing views we need to take a big leaf out of his book.
Never been a fan of Fry but this delivery was brilliant. Very well informed, passionate , no need for notes. How many converts I wonder. Will wait anxiously for his next speech.
Stephen is a National treasure
What Mr. Fry said actually applies to any church, not just RC. Everyone's free to believe in whatever (s)he wants but church is not about faith, it is about power.
As an x- catholic,what a profound and brilliant speech!"give all you have to the poor and follow me." "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
The only reasons politicians tolerate religion: Money and votes.
But Fry is a homosexual & (in my book) that is sinful. "And God created them both male & female" he didn't create queers!!
Did he create priests to molest children?
@@davidoneill9244Who created queers then?
@@davidoneill9244 Did you forget the part about "created in His own image"?
Thank you Mr. Fry. Thank you. The catholic church doesn’t deserve anything for the grief they cause.
As a catholic i feel catholic church has enlightened me and given me joy. All of those nonsense said by atheists about catholic church makes me even more devouted catholic.
So by saying nonsense are you suggesting that all that was said in reference to the RCC in this video is somehow made up ?? Are you suggesting that it's all lies with zero truth to what is said here ?? How can anyone stand up in public and make up these claims in front of countless people, in person and on social media and not be easily proven as a fake who makes up false stories about a huge institution like the RCC ? And if these things that he said do actually carry truth to them, how do you become even more devoted to a system that has and continues to victimize so many human beings. So much harm and hurt in so many lives over the many years and somehow you become more devoted... ??
@@XtR3m15t^
@@AquaFyrre Please don't be one of those people that tries to excuse atrocities committed by the Church as 'mistakes'. A mistake is accidental. The executive of Protestants as heretics, the abuse of children and the condemnation of gay people, to give three examples, are not mistakes, they're three calculated, morally repugnant choices made by the Church. They are not mistakes
Right, decades (& likely centuries) of child abuse and covering it up are "mistakes."
I've seen this a few times now every now and then and each time I'm humbled by the eloquence and passion of Mr. Fry and Mr. Hitchens on this subject and amazed by the utter drivel of their counterparts.
I never thought the phrase "BUT SO DO CONDOMS!" could land so hard and perfectly. But Stephen Fry nailed it.
❤ I've never more wanted time machine , so I could attend this lecture and give Stephen Fry a standing ovation. Throw Rose's at his blessed feet ❤
You'd need a spacetime machine. Sadly, as we understand it, going back in time is not an option.
Do you really talk like that?
Me, too. It’s a life-changing event.
In our dimension @@Romamb
Silly. Person you ARE
Bravo!!!! Such an amazing individual; intelligent, compassionate, loving, incredible orator - and the list goes on. I sat mesmerized listening to him.. So glad I stumbled upon this..
Nothing amazing here, just a bitter Neo-Marxist in an echo-chamber of his disciples. Stephen Fry, so boring.
Like all institutions Money and Power is their GOD.. Great Speech by Stephen, Great to see Christopher too.. !!
Oh wowwwwwww !!! you said it soooo beautifully & sooooooo eloquently !!!💜💜💜
Hearing how the stories of the church was years ago it astonishes me how the Catholic Church still has believers
It’s because they’ve leeched onto Jesus who would’ve been the Stephen Fry of their day. While they’ve used their position for hoarding of wealth and other atrocities they can hide behind the message of Jesus which still speaks to a lot of people. If the Catholic Church disappeared tomorrow (I wish) their followers would still look to Jesus’ message for guidance. Then there’s the issue of lost in translation, but that’s a whole other can of worms
Kind of like Trump today
No jesus was not gay
Wisdom is never mandatory but it's always priceless
Great review and thoughts, thank you! I went to Catholic grade school in the 1960's. In second grade I witnessed a nun slam a second grade boy into a wall. The yardsticks, rulers, slaps, the energetic boys received all of it, myself included. By fifth grade I figured out the hypocrisy of the church, which today extends to all religions. I learned as an adult how our Franciscan nuns dressed head to toe in black, with black veil, and white cardboard chest cover dressed exactly like a middle eastern sect of the Druze tribe of women. From 1,500 years ago to 1965 our crazed Catholic nuns attempted to teach six year old children with a yardstick, a bell, and half a dozen books.
I've spoken to nuns who did these things to children. They told me the religious ( fathers?) we're abusing them too although that is no excuse.
@@sandralibeau4795 broken people hurt other people.
Horrific, ghastly cult - “EAT THE FLESH DRINK THE BLOOD” Childish nonsense of ritual and costume
Thank goodness the Church is not just restricted to the English. It is true some people behaved other than according to Christ's Good News, and should know better. The Holy Roman Catholic Church is made up of sinners and saints because humans are inherently made up of Free Will which can go either way, tend towards goodness or reject it and falling for Satan. What is worrying is Stephen Fry is now luring people away from the Church like it or not, that is commissioned to bring the message of salvation to all. The Church has good people in it too. Yes some nuns and priests have been wicked. Perhaps they did not do what they were meant to do, and that is to have a clean up of the conscience at least monthly, as Our Lady is reminding us believers and ALL humanity to make a return to a belief in Her Son, and to do what He taught and still teaches for the Church is still alive and kicking with a constant message of conversion, a turning away from sin that he, Stephen Fry quotes, and live a sinless life. The Confessional should be used by all people. In fact, it is much better than a sitting at the Psychologist's. I am of Italian extraction and know of good Catholics. This man should stop tainting the whole church with the same filthy brush. He needs also to hear the sermon coming from the pulpit of a Catholic Church, and not the only sermon going on in his own head. He needs to make a pilgrimage to Medjugorje and be open to Jesus' mother's messages. He too needs to eat humble pie because the message of truth regarding eternity applies to him too. The only thing we own, Our Lady reminds us, is our SOUL. That is the thing we should be concerned about saving on this earth. Death will come to us all. Accumulating wealth and forgetting about this is the work of Satan. Satan wants nothing less than to have all humanity down in Hell with Him. The seers at Fatima freaked out when they were given the grace or chance to see what Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, were like. They preferred to die than to see more of Hell than was given them. So everyone might revel and enjoy Stephen Fry denouncing the Church so that he too can continue to live the lifestyle he wants which I think might not be in keeping with the Ten Commandments, but far be it from me to judge him, I shall leave that to Almighty God, and so in tainting the Church by giving it a bad name, he is inadvertently or deliberately saying he is living a better life by being outside the Church. Can we be sure? But, let me remind everyone that Christ made a claim that no other guru has made: 'No one goes to the Father except through me. Whoever sees me sees the Father. Only I have the words to eternal life.' Besides, that life starts on earth at mass, where we eat of His Body and drink of His Blood. The Last Supper, painted by Leondardo da Vinci was not depicting a booze up with his mates! NO, it was an invitation almost an admonition, to 'Do this, in memorial of me.' Do what? I hear you ask...Break the bread and drink the wine at mass, that when consecrated by one of his consecrated priests, become His Body and Blood, Holy Communion. ( This too is the reason that our protestant Christian Churches, in not being in Communion with Jesus' Church, i.e. with Rome, don't have the capacity or indeed the charism of bringing us Holy Communion and all the other Sacraments fully). In the modern world do we not hear said, that we are what we eat? Well, then, it follows that by eating and drinking of Jesus Christ we should then draw closer to Him becoming more like Him and strengthened in Him, we sin less and less. And, by availing ourselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession we get stronger and stronger and can blind Satan not doing His bidding anymore, and can say we are going to save our soul, and be united with all those who've lived saintly lives. Perhaps counted among them are our loved ones who've gone before us, and live in eternity. The seers at Medjugorje have said they can't wait to go because there is nothing so beautiful on earth that can give credence to Heaven, to what it is like. We must all aspire to a life in Heaven, our final resting place. Satan's task, and he seems to be winning, is to make humans forget that Heaven exists. That money and fame is so egocentrically satisfying to distract us from one of the tenets of our Christian faith. Let's not heed his words but make a return to a belief in Christ even if the Church has been less than immaculate in the past. Stephen Fry might have some weight in cricitising the Church but he has no right to lead people on a path that leads to Perdition. The latter is what Satan's job or task is, and we should not follow Satan but Christ. Amen and Merry Christmas everyone.
@@TrumpCantReadNot everyone whose been harmed harms others.
" I'm a bloaty welder from Kent in England, you are so right, I'm probably not as well educated, .. but Douglas Adams in the Hitck hikers Guide guide to the galaxy put it so well when he described Jesus as ' a Man who was nailed to a tree for saying how nice it would be to be nice to people for a change ' , I think Douglas Adams wasn't perhaps so precise in his terminology, but he was so right, ... love you , and I'm just a bloaty welder "
Bravo mr. Fry 👏🏼👏🏼 first time I heard you speak. What have I been doing with my life? Incisive, eloquent, educated.
He’s saying what everyone needs to hear, but unfortunately most will not listen.
And such a lovely voice, clever, witty,thoughtful an all round special man
When history looks at Stephen Fry and all his brilliant accomplishments, I sincerely hope he is lastly known as an actor and comedian because, while brilliant, he should be first and best known as a Philosophical and Activist of Love ❤️
I love Stephen Fry's truth, morality, intelligence and his courage!
It's 100% his opinion and I disagree. It's none of your business nor is it his!! Stop thinking and telling us that you are a better person when you are clearly demonstrating that you are not!
We heard so many people like Stephen Fry during the centuries mocking Christ and His true Church. Jesus IS THE CHURCH. Believe Mr Fry at your own peril.
👆I didn’t hear a hint of Fry mocking Christ. Instead, he critiqued the Roman Catholic Church. He’s certainly not the first person to do so. Others continue to expose much more than he did during this 20 minute speech in 2009~ in more in depth and with more detail.
And Jesus said, "and now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.” Matthew 16:17-19 - The Message Version. St. Peter is the first Pope.
Yeah shitting on christians is very brave. Now let's hear him say something about Islam and Judaism, eh?
I've never understood why Stephen Fry is famous, but now I know. This is, without a doubt, the single most profound and enlightening piece of his work that I've seen. Well done Mr. Fry, you nailed it!
I've enjoyed his acting over many years. He's rather good &, I believe, eligible for fame for that, no?
@@echognomecal6742 We had very little exposure to Stephen in the states.
I've seen a few of Mr. Fry's elocutions on various subjects. He always approaches a subject with poise, grace, and a decided lack of animosity.
Melchett: Are we all ready to give those French a good licking? Darling: It’s the Germans we’ll be licking, sir. Melchett: Don’t be ridiculous, Darling. I wouldn’t lick a German if he were glazed in honey!
@@philbarrows2431 :) I'm American as well.
This is a real man Stephen Fry who stands before all the world to ignite the serious vulnerability of those in power who disregard the humanitarian values of life itself.Mr Fry has increased his simple love for fellow man and really sincerely appreciate his outspoken words of truth.If there were more like minded people like him in the world there would surely be a spectrum of freedom to live life side by side in harmony and the right to speak the truth freely without supresstionism.Thankyou so much for a courageous speech.
Genuinely passionate! I was a Catholic… until I thought about it.
Sad, for I am not convinced by his arguments at all, for I too have asked a lot of those questions for which he seems to have an answer, but knowing that the Church is true, I can never subscribe to his take on things, besides he wants to live the life he wants which could be out of kilter with Christian living. And I am here talking about anything that is not in keeping with God's law in the Ten Commandments, is living the life one wants without having to answer to a higher being. We Catholics, that he is poking fun at, the Church Christ founded which smacks of paternalism because of what he says of the male exclusivity of the priesthood, just trust in what Christ instituted. I learned a long time ago that if Christ wanted to he could've chosen Mary, His mother or Magdalene, the ex prostitute to be a priest, but He did not, for women have other more pressing concerns. We women are nurturers by nature and can support them in their exclusive role to say mass, hear confessions, pray for everyone, administer the last rites and so on...They need our support not our ridicule. And, apostolic succession is true it is just that Stephen Fry, an outsider and a Jew just can't get his head around this power that Christ passed on via the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity promised by Christ whom would be sent to all the apostles and Mary in the Cenacle room on the First Pentecost Sunday in order to start the Church. Stephen Fry doesn't have a healthy respect for the tenets of the faith because he is choosing to go his own way, and probably because he wishes to continue on his merry way, live a lifestyle not in keeping with God's law. That's the way of the World. Mary, at her current apparition site in Medjugorje is appearing daily to three of the seers, and has been doggedly at it for 42 years, (for the others too, until those apparitions daily stopped, for theirs could be promised once a year, since 1981) with messages for the world. I heard only overnight, that Saint Pope John Paul II at one point in his prayer life asked that Our Lady should help him and the Church for He felt He could no longer evangelise on his own, not even with all the priests and churches in existence for Satan is powerful and winning converts himself. Pope John Paul could see many people moving away from the faith, and this video doesn't help either. Satan is gaining many adherents for he wants nothing more than for humans not to think of eternity, that this world is all there is, make money, horde things because Heaven doesn't exist. But we know that to be a lie. Every day someone dies, and where do we think they are going to go? Mary is here reminding the world that life is short and that the mission of the Holy Roman Catholic Church is true, to save one's soul so let's get cracking by having our conversions and believing in Christ and not in any other guru who appears on the scene. That person does not have the words to eteranl life, even if well meaning. Amen, don't be swayed by the smooth talkers of this world. Stephen Fry is held up to be an intelligent individual and I don't dispute that, but if he is luring people away from Christ's doctrine then he will ultimately have to answer to God for luring people away from salvation. Let's pray for his conversion, which must start with eating humble pie. Amen.
@@rosafilosi3117 while i agree with very little of your statement, what i like about Christianity is the very central tenant of love and forgiveness. Steven is free to state his beliefs without fear of violent vengeance. This would not be true with some angrier beliefs. I exclude from true Christianity, of course, right wing fundamentalists who demand that we adhere to their ideas or face consequences that might be quite unpleasant.
Me too! I didn’t lapse I thought about it.
At a time when many religious folks are pushing for more organized religion in the public space, rational debate is essential to challenge the threat.
There is no proof god ever exsisted other than the, "Book that Ruler Constantine had written in 300AD." He had the Bible written to give the slaves hope so they wouldn't rebel. LOL Human's are so easily fooled eh? Our new eVangelicow's have now created their own image of god called, "The New Orange Maga Christ Trump!"
Religious treat you say, You would not have so much art, freedom, education, human rights protection and care for people if it was not for the catholic religion, maybe you do not know much about religion
Freedom? Catholicism? LOL.@@jamesbradshaw3389
@@jamesbradshaw3389 Religion has taught us to hate other religions...that's all it has ever done. I heard a General speak to the Graduating Class of Officer's at West Point saying, "Our God is much more stronger than their God," when the USA was going to fight Iraq!
Today, most people, including Christians are influenced and live by the designs and dictates of few individuals and groups. These know, they can make profits out of people that stand for nothing; even if their products are harmful to the body and mental wholeness of their consumer-victims. They know they can change the worldview and value system of those who stand for nothing, in order to serve their evil plans.Those few, design evil, and present it as life made good and easy.
I love Mr Fry. Well thought out, intelligent and fair. Also, spot on.
I so agree with you, in a way that I can’t express, you however, express wonderfully everything I feel.
2015 was the year the full video was uploaded. The event itself took place in 2009. Christopher Hitchens passed away in 2011.
My mum was a converted catholic. The people I had to deal with with when she died were among the most arrogant I've ever encountered in my life.
Stephen Frye is a great and valuable gift to our humanity.
Stephen Fry is an incredible man. Utterly brilliant.
Hear! Hear! Mr Frye lays it out! Good man!!👍💪
I am fully in awe of Stephen Fry. He is a force for good in this world. We are blessed to have him in our time.
I think Stephen is spot on and agree with him 100%. But I don’t consider myself ‘blessed’. What exactly does that mean??
Yes, a good man instead of this cruel god.
@dorothylaplante7243 Still waiting for you to define what ‘We are blessed…’ means exactly.
Never be in awe of anyone. He is just a human being. I think he was funny in Geeves and Wooster........however unlike him I am a Christian. I do not feel the pressing need to argue about it. It is part of who I am. I don't go to a large institutional church, just a small group of us who are affirming, which means we accept everybody in cluding LGBTQ+. As I have got older I realise that human beings are just that, human. Stephen Fry may well be clever, but if there was a crisis would he be essential? We would perhaps lean more on Nurses or Medics. We all have our talents, our callings, our unfulfilled dreams........but Stephen Fry is no better or worse than I am. He has never been as successful as Hugh Laurie , and never will be. I can bet he is a bit miffed about that. I think that is why he opens his mouth to let his belly rumble........anyway......I think I have more regard for the folks who empty our trash everyday as opposed to Steohen Fry. Never be in awe of anyone.
@@dr.jamesolack8504You don't know what "blessed" means? 😂😂😂 Not to worry, try Google for a start, or ask a good Christian.
Brilliant man. Eloquent, truthful and the world needs more like him. Kudos Stephen ❤
This is why i love Mr Fry. This is why i love thinking on my own. This is why i love intelligence.
While I agree whole heartedly with Stephen Fry's assertion that organized religion (Roman Catholic church in particular) has been a force for... badness.... evil even? I think his understanding of catholic or Christian theology in some of his arguments is... tenuous at best.
Admirable and brilliantly-articulated speech in favour of Humanism.
Not so much Humanism as just plain Humane.
But what does Stephen Fry have to offer for eternity? Disputing the Church and Her docrtine is leading people away from Christ's claim of having the words to eternal life, contained in His doctrine, held by the Church, it is Her mission to evangelise the truth of the Gospels, like it or not. Stephen Fry has other fish to fry anyway...is he living the Ten Commandments? I hope so, for they are a formula for life and this humanism that people are going in for is not all about saving one's soul, but doing things humans' way and not God's way, necessarily. How or why? Well, without wanting to be accused of being judgemental, I shall let God decide if Stephen Fry is living in line with the will of God in His Ten Commandments. For many a times that's what it comes down to: an adherent either does things God's way or his own, humanistic way, which might just be closer to Satan's way, and Satan is achieving many converts because people no longer believe in chastity before marriage, they believe in love is love, and don't believe that sodomy too, is plain and simply, sodomy. Humans are playing God by using surrogacy to have children as though a woman's body can be hired, and some women are doing that, allowing their body to be used for a means of making money as I have seen in a third world country where survival is paramount, and so pay recourse to surrogacy to make a quick buck; or a grandmother assisting her grand-daughter to have a child...it all looks philanthropic on the surface but is it in keeping with God's law? Perhaps people have given up on prayer and don't ask in their prayer life for help? The power of the Rosary is not to be underestimated...I am here thinking of the 8 Jesuit priests who survived the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings of WWII by simply saying mass and praying their rosaries, and they did not just survive for a couple of years, post devastation for miles and miles, no! but for a good 30 or more years and traveled throughout the USA giving testimony of what happened... We should listen to Mary who goes in to bat for her Son, Jesus and not someone with a beef for the Church just because he finds it difficult to digest. Life wasn't meant to be easy but with the help of the Sacraments Christ set up, life is easier and more tasteful. Jesus promised so, that those who stay close to the vine will receive help, and life will therefore be a bit easier. And what can be more appetising than receiving Holy Communion, His real Body and Blood on the tongue for nourishment on this earth, in this life? No one else can give this food from Heaven, but Christ who instituted it in the Church Stephen Fry is denigrating. He will have much to answer for too!! Christianity is more beneficial than humanism...Left to our human selves we are making a mess of things...One only needs to look at the daily news or read the daily papers to see how much humans are 'good' , not!! and at what is taking place in the Holy Land and the Ukraine, and no, it is not on account of the Catholic Church but on a desire by Putin to make Moscow the third Rome...such a sad state of affairs! Let us trust in Christ and not in a human who has a beef with the Church, for that is doing Satan's bidding! And we are reminded at Medjugorje that Hell is real and many are going down there. And as if Satan cares about us!! He will drop all of his adherents like a hot potato.
The entire Humanist movement was fundamentally christian. Petrarch, Boccaccio, Salutati, Bruni, Bessarion, Ficino, Pico, Lefèvre, Valla, Budé, Alberti, Flaminio, Manetti, Traversari, Valla, Landino, Acciaiuoli and Erasmus. Each and every one a devout believer.
Brilliantly said, accurate. Thank you, Stephen Frey.
I watched this , and whole heartedly support what Stephen Fry put across!! I am the son of a Presbyterian Minister, and yet I find the story of their beliefs ( of any of the big four religions ) very difficult to take seriously!! All religions have their own agendas!!! And each make a fortune in dollars !! Which is purely what they are pursuing!!.... money is the god of all , and control of all people is their means!
Mr Fry is a national treasure and was absolutely spot on with this lecture. So nice to see Widacomb so uncomfortable too. Horrible woman.
I cannot add to the genuine kind words written about Stephen in the comments. A simple click on as many 'thumbs up' as time has allowed.