Unbelievable? 11 Sep 2010 - Is the Catholic church a force for good or evil?
Playback speed
With the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK, some are protesting that his visit should not be sponsored by the State. They say that the Catholic church is a force for bad in the light of its record on human rights, child abuse and past persecution.
Peter D Williams, a young "revert" to Catholicism from atheism argues the Catholic church's record of wrongs has been overstated and misunderstood and that it remains the most beneficial institution in the world today.
Andrew Copson, Director of the British Humanist Association and part of the Protest the Pope Coalition argues that the Pope should not visit the UK in the manner of a head of State and that the record of the Catholic church undermines its claim to be a force for good.
For Peter D Williams see http://www.catholicvoices.org.uk/team
For Andrew Copson see http://www.humanism.org.uk/home
For the IQ2 debate see http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/catholic-church
For more Christian/non-Christian debate visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable or get the podcast at http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes
If you enjoyed this programme you may also enjoy:
Unbelievable? 27 Feb 2010 - Stop worrying and enjoy your life" - are we better off without God in Britain? Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association vs. David Robertson
Unbelievable? 12 Dec 2009 - Dawkins debate on "Atheism is the New Fundamentalism" - review with interviews
Join the discussion at the Premier Community http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable
Released on 23 Jun 2014
Coming up next
Unbelievable? 18 Sep 2010 - Roman Catholicism - Is the Papacy Biblical?
As Pope Benedict XVI undertakes a four day tour of Britain we explore the theology of the Roman Catholic Church. What is the Catholic view of the role of the Pope? How do they ground his authority as head of the church in Scripture? Is he God's re....
Unbelievable? 25 Sep 2010 - Hawking, God & the Universe - Sir Roger Penrose and Alister McGrath
We return to listener questions on whether Hawking was right or wrong to dismiss God as a cause of the universe in his new book "The Grand Design". John Polkinghorne is a theoretical physicist and Anglican Priest in Cambridge. Hugh Ross is...
Unbelievable? 2 Oct 2010 - The New Atheism - Alister McGrath & Caspar Melville
Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett & Sam Harris are all figures at the vanguard of the "New Atheism". The books have sold well, but where does this form of confrontational and outspoken atheism have to go next? Alist...
