E-mail from Michael Roll to Professor Richard Dawkins (November 3, 2013): Lord Melvyn Bragg and Thomas Paine


Lord Melvyn Bragg is making a BBC documentary on Thomas Paine, the most valuable Englishman ever. When this breaks in the new year it will lead people onto the censored history of mankind that was written by Paine’s great champion, Arthur Findlay, the most valuable Scotsman ever. Findlay thought so highly of this great philosopher that he devoted one whole chapter to him – ‘The Curse of Ignorance’, 1947:
“Such, however, is still its influence (The Church) that this book, which tells the story of the past honestly and fearlessly, will be kept out of our schools and universities by the authorities, and consequently only in later life will those with enquiring minds discover the truth.”

Findlay has also put forward the secular (atheists’) case for survival after death. In harmony with what you wrote to my friend Stan Ford in 1992. You made it clear that if it does turn out that it is a scientific fact that we all survive the death of our physical bodies, then it will be something that is natural and normal, not supernatural.

With your support for Arthur Findlay’s deadly enemies, James Randi, Blackmore, French and Wiseman, you are keeping the Pope and the whole grisly religious shooting-match in power. Randi and his gang are making the priests, mullahs and rabbis the only alternative.

Ditch Randi and move over to our fellow atheist Arthur Findlay, then working together we can blow the great religious hoax on the human race clean out of the water.
“We have a choice of two paths, one is the secular way and the other is the theological; one is the democratic and the other the despotic; one is the sane and the other the insane.”

‘The Curse of Ignorance’.


No wonder this history was blocked in a country where the Church and the State are still Established.

Michael Roll


Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, FRS, FBA, FRSA, FRSL, FRTS is an English Writer and broadcaster. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of the The South Bank Show (1978–2010). In 1998 Melvyn Bragg was appointed to the House of Lords as a Labour life peer: Lord Bragg of Wigton. In June 2013 he wrote and presented the BBC documentary The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England. This told the dramatic story of William Tyndale's mission to translate the Bible from Latin to English. He is currently Chancellor of the University of Leeds.

Christians deserve respect, says Melvyn Bragg (Daily Telegraph, July 13, 2013)