Richard Dawkins VS The Pope...

[LDN]

Knowing PH, this may well have already been mentioned but I've not seen anything...

Talk of legal action for the Pope's cover-up of sexual abuse on minors - when he visits the UK in September,

"Dawkins and Hitchens believe the Pope would be unable to claim diplomatic immunity from arrest because, although his tour is categorised as a state visit, he is not the head of a state recognised by the United Nations."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/art...

Probably a stunt of some sort but never-the-less an interesting and bold idea. Word is that many are willing to contribute toward any bills for legal action.

[TheD]

I think there will be a lot of support for Dawkins. I dont know if he will get away with it but definitely a bold move

[drivin_me_nuts]

Dawkins has no agenda other than self publicity.

What a perfect foil for him to hit the world media head on. Money, fame and need for 'justice' intertwined with the highly emotive real sufferings of others.

[ShadownINja]

That might answer one question I have, "What is the point in Dawkins?" He's turning into a really tedious tosser. He might be right. There might be no god. I'm sure he's infinitely more intelligent and knowledgeable than me but he's tediously smarmy. The Gordon Brown of the scientific world. Smarmy... yet miserable inside.

Y'know... why doesn't Dawkins actually do something useful for a change instead of whingeing about the same old things. Go to Africa, rescue orphans or pay for a school to be built or donate a wad (or even just time) to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Edited by ShadownINja on Sunday 11th April 18:32

[Mermaid]

ShadownINja said:

That might answer one question I have, "What is the point in Dawkins?" He's turning into a really tedious tosser. He might be right. There might be no god. I'm sure he's infinitely more intelligent and knowledgeable than me but he's tediously smarmy.

He is merely the messenger . In an case, I prefer him to the 000's of Mullah's we have preaching we are all infidels whilst busy claiming state benefits.

[ShadownINja]

Mermaid said:

ShadownINja said:

That might answer one question I have, "What is the point in Dawkins?" He's turning into a really tedious tosser. He might be right. There might be no god. I'm sure he's infinitely more intelligent and knowledgeable than me but he's tediously smarmy.

He is merely the messenger . In an case, I prefer him to the 000's of Mullah's we have preaching we are all infidels whilst busy claiming state benefits.

You make a good point.

It looks like he does do charity work, raising money for Haiti for instance, but he insists on putting the non-God thing in, so he's still a smarmy tosser.

[HOGEPH]

Richard Dawkins VS The Pope.

That'd be an interesting wrestling match.

[drivin_me_nuts]

He's a one trick pony and as his PR agents will keep on telling him, in a world with the attention span of 15 seconds, you have to become more and more 'extreme' to stay in the public spotlight.

He plays the PR game well, but his inherent smugness factor is increasing and is now close to DILLIGAF level 5.

[Colin 1985]

My Precious.

[garycat]

ShadownINja said:

Y'know... why doesn't Dawkins actually do something useful for a change instead of whingeing about the same old things. Go to Africa, rescue orphans or pay for a school to be built or donate a wad (or even just time) to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Edited by ShadownINja on Sunday 11th April 18:32

What like be one of the world's leading genetic biologists maybe? Perhaps his work will lead to a cure for cancer instead of just donating money for it.

[Dave Angel]

HOGEPH said:

Richard Dawkins VS The Pope.

That'd be an interesting wrestling match.

Celebrity Death Match...?

[LDN]

To be fair, he never said "I will arrest the pope" - that was the Times making a controversial headline. I know it's very British to be cyncical and suspicious of someones motives but most seem to be more bothered about his intentions rather than the popes cover for child abuse - and so it stands, Dawkins raises a good point. Can the pope not be dealt with in the same way Pinochet was...

Also, I was under the impression that Dawkins does do a lot for charity :/ I might be wrong.

[Colin 1985]

HOGEPH said:

Richard Dawkins VS The Pope.

That'd be an interesting wrestling match.

It could prove once and for all if God causes miracle on earth when the ground opens up and swallows Dawkins (or the pope, if it turns out the ancient Egyptian had it right all along)

[Blue Meanie]

ShadownINja said:

That might answer one question I have, "What is the point in Dawkins?" He's turning into a really tedious tosser. He might be right. There might be no god. I'm sure he's infinitely more intelligent and knowledgeable than me but he's tediously smarmy. The Gordon Brown of the scientific world. Smarmy... yet miserable inside.

Y'know... why doesn't Dawkins actually do something useful for a change instead of whingeing about the same old things. Go to Africa, rescue orphans or pay for a school to be built or donate a wad (or even just time) to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Edited by ShadownINja on Sunday 11th April 18:32

Yes, because this is about Dawkins isn't it, and not the fact that someone who knowingly covered up child abuse would be visiting the UK, and Dawkins said he should be prosecuted.

[Mermaid]

Colin 1985 said:

HOGEPH said:

Richard Dawkins VS The Pope.

That'd be an interesting wrestling match.

It could prove once and for all if God causes miracle on earth when the ground opens up and swallows Dawkins (or the pope, if it turns out the ancient Egyptian had it right all along)

But life would be so boring afterwards.

[Mermaid]

Blue Meanie said:

Yes, because this is about Dawkins isn't it, and not the fact that someone who knowingly covered up child abuse would be visiting the UK, and Dawkins said he should be prosecuted.

This is PH, where facts and logic are not to be brought into the discussion.

[tangent police]

There is a lot of crap spouted on Dawkins here from people who appear not to be familiar with the chap, or his writings.

I'd rather be a smarmy tt than a deluded moron

[Blue Meanie]

tangent police said:

There is a lot of crap spouted on Dawkins here from people who appear not to be familiar with the chap, or his writings.

I'd rather be a smarmy tt than a deluded moron

Well, not liking someone is fine. It has little to do with the points he makes, however.

[Windy Vortex]

tangent police said:

I'd rather be a smarmy tt than a deluded moron

But which one is which?

[Blue Meanie]

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/04/you_can...

Dawkins said:

Needless to say, I did NOT say "I will arrest Pope Benedict XVI" or anything so personally grandiloquent. You have to remember that The Sunday Times is a Murdoch newspaper, and that all newspapers follow the odd custom of entrusting headlines to a sub-editor, not the author of the article itself.

What I DID say to Marc Horne when he telephoned me out of the blue, and I repeat it here, is that I am whole-heartedly behind the initiative by Geoffrey Robertson and Mark Stephens to mount a legal challenge to the Pope's proposed visit to Britain. Beyond that, I declined to comment to Marc Horme, other than to refer him to my 'Ratzinger is the Perfect Pope' article here: http://richarddawkins.net/articles/5341

Here is what really happened. Christopher Hitchens first proposed the legal challenge idea to me on March 14th. I responded enthusiastically, and suggested the name of a high profile human rights lawyer whom I know. I had lost her address, however, and set about tracking her down. Meanwhile, Christopher made the brilliant suggestion of Geoffrey Robertson. He approached him, and Mr Robertson's subsequent 'Put the Pope in the Dock' article in The Guardian shows him to be ideal: http://richarddawkins.net/articles/5366 The case is obviously in good hands, with him and Mark Stephens. I am especially intrigued by the proposed challenge to the legality of the Vatican as a sovereign state whose head can claim diplomatic immunity.

Even if the Pope doesn't end up in the dock, and even if the Vatican doesn't cancel the visit, I am optimistic that we shall raise public consciousness to the point where the British government will find it very awkward indeed to go ahead with the Pope's visit, let alone pay for it.