LBC’s Darren Adam said; “I can’t just make myself believe in something for which there is absolutely no evidence.”

The caller, George, replied: “Surely you agree that there are inklings of evidence, so if you consider the Bible and all the scriptures written.”

Darren replied by saying: “No, that’s a book written by hundreds of people that’s been passed down and translated and retranslated…and it’s a book of myths basically, as far as I can see.”

Without going further into the specifics of authorship and the accuracy of translations, the two moved on to talk about where morals come from.

Darren pointed out: “The reason I don’t murder people, George, is not because I’ve been told by religious figures not to murder people, nor for that matter that I know I’d go to prison – I know that it’s the wrong thing to do to murder people, it doesn’t come from any place of religious teaching.”

The conversation continued in a well-mannered way and George said: “At the end of the day, no one knows 100 million percent, I just think if there’s a chance… why not?”

Darren responded: “If religion is just going to be a harmless delusion, I see no problem with it… the issue I have with it is when people are killed in its name. Of course you’d be no more likely to do that than I would”.

The caller replied: “If I do make it to paradise I’ll try to get you a ticket.”

The show ended in good…

But crowds in Santiago were sparser than those seen during visits to neighbouring countries, with some protesting over sexual abuse by priests and others angry at a decision made to appoint a bishop close to another who abused minors.

Francis appointed Juan Barros, a reverend who was mentored by Rev Fernando Karadima, with the latter found guilty in 2011 of abusing dozens of minors over decades by the Vatican.

Rev Barros, bishop of the southern city of Osorno, has always denied he knew what Karadima was doing when he was the priest’s protege.

“It’s not just time for the Pope to ask for forgiveness for the abuses but also to take action,” said Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of Karadima.

Pope Francis was greeted by President Michelle Bachelet and a band played while the two walked on a red carpet as night began to fall.

The pope travelled in a black sedan to the centre of the city, flanked by several cars. He then transferred to a popemobile, waving to small crowds of well-wishers who lined up along avenues.

Crowds were notably thin, particularly compared to papal visits in other Latin American countries.

“Long live the pope!” yelled some as he passed by in the popemobile.

Others carried signs criticising the pope or extolling him to act.

“Stop the abuse, Francis!” read one sign. “You can so you must!”

Over the next three days,…

Oliver McAfee from Northern Ireland has not been seen since 21st November 2017, while he was cycling through the Negev desert in the south of Israel.

Raz Arbel, who has been leading a team of volunteers in searching for the 29 year old, was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying: “He seems to have been doing all kinds of ceremonies that we don’t really understand”.

Mr McAfee had been living in Essex when he decided to go travelling around the world last year, partly in order to help him cope with depression.

Police discovered a trail of pages torn out from the Bible and weighed down by stones which they think Mr McAfee left behind, as well as handwritten notes.

Authorities believe Mr McAfee, who arrived in Israel in late October last year and had been due to return to the UK on 1st December, may have chosen to disappear.

Search teams believe he may be suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome – a well-documented condition whereby visitors to the Holy Land experience psychotic delusions, including the belief they are figures from the Bible.

They have used drones and dogs to try and find Mr McAfee but there are fears he may have died in the Negev desert.

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Hawkins died at his home in Pleasanton, California. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, said publicist Bill Carpenter.

Along with Andrae Crouch, James Cleveland and a handful of others, Hawkins was credited as a founder of modern gospel music.

Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and numerous other singers had become mainstream stars by adapting gospel sounds to pop lyrics. Hawkins stood out for enjoying commercial success while still performing music that openly celebrated religious faith.

An Oakland native and one of eight siblings, Hawkins was a composer, keyboardist, arranger and choir master. He had been performing with his family and in church groups since childhood and in his 20s helped form the Northern California State Youth Choir.

Their first album, Let Us Go Into The House of the Lord, came out in 1968 and was intended for local audiences. But radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area began playing one of the album’s eight tracks, Oh Happy Day, an 18th century hymn arranged by Hawkins in call-and-response style.

Oh Happy Day, featuring the vocals of Dorothy Combs Morrison, was released as a single credited to the Edwin Hawkins Singers and became a million-seller in 1969, showing there was a large market for gospel songs and for inspirational music during the turbulent era of the late 1960s.

“I think our…