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# The Good Report: Thought Out Answers for Thinkers

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## Posts
- [Jesus Doesn’t Want Fans](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/uncategorized/jesus-doesnt-want-fans/): Most of us learn something important about loyalty long before we can spell the word. Maybe this has happened to you. You’re in school, hanging out with your best friend. You share your lunch, laugh at the same jokes, tell each other secrets. You get in trouble together. In your mind, this person is a good friend. Then one day, you see them hanging out with some older, cooler kids. You walk over, ready to join in. One of the older kids looks at you with that “why are you here?” face. And your friend hesitates. They glance at you… and rather than say “don’t worry about him, he’s a good mate”, they pretend you’re not really that close. They don’t vouch for you, and you end up having to quietly step away.
- [Polished Cars and Broken Engines: Commentary on Matthew 12:1-15](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/polished-cars-and-broken-engines/): There’s something deeply ironic about religious people becoming so obsessed with following the rules that they miss the entire purpose of those rules in the first place. It’s like spending your whole life studying a road map but never actually taking the journey. This tension between legalism and grace sits at the heart of both Paul’s letter to the Galatians and Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees in Matthew 12, and together they reveal a pattern that’s as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.
- [Abortion – Two Key Questions](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/abortion-key-questions/): The abortion debate demands more than political posturing, it requires us to confront the messy, heartbreaking reality of human experience. Yes, pregnancy can be a beautiful journey, but let’s not romanticise it at the expense of honesty. For many, it’s a time wracked with anxiety, complex emotions, and sometimes gut-wrenching circumstances.
- [The Making of Hitler: Christianity, Atheism, and the Nazi Ideology](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/hitler-christianity-atheism/): What did Hitler really believe? Hitler’s mother was a devout Catholic, but his father considered religion a scam. Hitler called himself a Christian and venerated Jesus as an anti-Jewish fighter. German churches replaced bibles on altars with copies of Mein Kampf and services were held in Hitler’s honour. He worked hard to harness the power of religion for his own ends, but was the heart of his ideology really Christian?
- [Does Science Need a Radical Shift to Explain Life’s Origin?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/science-origin-shift/): Imagine you’ve just been handed the keys to a time machine. Heart thumping with that mix of wonder and nerves, you step inside, set the dial to “just before the origin of life on Earth,” and hit the switch. The machine shudders, hums, and when the door swings open, you’re not met by lush forests or living things, but by a world raw and untamed.
- [The Comprehensive Guide to Atheistic Morality: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Illusions](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/atheistic-morality-strengths-weaknesses-illusions/): With our inquiry defined, let’s first clear away some misconceptions. It’s sometimes said in Christian circles, a bit too dismissively, that atheists lack a moral compass, as if not believing in God renders ethical considerations irrelevant — “Atheists don’t believe in morality” a friend once asserted. Such oversimplified views miss the mark. For starters, it invites a pointed rebuttal: if Christianity is heralded as a bastion of morality, how do we then interpret the episodes of divinely endorsed violence, such as those described in the biblical narrative of the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan in Deuteronomy 20:13-17? My intention here is not to reignite debates over the moral justifications of Old Testament events, although that is a conversation worth having. Instead, my goal is to encourage a thoughtful examination of the underpinnings of morality, without falling back on hasty assertions. We should steer away from sweeping, brash statements.
- [Winning the Universal Lottery: God, the Multiverse and Fine Tuning](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/multiverse-fine-tuning/): However, Hoyle’s atheism was shaken by a groundbreaking discovery. He identified a set of parameters, now known as the “fine-tuning” parameters of the universe, which revealed that numerous properties of our universe fall within exceptionally narrow and improbable ranges. These properties are essential for the existence of chemistry that supports complex forms of life, and any conceivable form of life. Physicists have since labelled the fortunate values of these factors as “anthropic coincidences” and the convergence of these coincidences as the “anthropic fine-tuning” of the universe.
- [God and Stephen Hawking. Is Quantum Cosmology God’s Undertaker?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/quantum-cosmology-gods-undertaker/): But then the picture began to shift. Enter the realm of quantum cosmology, a daring and cutting-edge field born from the union of quantum mechanics and general relativity. Many naturalists now look to quantum cosmology, hoping its breakthroughs will finally offer a naturalistic explanation for the universe’s existence. Suddenly, the idea that the universe could create itself seemed possible, suggesting that the existence of God was no longer a necessary explanation.
- [Making Sense of Genesis 1 – Creation and Contentions With Modern Science](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/genesis-1/): The first time I read Genesis 1, I was immediately drawn to the poetic nature of the creation story. As a young teenager, I marvelled at the way it described the formation of the world in six days, with God creating light, the heavens, the earth, and all living creatures. However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of confusion and unease as I tried to reconcile the story with my understanding of modern science.
- [Big Bang Cosmology: Unsettling Implications for Atheism](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/how-big-bang-cosmology-threatens-atheism/): Perhaps the most jarring twist of the 20th century was the discovery that the universe had a beginning—or so it seems. At first glance, this appears to be at odds with the framework of naturalistic cosmology, as it suggested an initiating cause for the universe that had to be situated within the universe itself, which doesn’t really make much sense. In simpler terms, considering the naturalistic perspective that “nature” exists autonomously and encompasses all that exists, it would be unexpected for the universe to have a beginning. After all, if the universe had a starting point, where could that cause possibly reside? Surely not within the very system that was supposedly being brought into existence.
- [The Atheist Superiority Complex](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/the-atheist-superiority-complex/): Atheists are champions of science and reason who have carefully and honestly examined the evidence for God’s existence and found this evidence sorely lacking. Now that they’ve thoroughly debunked belief in God, they find it very easy to demonstrate how stupid, intolerant and ignorant Christians are for believing in “sky daddy”. Christianity is unfounded and outdated. Science, reason, and logic contradict religious faith, and those with religious affiliations are not only misinformed but are also adversaries to scientific and rational thinking. Religious beliefs are the result of inadequate scientific understanding, often stemming from early indoctrination. In the end, faith in God is a product of blind faith and emotional attachment, lacking rational justification.
- [The Atheist’s Burden: Must We Justify Disbelief?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/atheism-belief/): From a psychological perspective, which focuses on personal experiences and expressions, atheism denotes the absence of belief in God or gods, thereby identifying an atheist as someone who is not a theist.
- [Why So Many Lose Faith in University](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/faith-in-university/): Universities should be centres for cultivating thought, fostering debate, and honing communication skills. These are what specialised jobs require – the ability to think, speak, and write effectively. If someone lacks these abilities, then the value of a degree comes into question. It becomes just a piece of paper. Employers are realising that despite an individual's academic credentials, they often lack the essential traits needed for responsible roles, they still need further training. I've witnessed it repeatedly – fresh graduates, armed with shiny new degrees, struggling to express their thoughts coherently. When I engage them in discussions about their field of study and ask for their personal viewpoints, their responses are often underwhelming. It's important to note that this trend isn't solely the fault of universities. However, it does highlight that attending a university does not automatically guarantee that someone will develop the skills to think critically, form clear, strong arguments and know how to act effectively.
- [Scientism’s Dark Side: When Secular Orthodoxy Strangles Progress](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/scientism-strangles-progress/): Scientism advances the notion that “Science is the only way.” Essentially, it argues that science is not merely one approach among a myriad of others for obtaining truth, but rather the very bedrock of truth and rationality itself—the cornerstone for ascertaining anything at all. As Nobel Prize-winning chemist Harry Kroto stated, “Science is the only philosophical construct we have to determine TRUTH with any degree of reliability.”
- [Living Whole as a Same-sex Attracted Christian](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/same-sex-attracted-christian/): On the other hand, I am also aware of SSA Christians who have kept a ‘gay label’ but refuse to accept it as an ultimate defining factor in their lives. I can also see the benefit of this. While I think it is true that our sexuality does not ultimately define us, and this specific method of rejecting certain labels may help some, this can be agonising for others. In the words of one same-sex attracted Christian:
- [Can Christian Marriage Be Gay?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/christian-marriage-gay/): Of course, not all believers think like this; it is a fault in our nature to bend information in the direction of our own desires. There have been zealous attempts to redefine and reinterpret particular biblical passages in order to approve of homosexual behaviour (for more, see page eight onwards of Answering revisionist gay theology). Those Christians who argue for changing the traditional Christian sexual ethic claim that if homosexuality is the result of biology (which is not yet known), then same-sex behaviour is not outside of God’s will for sexual expression. Believers struggling with this question often ask, “why did God make me gay?” This points to the broader topic of a theology of sexual identity, including theodicy. It is a question of how to make sense of experiences we encounter of ourselves (We explore this in greater depth in our essay – ‘Living Whole as a Same-sex Attracted Christian’).
- [Why We’re Not Evolved for Truth](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/not-evolved-for-truth/): Likewise, evolution may provide us with senses that conceal the truth, presenting us with icons essential for survival and reproduction. The space we perceive around us is our 3D desktop, and objects like food and animals are icons on this desktop. These icons simplify objective reality, and our senses have evolved to supply what we need. You may want the truth, but you don’t need the truth, just as you don’t need to know about the flow of electrons in your computer to send an email. So, perhaps perception is not a window on objective reality, perhaps it is just an ‘interface’ that hides objective reality behind a veil of helpful icons.
- [The Divided Brain and the Dysfunction that Fuels Modern Atheism](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/the-divided-brain/): This essay will begin by looking at the structure and function of the brain, and at the differences between the two hemispheres. I’ll be reflecting on the literature of Iain McGilchrist, a renowned psychiatrist who draws on a vast body of recent brain research to reveal that the two hemispheres actually have whole, coherent, but incompatible ways of experiencing the world.
- [Christianity Has Known About Aliens for a Long Time](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/christianity-aliens/): Many of our articles focus on Christian Apologetics, which is an attempt to contend for the rationality of Christian faith. But doesn’t writing seriously about aliens and UFOs make us appear ridiculous, even irrational? Are we really taking the little green men from Mars seriously? Why write about aliens?
- [The Sex Paradox: Why Sexual Freedom Requires Restraint](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/sexual-freedom-requires-restraint/): In our previous essay, Sex is Dangerous, Sex is Good, my intention was to restore a healthy view of sex. It’s common to frame faith as somehow in conflict with healthy sexuality. To be fair, I can understand why many would think that. Usually, preachers just tell us why NOT to have sex and then they stop there.
- [Navigating Gender Dysphoria](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/navigating-gender-dysphoria/): I recently watched the controversial documentary - What is a Woman? by the political commentator Matt Walsh. The documentary explores the changing concepts of sex and gender in the digital age, particularly the transgender rights movement, transphobia, and what it means to be a woman. While made to be somewhat humorous, I couldn't help but empathise and feel curious for those navigating the challenges of what is commonly called gender dysphoria (we will touch on this later).
- [A Personal Reflection on the Silence of God](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/silence-of-god/): And yet, that doesn't always help much, does it? I long for a personal relationship with God. The greatest struggle of my faith is reconciling the silence. That feeling of being disconnected from Him. I want to hear from Him. But I don't. At least not the way I'd like. No matter how much I ignore it or push it back, I can't change this fact: I still want to hear His voice. Desperately. For reasons I can neither control nor fully understand, my inner being is compelled, drawn, longing for God. I wonder what He thinks, how He feels, but I often can't gain that knowledge. I fear being left in the unknown. I seek Him out in the scriptures, and am grateful for everything I've learned, but still, I want more. I want to know God like a son knows his father. I wish He would speak to me clearly. Just pause and imagine what it would actually be like to hear or see the Almighty, to be in His actual presence. I can't think of a more fulfilling moment.
- [Sex Is Dangerous, Sex Is Good](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/sex-is-dangerous-sex-is-good/): Christianity establishes sexual boundaries, and if we listen closely to its sexual ethics, we find that its clear boundaries create both a safe space for sex and a whole arena for different kinds of intimate connection.
- [Would Discovery of Alien Life Destroy Christianity?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/alien-life-destroy-christianity/): A being steps forth. Yes, the aliens have finally landed.
- [How Christian Is Christian Nationalism, Really?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/christian-nationalism/): The term "Christian nationalism" is like "evangelicalism" - these days it really depends on what you mean. If someone asked me if I was either of those I'd want a conversation about what they meant first.
- [Marriage and the Meaning of Life](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/marriage-and-the-meaning-of-life/): Like most of us, I have spent a lot of time pondering about the meaning of life. When I prepared my wedding speech (which is the bulk of this short essay), I wanted to take the time to express to my closest friends and family why I chose to marry my wife and how marriage can be an expression of life's meaning. As a Christian, marriage is more than a way to formalise a special relationship. While marriage isn’t everything, it touches every part of us and goes to the very heart of what it means to be human. Even more than that, though, marriage paints a picture of our purpose in the universe and of God’s true nature. Marriage shows there’s a lot more to the meaning of life than 42.
- [Pornography’s Unholy Trinity: Damaging Faith, Psyche, and Society](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/the-truth-behind-porn/): This leads us to a particularly poignant topic today: pornography. Nowhere else is lustful objectification as evident as in the realm of porn. Pornography frequently reduces individuals to mere objects for personal gratification, commodifying them in the process. This objectification can have profound negative impacts on individual psyches, relationships, and broader societal values. The “intimacy” it offers is a mere facade, substituting genuine connection with nothing more than fleeting stimulation.
- [I Want to Divorce and Remarry. Is God Ok With That?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/divorce-and-remarriage/): Hate is a strong word. We should not be careless with it, but only use it when it is truly fitting. The oracle of Malachi states, "'For I hate divorce,' says the Lord the God of Israel," This is coming from God, and I don't think He says the word “hate” lightly either.
- [Quantum Mechanics Spells the End of Materialism](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/quantum-mechanics-materialism/): As quantum physicist Richard Feynman once famously said “if you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics.”
- [Did Life Begin as Information?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/information-origin-of-life/): When it comes to facing the question of life’s origin, everyone has a different opinion. In ‘The Mystery of Life’s Origin’ I argued that common ideas of biochemical evolution are deeply flawed and inadequate as explanations for the origin of life. But now I will argue for a more plausible solution to life's origin, so sit back and let's unravel the mystery.
- [Has Naturalism Put Reasoning in a Bind?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/naturalism-reasoning/): Disclaimer: Throughout this essay, I have used the terms “naturalism” and “materialism” interchangeably. While there are differences, the subjects and argumentation apply to both views, which although not identical, remain similar.
- [The Problem of Death](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/the-problem-of-death/): We trivialise death with fiction and when we meet it face to face we hide it behind flowers, makeup and indirect language. We entertain ourselves with video games, series and films centred on killing; we feel a thrill as we watch series and films of people murdering each other. Yet when a loved one actually dies, it’s not a joke, it's not a game. We laugh at death while it stays at arm’s length but it will draw near to us all.
- [Is Jesus History or Another Fairytale?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/is-jesus-history-or-another-fairytale/): According to the apostle Paul, Christianity rises or falls not on the strength of its philosophy but on the historicity of a single event: the resurrection of Jesus. If you want to refute Christianity this is the single most important claimed event of the Christian story that you need to either disprove or surrender to.
- [Is Marriage Still Relevant?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/is-marriage-still-relevant/): Marriage is blood, sweat and tears, humbling defeats and exhausting victories. A stable marriage is an achievement that will demand the very best from you, so I’m tired of hearing sentimental talks on marriage. While marriage is many things, it is not magical. It is glorious but hard. It is a burning joy and strength, but I do not know of a single marriage that could be described as a fairy tale come true.
- [AI, Our New Salvation](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/ai-our-new-salvation/): There has been a recent upsurge in the belief that the future of humanity lies somewhere with AI. The growing interest in developments of artificial intelligence (AI) is particularly focused on the attempt to build computer technology that can do, and even exceed, the kind of things a human mind can do - in short, people are getting keen on the idea of producing an imitation mind. Billions are being invested in the development of AI. The most powerful AI systems are known as artificial general intelligence (AGI). Some believe AGIs will soon surpass human intelligence so that in the future, it won't be the mind of humans, but the minds of “machines”, that will most fully understand the cosmos and the world around us.
- [The Mystery of Life’s Origin](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/the-mystery-of-lifes-origin/): How did life first emerge? 
- [Is Life Meaningless?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/is-life-meaningless/): Albert Einstein once said: “To know an answer to the question, ‘What is the meaning of human life?’ means to be religious.” And Ludwig Wittgenstein, considered as one of the 20th century’s greatest philosophers, said: “To believe in God means to see that life has a meaning.” Or, was philosopher Bertrand Russell right when he announced that “The universe is just there, and that’s all. No purpose, no meaning, just the brute fact of existence?”
- [The Faith of an Atheist](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/the-faith-of-an-atheist/): Modern science, being largely confined in accordance with atheistic naturalistic assumptions, has no place for consciousness. This is known as one of the “hard problems” of science. Many atheistic philosophers and scientists have attempted to argue consciousness is an illusion or at least that it’s less fundamental than Descartes claims.
- [The Parable of the Two Lost Sons](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/the-parable-of-the-two-lost-sons/): But what does that really mean? It sounds offensive to tell someone they are actually “lost”, especially if they don't like to think they are, but it primarily means that you are separated from God; you’ve lost God and He’s lost you. In Jesus’s parable of the prodigal son, Jesus challenged what nearly everyone has ever thought about God, sin, and salvation. He showed us what being “lost” really means, and we should all pay attention to it.
- [Why You Might Not Like Justice](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/you-may-not-like-justice/): If you’re anything like me you’ve probably had heated discussions with friends about politics that only left everyone involved frustrated and no closer to understanding or common ground. You know how it goes - one party decries the injustices of the “other side”, but when pressed the reasons they give for these claimed injustices don’t hit home with people on the other side of the debate. It’s easy to throw rocks, but when our very definitions of justice are different, it’s nigh on impossible to make any real progress together. The reason it is not convincing to simply cry “injustice!” is that our society is deeply divided over the very definition of justice.
- [Science Has Its Own God of the Gaps](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/sciences-god-of-the-gaps/): When we jump to conclude a divine cause for some effect without sufficient evidence, this is what we call the god of the gaps. “God did it” used to be the explanation for everything we didn't yet understand. We appeal to powerful spiritual beings to plaster over our ignorance. In this view, God fills in the gaps left by science, and the upshot is that as science progresses the God of mystery lives on an ever-shrinking island of influence as rational science takes over His territory.
- [Does Science Oppose God?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/does-science-oppose-god/): If you are sold the idea that religion and science are at odds with another, then you are in effect forced to believe in one and deny the other. The new atheist has sold this idea with plenty of advertisement. In making this argument, the new atheist often refers to the Age of Enlightenment, an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe throughout the 17th to 19th centuries. It was a movement which stressed the importance of reason, logic and freedom of thought and is given credit for empowering scientific development. The atheist often claims that 'The Enlightenment' was inspired by early atheistic views and that science required the defeat of religion to progress, but this could not be further from the truth. It was Christian convictions, rather than secular or pagan ideas, that drove much, and might I say most of Enlightenment thought. Don't get me wrong, there were atheistic thinkers and commentators during this period, but when addressing the details of history, as a whole 'The Enlightenment' could be more accurately described as a religious process, and this often comes as a surprise to those who have been misled on the matter.
- [Defining Love](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/defining-love/): I have little doubt that you will most likely want to spend it with those you love. None of us denies the inescapable role love plays in filling our lives with meaning, which explains why there is so much hurt and pain when love is lost. Love can’t truly be bought or sold yet is perhaps the most valuable quality of life. A life deprived of love is no life at all.
- [Has Evolution Buried God?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/has-evolution-buried-god/): The idea that humans evolved by natural selection from the animal kingdom lay the axe at the very root of religious belief. With naturalistic views of evolution gaining popularity throughout the 19th century, the authority of the church became suspect. On the heels of Darwinian Theory, theism itself was under severe attack, and an atheistic mindset was now a “scientifically supported” reality.
- [The Miracle of Life, The Universe and Almost Everything](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/science-and-technology/miracle-of-everything/): In the past, we sought to explore the world, to seek out unknown land and cross seas to find where the map ended. Now we’ve done all that, yet we still carry the same spirit of adventure, so instead of looking across we look up into the skies and down through our microscopes. We want to know more about the universe in all its majesty and fine complexity.
- [Atheism’s Problem of Pain](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/atheism-pain/): Now of course I'm not suggesting that this is the way all atheists think, nor am I suggesting that this is the only outworking of atheistic thought. Obviously there have been others throughout history, who in denying God, may have chosen for themselves a path of kindness. But here is the point: in atheism you automatically forfeit the right to stand on a definite objective moral law with which to condemn any choice because atheism cannot build a true, complete and consistent ethical theory of good and evil without denying that all is objectively meaningless. This means that violence is excusable under atheistic philosophy. Whether one likes it or not, atheism does not recognise ethical claims as having any objective truth. As Fyodor Dostoyevsky famously said, "if God does not exist, anything is permissible."
- [A Thought for the Agnostic](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/atheism-and-scepticism/thought-for-agnostic/): Anthony Hopkins, a self-identified agnostic said: "The only thing I am certain of is that I am certain of nothing." It’s an interesting thought and makes us all wonder, what do we really know? For example, let's say we could somehow scale all knowledge: maths, science, philosophy, every aspect of reality. The percentage of all the possible knowledge that you or we know, it may not even be close to one per cent. Given the gap between our finite minds and the infinity to be known, isn't it arrogant to claim that we know the truth? Even if what we currently know points to a particular truth claim, there is so much out there of what we don't know which could contradict what we think we know, that we can't be truly confident about anything. In this view, perhaps all our worldviews are equally valid and justified only in the sense that they are equally invalid and unjustified.
- [Is the God of the Old Testament Immoral?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/old-testament-immoral/): “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” 
- [The Problem of Pain – A Christian Response](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/problem-of-pain/): Pain is a part of life. We enter this world causing pain in childbirth, at some moment in life we inflict pain on others or receive it ourselves, physically, emotionally or mentally, and most of us die in pain. All of us at one point will experience the loneliness that spreads out like a desert or the dull aches and pains which blacken our experience of life. We have all felt the pain of loss or broken relationships that knock our hearts down with one blow.
- [Is Religion to Blame for Violence?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/religion-violence/): According to the 'Encyclopedia of Wars' (authors: Charles Phillips & Alan Axelrod), less than 7% of wars are driven by religious causes, representing less than 2% of all people killed in warfare. This is drastically marginal compared to the senseless history of violence fuelled by secular and nihilistic philosophy. This does not however erase the violence done in the name of religion. While this is said, the question needs to be clarified.
- [Antisocial Media](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/society-and-culture/antisocial-media/): What would life look like without social media? Would our life be more straightforward, more productive, focused, maybe even more enjoyable? Would the need to take photos just disappear? Or would we all be lonely and isolated, ignorant and bored? Many people would dread the idea of having their social accounts deleted; for some it may cause significant distress. And no wonder, for many it has become a big part of our lives. Yet should this worry us?
- [What is Truth?](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/challenging-theology/what-is-truth/): Before we even start to work out what’s true, we need to ask ourselves if our hearts are in the right place because biased attitudes often lead to biased conclusions. For example, when Jesus stood before Pilate prior to his crucifixion, Pilate began the conversation by asking Jesus if he was really a king, Jesus replied, “Are you asking out of your own interest, or did others say it to you about me? ” In effect, Jesus was asking Pilate if his question was genuine or simply academic. He was revealing to Pilate the motive of his heart. In the pursuit of truth, “intent is prior to content.”

## Pages
- [The Good Dialogue Podcast](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/podcast/): Introducing a new podcast from The Good Report:
- [Books by The Good Report](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/books/): Introducing a new book from The Good Report:
- [The Good Report](https://thegoodreport.co.uk/): Big questions. Thorny topics. Honest conversations.