God Forbid - Podcast

Food. It's more than just calories — it forms the very basis of our culture and community. The God Forbid panel discusses everything from fasting to feasting, chickpeas to cannibalism.

It's been 18 years, but 9/11 is still affecting the lives of Muslims in the West. This week's God Forbid panel has a spirited discussion about sharia law, political Islam and Western colonialism in the Middle East.

Modern psychology draws from the wisdom of religious tradition in the form of meditation and mindfulness, but is the Buddhist concept of 'no self' at odds with exploring who you are? During Mental Health Week, the God Forbid panel examines the complex intersection between psychology and spirituality.

During the Cultural Revolution, Confucianism was seen as obsolete. Now as the People's Republic of China turns 70, Confucianism is resurgent and it's all thanks to the Chinese Government. It means other faith traditions are under pressure to be patriotic, or face state sanction.

What's the difference between a religion and a cult? These two religious studies professors say the distinction isn't useful, and that "cult" is pejorative. The God Forbid panel explores new religious movements and why we classify different belief systems in different ways.

Over the next 40 years more than 6 million Australians will have some form of dementia — most likely Alzheimer's disease. That means nearly all of us will either have dementia, or love someone that does. Who are you if you don't remember those you love? And if you're religious, what does it mean to forget God?

What's the best way to live? Many people claim to know the answer, but nobody can agree! James Carleton and the God Forbid panel take a look at some of the more popular advice, from Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life, to positive thinking and mindfulness meditation.

In our search for meaning, "Who am I?" is one of the most fundamental questions we ask. Today, our identities are formed by a cluster of (sometimes contradictory!) traits — religion, race, gender and nationality, among others. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel discuss how those identities can change the course of our lives, whether we want them to or not.

As confidence in our Westminster system of parliamentary democracy erodes, we seem to long for a leader — any leader — to save us. But no one person can be and do everything, and our politics was never designed to provide that kind of all-encompassing moral leadership. Will there ever be a saviour in the Lodge, or do we need to look elsewhere? James Carleton and the God Forbid panel examine how three different faiths view leadership.

Over two years ago, 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders from all around Australia met at Uluru. At the base of the gigantic rock, they agreed to enshrine a first nations voice into the constitution — giving birth to The Statement from the Heart. This week, James Carleton and the God Forbid panel discuss where we’re at on this journey, where we’re headed and how far we have left to go.

Peaceful solutions to the world’s problems are hard to find — and religious tensions are part of the problem. What needs to happen so we can all share in the bounty of peace? James Carleton joins a panel of three people who have made interfaith dialogue their life's work.

The 60s and 70s were a time of countercultural liberation, and the Christian church was not immune — especially in South America. Liberation theology grew out of the slums of Peru, proclaiming a "preferential option for the poor", and it has influenced Christian thought across the globe. But during the Cold War, blending the words of Jesus and Marx was seriously controversial, and remains so today.

In popular culture, hell is often depicted as a place full of flames, demons and screaming people. Is this what Christians really believe? Join James and our panel of Christian theologians — each with a differing view of eternal torment, and how we end up there.

For all of human history we've had religion and we've had art — and the two have remained inextricably linked. We're not just talking about Da Vinci's Last Supper, or Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, but the creation of art itself as a practise with the power to transcend.

One thing is certain — the world as we know it will one day end. But exactly when and how is a lot more ambiguous. Join James and our panel of doomsday experts as they prepare to face the end.

About a third of Australians don’t follow a religion, but that doesn’t mean they’re all disciples of Richard Dawkins. Even though they disavow organised religion, some atheists are irrational and even superstitious. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel talk about the myriad ways to be atheist.

Voluntary assisted dying was recently legalised in Victoria — is this a progressive step forward for human rights, or a departure from some fundamental understanding about the value of human life?

Free speech is great, except when it's not. And a free press is necessary for a healthy democracy, but should there be limits to what gets published? In this holy hot potatoes edition the God Forbid panel explores the freedoms that compete with each other in a liberal democracy — particularly around election time.

In Taiwan, there are far more Buddhist nuns than Buddhist monks. But in other countries like Thailand, the ordination of women is not officially recognised. James Carleton and a panel of ordained women explore the influence of women in Buddhism and discuss contemporary issues surrounding gender and the faith.

When was the last time you changed your mind over something significant? Not just what to have for breakfast, when to take the next holiday, or even where to live — but something that challenged your very identity? Guest host Meredith Lake and the God Forbid panel question what it means to think deeply in a post-truth age.