A well put together polemic but, like Stephen Fry's argument, avoids all the good things the church has accomplished. Satan's campaign is going well, innit? Tatchell is gunning for very soft, easy targets in his old age. Who can blame him after being beaten to pulp by Mugabe heavies. He's had his share of media demonisation; time for him to enjoy their praise with his pipe and slippers.

JK2006 wrote:
very soft, easy targets

To mention Tatchell and the Pope together is akin to viewing US pastor Terry Jones (whose church has about 35 members) as relevant to Islam. Quite rightly, freedom of speech gives theses men some oxygen.

However, they have no mandate from anywhere and Tatchell has simply jumped on a variety of bandwagons overs the years; my bandwagon is down at my local MP's office; but Tatchell (and Jones) feel the need to bypass normal protest routes by hysteric/attention seeking interventions.

Benedict (a head of church and state) will not - as Tatchell knows - comment on his views, except through the proper channels. If it was otherwise, more would go down the routes of insult, exaggeration and lies - to further their cause.

Progress, however, has taken place in making protests and views made known on the information highway; sites such as this have a role to play; this will reduce the numbers of scorched dummies/effigies involved in screaming and egg throwing incidents which gain nothing, at all.

www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13111...-British-critic.html

Excellent article about TATCHELL v POPE.

Sort of sums the whole thing up really - sort of POT - KETTLE - BLACK.

Those attacking the Church really need to realise that it is not the Church that is the problem - it is SOCIETY which pumps out Porn to Pre Teens under the excuse of Music Videos and merchandise - then wonders why they then go out and experiment as soon as their hormones start to kick in - hence we have 60% of 13 year olds and upwards sexually active in 2010 and 90% by 18 years old. The CHURCH cant be blamed for this ?

I remember when documentaries were meant to be unbiased. This was an attack on Catholicism. On a more serious note, wasn't his taste in shirts dreadful.

Vera wrote:
To mention Tatchell and the Pope together is akin to viewing US pastor Terry Jones (whose church has about 35 members) as relevant to Islam. Quite rightly, freedom of speech gives theses men some oxygen.

However, they have no mandate from anywhere and Tatchell has simply jumped on a variety of bandwagons overs the years; my bandwagon is down at my local MP's office; but Tatchell (and Jones) feel the need to bypass normal protest routes by hysteric/attention seeking interventions.

Right on, vera !
Deny them what they really seek - publicity !

I'm worried about Peter - he only seems to have one shirt - I'm watching him in green (again) on BBC News today.

Got to disagree with everybody here.

Peter Tatchell is probably the bravest man in the UK. O.K, he's picking on a 'soft target' in the spiritual leader of a billion people world-wide, but he is officially 'retired' having suffered extensive brain damage at the hands of Mugabe's thugs, as well as the Russian police and skinheads.

What gets me about militant atheists though, is the fact that most of them seem unable to recognise that 'secular' humanism has become as much of a religion as the rest, with it's own particular set of heresies and rigorously enforced dogmas. I think Tatchell is one of the few who does recognise it though, his track record of speaking out against paedohysteria and 'heterophobia' is proof of that.

I think he used to be very brave and I had a lot of time for him but I think he's gotten old and judging by his TV show has lost his edge.

Tatchel is a very quite and gentle man. I think he adopts a different persona when he gets onto a cause.

I think he has a legitimate complaint re the church although I reckon if one church won't have you...start your own !!

plenty of room there for some high campery !