Topic: Relationships

From the critically acclaimed BBC Two and iPlayer series Pilgrimage follows well known personalities of differing faiths and beliefs on a personal journey of discovery as they tackle some of the most famous walking routes across the UK and Europe. In this series the Pilgrims go to Wales in Pilgrimage The Road Through North Wales.

Jay and Helen have a chat about what it means to be atheist or agnostic, and how the death of a loved one can affect a person’s belief in the afterlife. Does anything survive after we’re dead?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vvdl/pilgrimage-the-road-through-north-wales-episode-1?seriesId=b09w7lc0-structural-3-m001vvdk

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: Life after Death?

Narrator: After a hard day. Helen is having a drink with Jay.

Helen: Do you wanna sip?

Jay: Yeah go on babes, thank you.

Narrator: Raised Catholic. Jay became an atheist in his teenage years, but recently has realised he's more agnostic.

Helen: What I want to know with you is because we talk about atheism and we talk about agnostic being agnostic.

Jay: There could be a lot more than meets the eye in this world and beyond and beyond.

Helen: So you are saying there's something else, right? And because I believe in God, there is something else.

Jay: You do believe in God.

Helen: I do believe in God when we die. What happens to our soul? I don't think life just ends. I'm just thinking that we. We live on in who we've touched. Don't you ever get a sense of something or.

Jay: I'm tempted to think that, but no, I think that I want to think that.

Helen: I know that when like when my mother died, for instance, when you're having to face grief, then that person is still with you. I get a sense of her being with me. Um.

Jay: One second. Just going to have a little cry in the toilet.

Helen: Okay do that.

Jay: I'll be right back love.

Helen: Right. Got it. No. Do the cry.

Narrator: In 2022, Jay lost his close friend and bandmate Tom Parker, who died from cancer aged just 33.

Helen: All right.

Jay: Okay, I'll probably go again, but don't panic.

Helen: Yeah, I'm not panicking because I was great. Great to see you back. No, but no, but it's interesting because I said that about my mother. Only because being the one left behind. Um, you have to think about it. So I know your close friend Tom died. Did you know that he was dying?

Jay: Yeah. Um. So they knew it was serious quite quickly. And, um, there's not really lots you can do.

Helen: Did it make you think a person is here? And what happens to you, um, when that person's not there? Oh, totally.

Jay: Um, I think it felt. Really senseless.

Helen: Did that make you believe less than God? I mean, it's so painful to think of the end of a human. Yeah. All the joy, all the little micro cells that made that in him. Then you just go, well. Is that it? What was it all for?

Jay: I think as much as you can be. I'm agnostic. I'm really open to the idea that there's something. But I haven't got a clue. I haven't got a clue.

Helen: But you have got a clue. You've got loads of clues. That's why you're agnostic. If you're an atheist. It would be like, yeah.

Jay: You've got loads of clues.

Helen: Yeah.

Jay: I'm missing something I think.

Helen: Yeah, but we need to work on it, don't we?

Jay: Yeah, probably. But knowing that someone that I really respect and really love believes in God is a big comfort to me. Thank you. I just don't know if I'm exactly there yet, but.

Helen: And you don't have to be. I'm going to drink some wine now.

Jay: Yeah, maybe I'll get one.

Pilgrimage Moments: Life after Death?

Video length - 03.55

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Helen, Steph, Jay and Jeff have a brief chat about what they think the afterlife might be like and even consider what Coffee will be like in heaven!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vvdl/pilgrimage-the-road-through-north-wales-episode-1?seriesId=b09w7lc0-structural-3-m001vvdk

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: What’s Coffee like in Heaven?

Steph: Helen is there an afterlife in the Jewish faith?

Helen: Do you know? I don't know about the afterlife. I don't think there's a heaven. I, I should know, shouldn't I?

Steph: No, no.

Helen: Do you think that there is a place called heaven?

Steph: I used to think about this a lot as a new Christian thinking. I don't really want to go to heaven if we're just gonna sit there and play harps like.

Jay: What do you think happens from a personal perspective when you die?

Steph: I don't think this is the end. When we die, I think there will be something else. I think I will still be me, but in a different form.

Helen: It's interesting how cautious I am in thinking I'm not going when I die. I'm not going to a building that's white or something. I'm not going to go up there and be me.

Steph: I think there will be a resurrection of such. I don't ever think I'm going to be an ethereal spirit floating like I'm not going to exist without a body. To the extent where sometimes I think about, I wonder what coffee would be like in heaven, because I think it's going to be great.

Helen: Did you just say you were wondering what coffee was like in heaven? I just thought I misheard that. But what a what a thought. Yes. Good coffee.

Steph: I can't say those are orthodox views, but that's what I think.

Jay: Would we have beer in heaven?

Steph: Oh, yeah.

Jay: Okay, great.

Steph: Jesus's first miracle was wine. I bet he makes awesome beer.

Helen: Yeah, we could maybe relate to that.

Jay: Yeah.

Pilgrimage Moments: What’s Coffee like in Heaven?

Video length - 01.47

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Eryl the Pioneer Priest talks about Celtic Spirituality to the Pilgrims. Tom, Christine and Eshaan respond especially well to being in a “thin place”.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vvdl/pilgrimage-the-road-through-north-wales-episode-1?seriesId=b09w7lc0-structural-3-m001vvdk

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: A Thin Place

Narrator: The church belongs to the Anglican Church in Wales. It's run by Eryl Parry, who has an interest in Celtic Christianity, and she is what's known as a pioneer priest.

Eryl: So as a pioneer priest, what we do is we create worshiping communities, faith communities for people who wouldn't necessarily find themselves sitting on a pew that might be on a mountainside. For me, there's a deeply authentic expression here, which is Celtic spirituality, and there are so many people who seek to make some kind of sense of their lives out in landscape.

Eshaan: And what is Celtic spirituality? It's not something I've heard before.

Eryl: So it's the Christian faith dating right back to the Saints in the sixth century. So here, Saint Callanan. So if you're here at the top of the hill, the lens of Celtic spirituality would be saying God is in the landscape. We're not worshiping nature. We're worshiping the creator.

Tom: Yeah, we've seen a lot of that today. The sun coming through the clouds. God is speaking to us and God speaking to us through each other, I think. So, yeah.

Narrator: Eryl has her own way of leading community worship up here in the hills.

Eryl: So where are we going? Is just a lovely little viewing spot. What we call a ponder spot.

Amanda: Yeah. Let's ponder.

Eshaan: A nice bit of pondering.

Sonali: This is crazy.

Eshaan: Amazing.

Sonali: Absolutely stunning.

Eryl: So as we look across the mountains, I would ask you just to let your eyes settle on something that's speaking to you. It might be the meandering river. It might be the mountains. I'm just going to give you a little bit of time on your own to imagine what it is to be in a thin place. A thin place, we would say, is somewhere where you have a sense of the barrier between earth and heaven being thinner. You get a sense of the awesome nature of God or the awesome nature of the universe. So guys, just take a few minutes to ponder. Do you mind if I share your ponder spot?

Tom: Hi. I've been looking at the Mountains where it literally just disappears into nothingness. Yeah, and it struck me. That's the thin place. That's essentially as close as you get to heaven on earth. It made me have a feeling of prayer, that hoping when I actually see heaven after I die, I recognise it for what it is. And it seems like this is a glimpse of what it might be like. It's, uh. No. It's awesome.

Eryl: And that insight and this moment is a gift.

Tom: Mm. I do get pilgrimage now. There's not many places in the world where you're supposed to sort of stop and look and consider yourself. And the thin barrier between heaven and earth. Oh, thank you for taking us here. I appreciate it.

Eryl: Thank you.

Christine: I just wanted to come back and look at the church again and really appreciate it, because I don't enjoy the feeling of death. As a mum it absolutely petrifies me. It's my biggest fear is leaving my children one day. My children are considered different because they're all autistic and so am I. And I have often had comments like, I bet you wish there was a cure or something to fix your children. And and I really don't. I think every single child is a miracle. But it just makes me want to be around forever because they're so magical.

Eryl: I think we're called to people and place. And you've been called as a mum.

Christine: It is my purpose in life, and I know I wouldn't be here if I didn't have my children.

Eryl: It's a high calling.

Christine: I just don't know what I'd do without the kids. I don't know what I'd do without my babies. I also don't know what they'd do without me. It scares me. Really scares me.

Eryl: Would a hug help or hinder?

Christine: Yeah. Thank you.

Eshaan: Um, I could associate this breeze with praying at my mum's grave when I go there. And. The breeze has made me think of her really. And. I just kind of found myself saying some of the prayers I'd say when I go to her grave. I think the tears are just kind of the love that I wish, I wish I could still give her. I think that's part of the reason why I don't take time to ponder, because I don't want to go into what's in my heart, really. The moment I think I'm going close to that bit of me. I think I don't want to. So, uh, it's nice to be able to just to ponder. That's the whole point, right? I guess it works. I guess it works.

Pilgrimage Moments: A Thin Place

Video length - 06.42

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

The Pilgrims talk about the Buddhist view of life after death with Lama Shenpen at a Buddhist hermitage. Christine, Sonali and Eshaan reflect on her words.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vvdq/pilgrimage-the-road-through-north-wales-episode-3

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: Buddhist Teachings

Narrator: Once back at the Hermitage, the pilgrims meet Lama Shenpen, its founder and spiritual leader at the stupa.

Lama Shenpen: So you could say that the stupa represents the center of the universe and the center of the universe could be anywhere or everywhere. So this is, if you like, a representation of it that actually contains the essence of it. So when we walk towards the stupa, we're walking to the center of the universe, which lies beyond all our thinking and opinions. It's considered to be radiating love and compassion, so it's considered to be very powerful. And the center of it is called a tree of life. Because really, in a way, Buddhism is about finding, well, what is the significance? What is life? What is birth? What is death? You could say, well, our life is a pilgrimage. We start with birth. You have this vision of a journey and the significance of your life. And then life ends. Your body dies. Yeah?

Spencer: Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just have. I have a question. Yeah. I've always just felt that energy and people's energy. Because I believe you can feel the people's energy. Like it's a physical thing that you can feel. Why would the energy die with the body? So I've always assumed that, you know, when I take my last breath in this body that something will happen to my energy.

Lama Shenpen: Yeah. Other cultures would find it. Mad to think that actually, that's all that happened. It lasted one lifetime and then it disappeared. What are you talking about? You die, and then you just manifest again in another body, in another place, in another time.

Michaela Do you believe that you go from one body into another body, or is it just an energy that comes out and and circulates?

Lama Shenpen: I think one way you can think of it is it's more like the world we create collapses, and then we've got to start again with a another situation, which is our new life.

Eshaan: I sometimes feel like some of these ideas exist to give solace to the people that are left behind in a sense, like. But actually, we don't really know. Like, I don't know where my mum has gone. I have no idea. When I pray to her, I have no idea if she is in an afterlife. I'm just praying into the ether and hoping that she receives some of my energy or whatever it might be.

Lama Shenpen: It's beautiful, isn't it? There's an intuitive sense that there's a meaning to that. A lot of people do seem to find those ideas helpful.

Narrator: Lama Shenpen invites the pilgrims to take part in a ritual at the stupa.

Lama Shenpen: As we live our life, we actually are creating a story. That's our life. And then we're holding on to things that we think are us.

Narrator: The ritual helps nurture the path to spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

Lama Shenpen: In some ways. When we walk around the stupa, go on our pilgrimage around the stupa, we come back to where we started, but maybe with a different perspective.

Christine: As a mum. Of course. I don't ever want to leave this earth. I want to be around forever. To be with my children. Everything Lama explained made perfect sense. It was very much that. You know, your energy lives on. Okay your body might leave, but your soul and your energy is there. And that's amazing. That, for me is something that I want to believe in. That means we get to live on forever, doesn't it? I'm not scared of death anymore. I'm not scared of death.

Sonali: Lama Shenpen said that life is a pilgrimage and that no one has ever said to me. I've learnt that today and it's so right. I always say I'm of Jain origin. I'm not practicing. That term practicing kind of always, it's difficult for me because then I feel like I've got to prove I'm doing something concrete. And maybe today has just confirmed. Maybe I should just say I am Jain. And then whatever I do, my intention of living a good life with as much non-violence as possible is probably all right.

Eshaan: My mum felt like the centre of my universe, so I felt a real connection to this physical manifestation of centring of the universe. Every time I went round, I could feel my brain and my heart going. This is a new thing. So this was the first time where I got a sense that my stupa is missing, which is why I feel this way. I feel like I'm floating through the universe without anything to anchor me.

Lama Shenpen: Thank you.

All Pilgrims: Thank you so much.

Michaela: That was beautiful.

Pilgrimage Moments: Buddhist Teachings

Video length - 05.45

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Nelufar and Steph chat with a refugee from Afghanistan, which has a special resonance for Nelufar because she was also a refugee from Afghanistan.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0029kxg/pilgrimage-the-road-through-the-alps-episode-2?seriesId=b09w7lc0-structural-4-m0029kxc

Transcript

Narrator: Nelufar and Stef have gone to the town of Bludesch. On the outskirts is a refugee centre run by Caritas, an international Catholic charity. Nelufar came into the UK as a refugee from Afghanistan at the age of seven.

Nelufar: It's one of the invisible things that make me who I am. But I am nervous.

Stef: I feel like this is quite a personal story for you.

Nelufar: Yeah.

Narrator: They're meeting Faisal Karim. He's lived at the centre for a year with other international refugees from a range of backgrounds and situations.

Faisal: Hey.

Nelufar: Hi. Good to meet you. I'm Nelufar. Salaam alaikum.

Stef: Stephanie.

Narrator: Faisal Kareem was brought from Afghanistan by people traffickers and spent a difficult year moving through various countries before finally arriving in Austria.

Nelufar: With his own eyes.

Nelufar: How important was your faith in your journey?

Nelufar: He says when you're a muslim, you're a muslim. His deen, his belief was always the same.

Nelufar: Wow. Here. He's free to pray or not pray. But in Afghanistan, he had to pray. So then. Which is faith, which is real? You know,

Stef: May I ask, what is your hope for the future? What is your dream now?

Nelufar: Just normal things really ordinary things that we all have.

Narrator: For now Faisal Karim has a job locally, studies German and spends time with the other refugees.

Stef: Thank you so, so much.

Nelufar: Bye!

Pilgrimage Moments: A Refugee Story

Video length - 04.18

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Helen engages in a thoughtful and emotional conversation with Daliso, delving into her Jewish heritage and exploring the layered, often conflicting emotions she feels about the tragic fate of her father’s family, many of whom perished in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Theresienstadt. As she reflects on this painful history, she grapples with the question of whether she has the right or even the responsibility to claim and “own” that legacy as part of her personal and cultural identity, especially given the generational distance and the complexity of inherited trauma.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0029kxd/pilgrimage-the-road-through-the-alps-episode-1?seriesId=b09w7lc0-structural-4-m0029kxc

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: Jewish Roots

Daliso: On this pilgrimage. When we are going through these places, the memories like, how do you feel?

Helen: It's triggering so much of, you know, obviously my father loved Austria so much because as a boy he would come to Austria. But then the more you know about the actual role that the Austrians purportedly played in the war, the two things are in conflict because a lot of Austrians were part of the Final Solution. I mean, this is the thing about numbers. The thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people who died, including my father's family in Auschwitz. I mean, it's just beggars belief, doesn't it?

Daliso: Yes. So it was your father's family. How did your father get get away?

Helen: Well, I think what was usual in 39 is you had to have a sponsor in England. They sent my father to school in Margate early, and then his parents followed and his sister followed.

Daliso: And when you were growing up, was it spoken of or never spoken of.

Helen: It wasn't largely spoken of because of the need and the gratitude to be English and wanting to put. The past you know, behind you and celebrate like we are just celebrating now, but move forward.

Daliso: Yeah, do you feel your Jewishness plays a big part in your life?

Helen: The Jewishness is complicated because I wasn't brought up in a Jewish home. We didn't. My mother was English, not Jewish. But when I think about my grandmother and the way she spoke and her sadness because there was obviously sadness, um, it's a conflict because you you've inherited this, like, paranoia that there's something you can't talk about, you can't overclaim it, because that would be a disservice to those people who are central to it. But it's really coming. It's kind of I'm feeling it now.

Daliso: I'm feeling it here.

Helen: So pick up your sticks. Let's go and catch up with the others.

Daliso: I enjoyed a brief rest.

Helen: A little rest.

Daliso: Let's do it.

Helen: More pilgrimage now.

Pilgrimage Moments: Jewish Roots

Video length - 02.41

Published date - Jun 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Daliso leads a discussion with all the Pilgrims about the Baháʼí faith and the belief that all religions are equal in their search for the truth.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0029kxd/pilgrimage-the-road-through-the-alps-episode-1?seriesId=b09w7lc0-structural-4-m0029kxc

Transcript

Pilgrimage Moments: The Bahá’í Faith Transcript

Daliso: When I was born, I was Christian and I was extremely Christian in that, like I talked to God, like not even praying. And then when I was 17, I was invited to a Baha'i deepening. Right. So by a very attractive girl. So I've got to say, the only reason I agreed was because she was hot. It wasn't actually a search for faith.

Stef: As a saying flirt to convert.

Harry: Stef. That seems like you've done it a few times.

Daliso: But what she invited to me was amazing, because Baha'i is believed that the greatest truth is the search for truth, the independent search for truth. They believe in all the prophets, the founders of the great religions, but they're equal. It's like if there's a mountain. Truth is at the top. There are many ways to get to the top, right? That's the Christian way. That's the Muslim way. That's the Baha'i way. But you're all trying to reach the truth. And prophets are almost just like guides, and it's kind of like breadcrumbs to lead you to the truth. And I'm like, I'm reading all the breadcrumbs and trying to figure it out, because right now, I wouldn't necessarily define myself as a Baha'i because I'm still looking. I'm still questioning, but I've not yet belonged.

Nelufar: Is it lonely?

Daliso: No, because I would almost say, like my faith is my solace. Right. So I still get fully fulfilled. Like I will read privately religious texts and think about it. I love faith where it feels like it's opening up bits of me and it's like, do you know what I mean?

Helen: It's welcoming you.

Daliso: It's welcoming me and it's embracing me.

Pilgrimage Moments: The Bahá’í Faith

Video length - 02.08

Published date - May 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

We hit the streets of London to uncover a diverse range of opinions on relationships. Whether it’s the bond between friends, the love shared between romantic partners, or the connection within families, we delve deep into what makes these relationships work well and what can cause them to turn toxic.

Beyond exploring the dynamics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, we also take a closer look at the concept of respect. What does respect truly mean to people? How do they express it, and in what ways do they expect to receive it in return? Through honest conversation, we gain insight into the values, challenges, and expectations that shape the way people navigate their relationships every day.

This film is a perfect resource as a catalyst for classroom discussions in PSHE or RSE lessons.

Respect and Relationships

Video length - 04.30

Published date - Feb 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Where do we come from? Humanists UK’s new schools video with Alice Roberts tells the scientific story of our origins, from the Big Bang, through the evolution of stars, planets, life, and, ultimately, us, revealing what we are made from and how we are connected to the rest of the living world. This short but beautiful animation highlights the wonder in this story that humanists (and others) might draw on as a source of inspiration, meaning, and value in their lives.

https://understandinghumanism.org.uk/

Transcript

Billions of years ago, the whole universe was packed tightly together, smaller than a grain of sand. Then suddenly, bang! It got bigger. Much bigger and very, very fast. In this early universe, there were atoms, the tiny building blocks that would build almost everything else. Gravity pulled the atoms together. Millions, billions, trillions of them. And made the stars and the atoms inside the stars smash together, releasing heat and light in the hearts of the stars. New atoms formed bigger but still ever so small. New building blocks that in time would go on to build new things. Things like you. You are made from stardust. But stars don't last forever.

They grow bigger and bigger then collapse and explode. Throwing atoms out across the universe. Until gravity pulls them together again to make new stars. Stars like our sun and planets. One of which is very special to us. Earth. Our home. At first the Earth was lifeless and boiling hot, but in the depths of the oceans, something sparked a few chemicals built from those atoms that had been formed in the stars began to make copies of themselves. The beginning of life. Life was very simple for a long time, just single, tiny cells. But over time, life changed slowly at first. Each generation a little different from the last.

Like children, are a little different from their parents. And over millions of years, many, many small changes can lead to big changes. Life exploded into millions of brilliant and beautiful new forms, branching in many different directions, adapting to environments, evolving over time. We are related to every other living thing on the planet. Plants and fungi. Worms and insects. Fish. Amphibians. Reptiles. Mammals. Primates. Apes. Humans. You. Thinking. Feeling. Choosing. Caring. Dreaming. Wondering. You. Such simple ingredients. Such wondrous results. You're lucky to be here. If any one event in this chain had happened differently, then you might not have made it.

We are all a part of this story. We all belong to it. How incredible that we're able to look back and tell this story, to answer our questions about where we come from. To see the evidence all around us. The story is not yet complete. We don't know everything. But if we keep looking, we'll learn more. Maybe you can help.

Where do we come from?

Video length - 03.24

Published date - Feb 2025

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Join us on Luke’s journey in our short animated film I Believed in Father Christmas. As his Baptism approaches, Luke finds himself grappling with questions about his faith in Christianity, a central part of his identity that has always provided him with a sense of purpose and belonging. Through a series of reflective moments and poignant scenes, the film explores Luke’s internal struggle as he begins to question the beliefs he once held so strongly. The story delves into the complexities of faith, doubt, and personal growth, shedding light on the pressures Luke faces from both external expectations and his own evolving understanding of spirituality. As he navigates these challenging questions, Luke must come to terms with the shifting nature of his beliefs and their place in his life. Will he rediscover his faith, or will this journey lead him to redefine what faith means to him? This heartfelt narrative offers a powerful exploration of identity, belief, and the transformative process of self-discovery.

Transcript

I Believed in Father Christmas

Luke: My name is Luke. I'm 12. I'm into music and science, and I'm a Christian. Except, I'm not sure about that last bit anymore. I want to believe, like it's something I can make myself do. I don't want to lose it.

But it was the same with Father Christmas. I totally believed in Father Christmas, and I carried on believing in him long after all my friends stopped, long after I knew, really, deep down that he didn't exist. But I loved the idea of him - the magic and the mystery. I wanted to believe, so I did. But it couldn't last forever.

One year I asked my mum if Father Christmas was real. She didn't know what to do with her face. She smiled, but then realised I was afraid to hear the truth, and she looked so sad. I wasn't her little boy anymore.

Is that what this is? Am I just growing up? But it can't be that because Mum and Dad and everyone at church still believe in God and Jesus and miracles. They say that God must exist because who created the world and all the animals? But you can explain it with science.

We went to the zoo on a school trip, and Miss Wilson - our science teacher - gave us some questions to do. One was, "The human neck has seven bones. How many do you think a Giraffe has?" I thought, must be 50? 100? And then we found the answer: seven.

A giraffe has exactly the same number of neck bones as a human. Miss Wilson says it's because we evolved from the same fish or something. Mum and Dad said a giraffe has seven bones in its neck because that's the way God designed it. But I dunno. You can prove science, but you have to believe in God. Can you do both? Miss Wilson runs the Christian Union at school, so... maybe?

Sophie in my form won't say prayers in assembly because she's a Humanist. She says that we only have one life, and that it's up to us to make everyone's lives better now, because she doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell or God. She's an atheist. Is that what I am? Or an agnostic? Sophie says that's someone who can't make up their mind if there's a God or not.

And what about all the other kids in my form? Hamza and Ayesha are Muslims, Malathi's Hindu, Dilpreet's a Sikh. Who's right? Or maybe we're all right in different ways.

Dilpreet's great. Eurgh! His Gurdwara gives out food to homeless people and runs a clothes bank. I think they do more than our church!

But church is pretty much my life when I'm not at school. Sunday, I go to the family service in the morning and the worship service in the evening. Tuesday night it's house group, Thursday night it's band practice, Saturday it's youth club, and then it's Sunday again. Most of my friends are at church. I feel safe there.

But I've got my Baptism soon. I've got to stand up in front of everyone and say I believe in God and Jesus and everything. What would Mum and Dad say if I told them I didn't want to go through with it?

My name is Luke. I'm 12, I'm into music and science and... and I'm still working everything else out.