I mean, seriously, infant baptism is a crime against human rights? It's not binding in any way; I agree with Bram on adult baptism, but that's not because I think infant baptism coercive, it's because I think it meaningless. It has no relavance to infants who can't appreciate what it represents, and, IMHO, should thus be reserved for those mature and sober enough to consent to the commitment that SHOULD accompany baptism but clearly DOESN'T for infants in anything but name.

Unfortunately, the very real and serious issues of whether the Vatican as a whole and the Pope in particular shielded pedophiles from justice are likely to be lost in yet another absurd crusade against religion. Perhaps the best, perhaps the ONLY, good thing about aggressive and militant atheism is that it neatly demonstrates that zealotry is a problem in itself that neither requires nor is confined to religion, organized or otherwise. Reminding the general public that one can be intolerant, judgemental, patronizing and irrational without a religious influence is a great way to remind it that one can be religious without being intolerant, judgemental, patronizing and irrational. We'd all be a lot better off if everyone, religious or not, would try harder to remember that, and act accordingly.