Religious and freedom of conscience i mean , i conscience than ever. I mean, i remember when there was remember a time when there was significant bigotry between catholics and protestants in Northern Ireland and in scotland, and there was significant anti semitism. Significant anti semitism. But before all of that, its the news with rory smith. Thank the news with rory smith. Thank you very much, emma. The met office is warning of a possible danger to life as storm anthony batters parts of the uk. A yellow warning for unseasonably windy weather is in place for southern parts of the uk. That runs until 8 00 tonight. A Yellow Thunder storm warning is in place until 10 00 for the south east of england and east anglia will. Meanwhile, and east anglia will. Meanwhile, a number of people have been evacuated from their homes in nonh evacuated from their homes in north yorkshire. Thats due to north yorkshire. Thats due to flooding where the journalist nathan wroe explains the conditions. Wind speeds of this storm, storm anthony are expected to be around 75 mile per hour gusts on the coasts and 55mph inland. Its not the strongest storm that weve seen, but because of the time of year, the leaves, the time of year, the leaves, the trees are all in full leaf andifs the trees are all in full leaf and its holiday season. The schools are off. And where its going to be hitting the impact of this storm hitting today is likely to be greater than had the same sort of thing happened later the year. Later in the year. Two French Police officers have been injured in clashes with migrants near calais. Around 60 people threw rocks and other missiles as officers tried to stop people smugglers launching a small boat. Gb news can reveal that 15,100 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats. Thats since the start of the year and down more than 2500 on the same period last year. Pakistans former Prime Minister imran khans party is calling for peaceful protests after a Court Sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts. But several of his supporters were arrested by police this evening. Khan was convicted of misusing his 2018 to 2022 premiership to buy and sell items that were in state possession. He has always denied possession. He has always denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors in any wrongdoing. Prosecutors in the us have asked a judge to limit what donald trump can say publicly about a criminal case against him. The warn that mr trump may be seeking to use evidence to target witnesses after he posted a message to social media that said, if you go after me, im coming after you. The former us president you. The former us president says hes being targeted for political reasons. Thousands of trees are to be planted to mark the kings coronation. Earlier this year. The £2. 5 Million Initiative funded by the government that celebrates King Charless passion for nature, will the government says it will help to meet its targets to treble Tree Planting rates by the next election. But Campaign Group friends of the earth says its only a fraction of what ministers need to do to meet those targets. This is gb news those targets. This is gb news across the uk and tv in your car , on Digital Radio and on your Smart Speaker by saying play gb news. Now though, back to emma. News. Now though, back to emma. It can be hard being a christian in modern britain. Week after week on this show, we see cases of christians compelled to speak against their consciences , consciences or consciences, consciences or censored for expressing their faith. Weve seen a vicar faith. Weve seen a vicar debunked and christians prosecuted for the thought crime of praying not out loud, but in their own heads because of new censorship, censorship zones around abortion facilities that criminalise silent prayer. Criminalise silent prayer. Private prayer. Christians across the globe face often violent persecution, but are met with deathly silence. Here in the west. That said , christ did the west. That said, christ did tell his followers in matthew ten, you will be hated by all. For my names sake. In matthew for my names sake. In matthew five that men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil things against you falsely or in luke that men shall hate you and shall separate you from their company. The church of englands leadership seems to be running arms open wide to embrace any and all fashionable ideas and ideologies with no consideration for preserving their own inheritance. The truth or inheritance. The truth or protecting traditional believers. In fact, under their leadership , its seeming less leadership, its seeming less and less like a church at all. As reverend Daniel French pointed out yesterday on twitter, the church advocates sized themselves like a quasi undertow shakers, talking about last goodbyes instead of the life eternal and the resurrection of the dead. French resurrection of the dead. French calls it theological nonsense, but that seems to be the modus operandi of whoever is doing their pr. A brief segway. Lets take a look at news from winchester this week from that great ancient cathedral city. The old minster there was erected in 648 ad alfred the great named it the capital of the ancient kingdom of wessex. The ancient kingdom of wessex. And in many ways, it could be said to be the birthplace of england , born of alfreds england, born of alfreds imagination and resolve. But its 2023, and this week it was reported that the lib dem run Winchester City council has imposed a 710 hike on sunday Parking Charges is all part of reaching net zero fees for sunday. Now for four hours we have risen from £2 to £17. Air quality doesnt care which day of the week it is, they said. Some are concerned that the elderly wont be a wont be able to afford to pray. One gentleman compared it to the soviet politburo saying they implement any scheme they wish and appear accountable to nobody. Winchester cathedral so far hasnt commented, but i think its fair to say that Winchester City council will find plenty of allies among the bishops. Not allies among the bishops. Not too long ago, synod discuss the potential of Human Composting as disgusting as that sounds , as disgusting as that sounds, as a low carbon alternative to burial and cremation extinction rebellion. Who weve seen parading through Bristol Cathedral seem to be more welcome than traditionally minded christian towns like coutts bank, who recently de banking nigel farage the church of england are signed up to the uns principles for responsible investment and the church, like the and the Church Commissioners like coots who handle the churches investment portfolio are , to quote their portfolio are, to quote their website, committed to incorporating environmental, social and governance issues into our approach to investment thatis into our approach to investment that is esg. Now now, well come back to this a little bit later in the show, but for now, that e seems to be widely understood as anything to do with reaching net zero. While the s has everything to do with implementing equality, diversity and inclusion policies understood through the filter of Critical Race Theory , or as some as it race theory, or as some as it has come to be known outside of academia. Wokeness as in matthew six, christ says no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. I am beginning to wonder whether the church of england is struggling with its allegiance, ehhen struggling with its allegiance, either. It can choose the dominant political philosophy of the day and all that entails , or the day and all that entails, or it can have the gospel and defend the faith. But it cant have both. That leads me on to have both. That leads me on to tonights duel. Joining me is political commentator Conor Tomlinson and journalist and author Michael Crick is freedom of religion and conscience under threat in the uk . Conor first lets go to you. Can you explain to us a little bit more about what esg actually is . Yeah, environmental, social and governance scores are a corporate social Credit System cooked up within the nexus of both the United Nations to hit their 17 Sustainable Development goals by 2030. The World Economic forum as a sort of policy nexus for big capital and World Leaders and the leading hedge funds around the world are bankrolling it. Theyre subsidising this activism. Blackrock state street and vanguard to break it down for your for your viewers, its an insurance mechanism against the get woke go broke principle that would allow us to boycott every company signed up to company that is signed up to this so what this otherwise. And so what happens hedge funds happens is these hedge funds subsidise any that subsidise any company that decides to de banking people like farage or divest like nigel farage or divest profitable investment in fossil fuels and Energy Security into renewables that arent quite there yet, or spend loads of money on Diversity Inclusion money on diversity and inclusion training signed up training schemes and signed up to have people in their advertising like dylan mulvaney, even puts off consumers as even if it puts off consumers as weve seen with bud light. And so its Large Capital ideological monopolising the market against what regular people, regular thinking people and christians like you and me would that they didnt do. And michael, it not and michael, is it not a problem that the church of england signed to that . England is signed up to that . Does put it in conflict does that not put it in conflict where its focusing more on things reaching net zero things like reaching net zero than the traditional goals of than on the traditional goals of a promoting the a church and promoting the gospel and defending the faith . Well i think if jesus christ were alive hed believe were alive today, hed believe in zero. In net zero. No, wouldnt. Yes, he no, he wouldnt. Yes, he would. Christ lived would. He jesus christ lived a simple life where he spent very little money. He had very few needs. He didnt live in a he didnt lead a life of greed and really , its the greed of modern really, its the greed of modern civilisation which the Christian Church has utterly failed in its duty to argue against. Its the greed that has led to Climate Change and Global Warming and is heading us towards catastrophe on this planet and jesus christ. If he was alive today, he would believe in achieving net zero and he would believe in many of these social measures as adopted by the church of england and which conor so decries on you and atheist. You am an atheist. Youve just made a profession of faith on live television. No what youve is said, ive said, youve done is said, ive said, ive said that im not ive said that jesus, im not just im an atheist, just because im an atheist, that i dont believe he that means i dont believe he was the of god. Was the son of god. I dont believe in god, but i believe he had a lot of sensible things say. Things to say. Do you why do you why do you why do you disagree jesus christ disagree that jesus christ wouldnt of wouldnt have been in favour of net zero . Okay, so first of all, i kind of raise an eyebrow at any atheist that tries to use my own values to subvert own values to subvert my own politics. Second of net politics. Second of all, net zero revelation it zero is the new revelation on it is apocalyptic narrative is the new apocalyptic narrative which displaced the idea which has displaced the idea of an eventual rapture that human beings around beings will sit around and wait for and be in constant moral preparation because you preparation for. Because you never hour never know the hour of judgement. Youve got to be judgement. So youve got to be a good person until you are judged instead, promethean instead, it has the promethean ambition that says we are our own we master the own gods. We can master the world. Master ourselves. World. We can master ourselves. And we do is and so all we have to do is augment Human Behaviour then augment Human Behaviour and then we utopia than we can reach utopia rather than utopia. Arriving at a time that we cannot bring and so it we cannot bring about. And so it puts i say i mean the puts us and i say us, i mean the managerial class who like managerial class who would like to would live in to direct how we would live in the drivers seat and said, its all right, just trust us, give up all of your power and all of your wealth will bring your wealth and we will bring your wealth and we will bring you sorry, quite you to heaven. Sorry, quite sceptical about that, michael. To you aint going to go to heaven you carry on like heaven if you carry on like this. Because. Because you dont believe heaven, no, believe in heaven, though. No, i know, im just. If im know, but im just. If im confronted a gentleman who confronted by a gentleman who argues that basis, have argues on that basis, i have to respond. On basis of his respond. And on the basis of his principles, wont to principles, you wont go to heaven. You able to heaven. You wont be able to hang around for the utopia. You believe in. And dont believe believe in. And i dont believe because long, the world believe in. And i dont believe be going long, the world believe in. And i dont believe be going to long, the world believe in. And i dont believe be going to destroyg, the world believe in. And i dont believe be going to destroy itself world believe in. And i dont believe be going to destroy itself at rld is going to destroy itself at this rate. Why is an atheist . Do you feel side to take feel qualified side to take to take a position disagreement take a position in disagreement with a matter of with connor on a matter of theology that . Theology like that . Because you invited well, because you invited protestant atheist. No, i mean , protestant atheist. No, i mean, there are certain basics here. I mean, a lot of my moral principles are based upon christian religion. I just dont believe in god. And i do believe there are aspects of religion which have done enormous damage over the last 2000 years and appalling bigotry and burning people at the stake and all of that. No, thank you very much. And im not persuaded that god exists. All right. But at the exists. All right. But at the same time, im you know, if people are have influential positions in public life, as connor does, as a commentator based upon their christian principles, of course , im going principles, of course, im going to argue about it and explore his christian principles and say, well, look, you know, do you really are you really going along with what christ says . Or have you have distorted , have you have you distorted, sorted corrupted what christ sorted and corrupted what christ said, which i think most of christianity has . Frankly, if you think of the appalling things that christianity has been for over the been responsible for over the last 2000, i dont i dont like the accusation that i have been distorting something that i believe in and that dont. Believe in and that you dont. Of the verses that you one of the verses that you cited there, emma, of the cited there, emma, one of the things that christ actually says is god and is that you cannot serve god and mammon in the bible, mammon mammon. Now in the bible, mammon is commonly mistranslated to money, actually decided money, but its actually decided to kind of entity that to be a kind of entity that controls material possessions. Controls material possessions. Its the idea that you as a human being be tempted to human being can be tempted to overthrow hierarchy, overthrow the hierarchy, which keeps in proximate to keeps you humble in proximate to the that youve inherited the things that youve inherited the things that youve inherited the your body, your the world, your body, your relationships and master literally your literally everything for your own enrichment. And what net zero is. Its the idea that if human beings without can human beings without god can perfect world, if you perfect the world, if you believe, dont sign god believe, dont sign up to god created you are created the world and you are out destroy it. Out to destroy it. Is that is my argument. That is that is my argument. You you are actually going you are you are actually going against gods work. I can briefly prevent us if i can briefly prevent us from derailed from the from being derailed from the original. And if we can original question. And if we can just get quickly get your just get a quickly get your thoughts its thoughts on, you know, its demonstrable. Weve seen so many christian sons being silenced because theyre holding true traditional views being de banking. I dont losing their jobs. Is it not the guy in the guy in windermere who was had his bank account closed by the i think it was the Yorkshire Bank. It was because he had expressed his views on trans issues. I dont think it was because he was a vicar. Lots of people have had have had have had their Bank Accounts closed. Well, yeah, but it wasnt because he was a christian. I mean, if Yorkshire Bank are having a policy of closing peoples Bank Accounts because of their views on trans issue, which i think is a bonkers policy, if theyre having a policy, but then making an exclusion for vicars, well, that would be bonkers as well. So i think that example isnt a good one. Yeah, there are. I mean, christians dont have it all great in this country. For instance , they are the subject insta