Stephen Fry on Religion and societal harm
Fry has argued passionately that the Catholic Church in particular has caused enormous harm through its institutional abuses.
In the 2009 Intelligence Squared debate, Fry delivered one of the most devastating critiques of the Catholic Church ever presented in a public forum. Partnered with Christopher Hitchens, he argued that the Church is a force for harm in the world, pointing to its systematic cover-up of child sexual abuse, its opposition to condom use during the AIDS crisis in Africa, and its historical persecution of homosexuals.
Fry spoke with personal authority as a gay man who had experienced the psychological damage of religious condemnation. He argued that the Church's teaching on homosexuality — that it is 'intrinsically disordered' — has caused immeasurable suffering to millions of people, driving them to shame, self-hatred, and in many cases suicide.
The audience vote swung dramatically in Fry and Hitchens's favour during the debate, reflecting the power of their argument. Fry's contribution was distinctive for its emotional force: he made the case not through abstract reasoning but through the testimony of those harmed by religious institutions.
“It's the strange thing about this Church: it is obsessed with sex. Absolutely obsessed. Now, they will say we, with our secular attitudes, are obsessed. No. We have a healthy attitude. We like it, it's fun, it's jolly. Because it's a natural human activity.”