As this is a live broadcast, I’ve decided to break from my agreed script with the BBC. As a professor of Catholicism, I spend a good deal of time wrestling with the problem of evil triumphant in a world ruled by a good God. There are many approaches to this problem that have been addressed by Augustine, Aquinas and other great Christian theologians. But none of them have ever been entirely convincing.

The other day I tried to make a dispassionate evaluation of the arguments. If I had never heard of Jesus, or His Crucifixion and Resurrection, and I was confronted by these tales for the very first time, would I believe them? I was astonished to realise that the answer was no. The scales fell from my eyes. While the world was no better than before, it did at least now make sense. The revelation was complete.

This will therefore be my very last Thought For The Day. From today I will be joining the band of happy unbelievers.

Happy April Fools Day everybody.

https://mega.nz/file/9jM2UCgC#F3pihVGZL2RUPP1MfOekWznvI9QY6pSLbelIUKUxRgQ