In the aftermath of the recent report on religious groups in the UK carried out by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Rebecca Stott ponders the tension between defending the right to religious freedom and defending the rights of the child. "Maybe it is time," she writes, "to admit that closed, highly-controlling environments , that refuse or escape scrutiny in the name of religious toleration... might not be safe places to entrust the hearts, minds and bodies of children." Producer: Adele Armstrong

As thousands of Afghan refugees look to make their home in the UK, Michael Morpurgo tells the story of one child refugee, Little Amal. "Surely," he argues, "just as we now fully acknowledge our global responsibility to restore the world about us, the world we ourselves have damaged, so we must play our part as one of the richest nations on earth, to welcome in as many refugees as we can, to give them safe haven with us, to treat them right, as we know we should." Producer: Adele Armstrong Recorded by James Vickery of Radio Devon

John Gray on how former British Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, identified a weakness in the idea that science and faith are opposites."Beyond our narrow corner of things, there may be limitless possibilities, or else primordial chaos," he writes. "Our belief in the uniformity of nature is not a result but a presupposition of science - in other words, an act of faith."Producer: Adele Armstrong

Sara Wheeler looks at the emotional power of food. "It's regrettable", she writes, "that the link between food and happiness has been broken by the epidemic of obesity that bedevils the developed world."Producer: Adele Armstrong

'I don't want to find an eight-part drama more interesting than my life', writes Zoe Strimpel.Zoe reflects on the power of TV as a coping mechanism at the height of the COVID pandemic.But she argues that the creep of the on-screen narrative must now be slowed down in order for us to fully re-engage with our lives.Producer: Adele Armstrong

Rebecca Stott responds to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And she reflects on how our ancestors dealt with dramatic weather events - and the gods they believed were responsible. "Our ancestors would have sacrificed everything they owned to appease those gods.....they would have prayed together, sacrificed together"."But what," she wonders, "will we in the west sacrifice to save our species? Our cars? Our meat-eating? Our air-conditioning? Our foreign holidays?" Producer: Adele Armstrong

Adam Gopnik reflects on the ever-increasing accessibility of the past.He ponders what effect it has when "everything in the world that we can ever remember, everything that has accidentally haunted our imaginations for even a moment" is available online.Producer: Adele Armstrong

Howard Jacobson turns his thoughts to the unlikely subject of present wrapping.He delves into "Expectation Disconfirmation Theory" which, he claims, "will explain why you are less happy than you ever thought you'd be with your new trainers, and more happy than you ever expected you'd be listening to this programme!"Producer: Adele Armstrong

'In the dog days of the pandemic,' writes John Connell, 'I decided the place to recharge my spirit was the mountains and oceans of Ireland's west coast.'John sets off in the footsteps of the famous Irish monk and journeyman, St Brendan, in an attempt to recover a sense of 'wonder'.Producer: Adele Armstrong

Bernardine Evaristo argues that the racist abuse levelled at England players after the final of the Euros has troubling ramifications. She says it's the kind of "vile, in-yer-face bile many of us thought we'd left behind decades ago."The essay contains very strong racist language. Producer: Adele Armstrong