God Forbid - Podcast

Can playing games teach us anything about ourselves, and about the world? And what do games have in common with attending church? On God Forbid, James Carleton and our panel explore the world of games and play. 

Biblical literacy is likely lower in Australia today than at any point since the convict era. Yet the legacy of this book – for better and worse – is still everywhere to be seen. On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel examine what the Bible is and its influence on the nation’s history and society.

How do we deal with people with fringe beliefs? The extremes of politics, society and religion seem outlandish, but most of us know someone who has views we find strange. So do we try and change them, ignore them, or accept them on their own terms? James Carleton and the God Forbid panel seek the answers.

There's been a decline in the number of Australians identifying as religious, but that doesn’t make dealing with religion in public any easier. So how should governments of no religion deal with things like religious schools, religious clothing in public, tax exemptions and charitable status for religion? On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel look at the religious exemptions that exist in our nation. 

In the Cold War era, we had the space race — the first satellite, first dog and first person in space. Today, it’s the first billionaire and his rocket, accompanied by wealthy space tourists. This Science Week, James Carleton and the God Forbid panel look at the law and ethics surrounding today’s space race and examine the wider space industry.

Poetry dates back thousands of years, with some scholars claiming it may even pre-date literacy. Rhythm and verse have been changing ever since, but have long aimed to capture perspective on the nature of existence. This Poetry Month, James Carleton panel explore everything from haiku to song lyrics.

It’s been 76 years since the bombing of Hiroshima, and for the three quarters of a century since nuclear stories remain front page news. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel examine the Cold War, nuclear medicine, nuclear meltdowns, nuclear science and technology and now the nuclear alternative energy source in the carbon constrained contemporary context.

You know the saying – you always hurt the ones you love? According to Freud, it’s the small differences that cause the biggest conflicts, and it’s something we see again and again in both religion and politics. On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel take a look at sectarianism.

Another week has passed, and over half of the country has been sent into lockdown. While the pandemic poses a threat to our physical health and our health care system, there's also the mental and spiritual sides of our wellbeing to consider. On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel take a look at the impacts of the pandemic beyond just our physical wellbeing.

Things can change rapidly during a pandemic, with Sydney's lockdown extended and Victoria entering its fifth. But does the vaccine rollout give reason to hope? In this hot potatoes edition of God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel examine the impacts of the Delta variant – and the vaccine rollout – on local, national and international levels.

The need for charity is always there, though the motives of giving remain complex, and the outcomes can be frustratingly mixed. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel examine the charity sector and the state of giving in Australia.

This year for NAIDOC Week, James Carleton and the God Forbid panel look at universities and Christian churches — two institutions that have a rapidly changing relationship with Australia’s First Peoples.

Is getting older a gift or a curse? What societal stigmas are attached to ageing? And how are older Australians coping during the COVID-19 pandemic? On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel find out. 

Australia loves a legend - not just legendary sports stars, legendary stories too. But some stories are too extraordinary to be believed. So should we get rid of them and live in the real world? James Carleton and the God Forbid panel explore.

In some ways we will always be different – it’s a wonderful part of life, but it comes with disagreement and even conflict. But intolerance can be a good and natural response to the intolerable. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel explore the difference.

Each of us has our own complex environmental identity and culture – even if it’s not at the forefront of our mind – and religion can play a part. What we believe affects our behaviour, and what happens to the environment affects us all. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel look at climate change, religion and community organising.

Did you know that Brazil has more Catholics than any country in the world? It has also undergone a military dictatorship in which religion played a role, and the current president himself identifies as a Catholic – though his wife is an active member of a Baptist church. On God Forbid, James and our panel examine the various ways in which religion has shaped (and continues to shape) the Latin American country. 

We live in an era that glorifies youth, and at the same time, science promises to delay old age. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel ask, what will it mean if we let that go on without limit?

This week is 130 years to the day since Pope Leo XIII published Rerum Novarum, an encyclical – or open letter – about capital and labour. The Pope endorsed the right to private property but also named trade unions as a moral good. Today, James Carleton and the God Forbid panel discuss the Christians who contributed to socialist thought in Europe.

Faith and medicine have long gone hand-in-hand, but as medicine advances, that relationship is occasionally strained to breaking point. How do your doctors make the moral decisions needed to treat patients? And what happens if there’s not enough medicine to go around?