I grew up in an athiest family, and was quite intolerant of Christians and Christianity. My father was a Catholic who was "cast out" by his Irish Australian family when he gave up his faith. He was a rational, intelligent and very humane man who I adored, and I I thought all Christians were like those who had hurt my father.

It wasn't til my late 30s that I recognised that I was anti-Christian. Meeting people who didn't fit my stereotyped views helped me realise I was looking through a funnel. And people who made a significant impact challenged my prejudices.

The Sisters of Mercy here do fantastic work wioth prisoners. Catholics here were working with people with Aids, the homeless and refugees. I have met some very brave and outstanding Catholics working in these fields. What is a philosophy worth? It's what you do with it, and Christians have been at the forefront of social change, including the union movement, which developed out of a bunch of troublemaking Methodists in Tolpuddle.

My own experience has been through meditation and the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism in particular I find fascinating. No focus on deity, more on understanding and insight into managing life, as in the Tao Te Ching. I appreciate these philosophies, but I know that Western religious people have led the way with social service.