Famed atheist professor says 'being raised Catholic is worse than child abuse’

There were also good things about my education in an all-girls Catholic School. We even had fun. And we learned to think - which is why, I believe, the RC church produces all the best atheists and agnostics. We also developed a social conscience, which is in too short supply, IMHO.

He's a publicity hound, becoming a caricature of himself. Although the Catholicism I grew up in was kind hearted and open minded ("Make up your own mind on that one"), I have since learned many were actually brought up in a fear-ridden, neurotic Catholicism. But not to the point of abuse.

I grew up in the certain knowledge that my parents were going to hell. My father had divorced his first wife, whom he had married in the church, and his marriage to my mother was not considered a marriage in the Roman Catholic Church. Every day they lived together was a mortal sin, and there was no remedy for it. Nor did either of them take the situation nearly as seriously as I thought they should. After all, THEY were the ones going to hell. They never went to mass and my dad was an atheist, and my mother had Fallen Away and they cheerfully paid for me to go to a convent school at which, along with excellent Penmanship, Geography, Perennial Guilt, Drama, and English, I was steeped in the Terror of Theology. I can't say that it has affected me in the long term, because by age 13, I was shut of the whole RC concept. But my talent for theological argument had been honed and sharpened in the best possible atmosphere, and when I realized the basic Evil of organized religion, and decided to oppose organized religion all my life, I can say I was truly grateful for my Catholic Education.................

Regarding the fears that the catholic church inflicts on many I totally agree! It's mind boggling how few have addressed this issue. Mr. Dawkings is to be commended for his views and I for one took years to overcome the incredible anxiety the church inflicted upon me with no chance of, as a child, to comprehend yet dread. One further mention is what the church is now doing to children who are gay. Suicide, in my opinion, is directly related. Brian J.Mack

I agree with Ken from Dublin. Need to put this topic in context, though, this is just typical Irish Central Catholic baiting. They love this stuff at IC. After this one there will be another abortion article (IC just loves the whole abortion idea) and they will try some tortured way to wedge in the word Savita into their pro-abortion rhetoric. Anti Catholic, pro-abortion Irish Central can always be relied on for these opinion based stories. Look for no facts here or balanced views.

I totally agree with Dawkins. We are suffering from the frog in warm water syndrome, we do not realise Catholicism has boiled us alive. Catholicism in it's very essence is emotional and psychological abuse branching out into sexual abuse with specific and substantial evidence...but it's too painful to face for many, we would prefer to continue to believe the bullshit.

“…We all may have particular beliefs and perspectives about the causes, contexts, nature, and scope of clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, but we should be informed by empirical data, logic and reason rather than emotion” (Lynch, 2009). "Religion can be a very strong contributor to a person's sense of emotional well-being. There are many aspects of faith and religions practice that an fill all the basic human needs, if a person is open to it” (Plante, 2011). Lynch, P., & Munschauer, C. A. (2009). Religion as a Path to Emotional Well-Being. Human Development, 30(4), 39-44. Plante, T. G. (2011). Why Are So Many So Misinformed. Human Development, 32(2), 27-29.

"If we abstract from the eternity of its punishment, the existence of hell can be demonstrated even by the light of mere reason. In His sanctity and justice as well as in His wisdom, God must avenge the violation of the moral order in such wise as to preserve, at least in general, some proportion between the gravity of sin and the severity of punishment" (NewAdvent[dot]org, Catholic Encyclopedia, Keyword: Hell).

Ireland would be better off if someone took all the Moderates, and Atheists, and Unionists, and put them on a long slow boat for Saudi Arabia !

Roseanne Barr said the same thing. g

Seanomelb at 05.55 is slightly correct… Heel (misspelling deliberate), as portrayed in hundreds of art paintings (burning fire and agony forever) doesn’t exist. But it’s reality does exist in another way. Everyone one of us, sinners all, gets to see G*d only once (on the so-called Judgement Day). The sight of the glory of G*d is said, by some saints, to be so glorious that you’d want (forget refreshing swimming pools and showers) to wallow in it forever. I don’t know what the Glory of God is… it’s something that none but those souls blessed by God have been exposed to it have privilege to, probably much as Lucia, of Fatima fame, was exposed to the sight of souls in Hlle (mispeeling again deliberate). Unrepentant non-believers will see the glory of God once and will not see that glory anymore, forever, for eternity. The pain of that loss is equated, in human terms, to the pain of dying by fire forever - and no one of us wants that. We all have to make the choice. The glory of God exists in eternity. As human beings, we won’t exist in eternity but the soul within us all will. We are all free to choose for our souls.

Why would u give an idgit like Dawkins any air time. He can stay in his cubby hole with nall the other oxford idgets!He has no hope! Lets make radical comparisons to justify ignorance? They wont be hiring you to buils a cathedral Dawkins , sorry you are not qualified!

AS an atheist schooled in the Catholic system I can see Dawkins point. Priests Frightening children into accepting God by terror using hell stories or the sword of Democles hanging by a thread over you and other scare methods is certainly child abuse. I watched a debate between RD and Cardinal pell(archbishop of Sydney) In which PEll after many protestations finally admittted that hell did not exist.

Ah! I see Richard Dawkins is doing himself more harm than good. That’s called self-abuse, isn’t it? Is that worse than child-abuse? Perhaps RD could enlighten us with the magnanimity of his selfish brain's thoughts? In October 2006, he had a great debate about his latest money-chasing effort on his book, ‘The G*d Delusion’, with a fellow from Ireland called David Quinn. ‘Google’ or ‘Bing’ to listen to the debate (runs for about 18 minutes, crack open a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine and sit back to hear a fascinating heated discussion) or you can read a transcript of the debate if you’re deaf. At the time, Mr. Dawkins was in Dublin, Ireland, to promote his latest book and was signing copies of it in a bookstore in the afternoon after the morning radio debate. A customer said to him “You got a beating off David Quinn this morning, eh?” To which Dawkins basically tiredly replied “Yes, I did”, for once saying something true. Dawkins later posted, on his own website, words to the effect that he had won the debate, which everybody who listens to the debate knows he didn’t. He’s a self-delusional liar, out and out. Don’t fall for buying his books or self-promotional efforts to extract money from your pockets to line his own pockets with it.

The philosophy trade needs controversial people like Dawkins selling his books. People who read his writings and become curious about the issues tend to read other philosophers, and eventually they can think critically for themselves. Dawkins has stimulated gazillions of brain cells that FOX News would have put permanently out of use. I don''t ever agree with him, but I'm glad he's doing the thing he does.