God Forbid

Falling in love with a machine is supposed to be the stuff of science-fiction. About a decade ago, Spike Jonze made the film Her, about a lonely man Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, falling in love with his operating system, Samantha. And the world renowned psychoanalyst Esther Perel recently counselled a man and his romantic partner, a chat bot! Is romantic love just in our hearts and heads, or does it require another human to be real? If an AI lover is always patient, understanding, never challenges you, and you never have to pick up after them, how could a human ever compete? Is AI the ultimate cure for human loneliness?  Can AI fill the God-shaped hole in us? GUESTS:Professor Meghan Sullivan, Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Also, the Founding Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common GoodCaragh OBrien, author of AnnieBot (written under the pen name Sierra Greer) a novel told from the perspective of a robot girlfriend for a man called Doug. AnnieBot won the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke award for UK science fiction book of the year. Professor Uri Gal, Professor of Business Information Systems at the University of Sydney Business School, whose research focuses on the organisational and ethical aspects of digital technologies - his recent article for the ABC is here.

Since the Stone Age we’ve used, and abused, drugs and alcohol. And some cultures believed their mood-altering effects brought you closer to God.  But if you go to an Alcoholics Anonymous or AA meeting today, you’ll be told that getting closer to God means getting away from the drink.AA also welcomes atheists, of course, as the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. But as part of the program, surrendering to a higher power is essential. Not necessarily God, but something outside of the bondage of self.But why does the twelve step program work brilliantly for some — and fail miserably for others? And what are the spiritual roots of the program? And it's not just alcoholism, there are twelve step programs for gamblers, social media and sex addicts, also overeaters and clutterers anonymous. GUESTS:Joanna Thyer, Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Coordinator at the University of Technology Sydney. She's also author of 12 Steps to Spiritual Freedom - Understanding the Christian Roots of Twelve Step Programs, and Steps to Life.Melinda Lake, psychologist and co-founder & CEO of Australian Recovery Centres in Northern NSW. She's also worked with AABCAP on Addiction in Buddhism and Psychotherapy.Amber Rules, Clinical psychotherapist and Director of Sydney Addictions Recovery in Sydney's inner west.

Pope Leo XIV has recently slammed the use of God's name to justify what he terms as the "absurd" pursuit of war, specifically challenging military leaders who describe operations in Iran as a holy war "in the name of Jesus Christ". Is a "holy war" antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ?  Sister Brigid Arthur, Rev Tim Costello and Rev Michael Woolf certainly think so. All of them have been at the forefront of contemporary societal battles about some of the most pressing issues of our day: asylum seekers and refugees, gambling reform and homelessness.  So, what can Christian leaders offer us in this context? Can they be holy warriors for our most pressing concerns? GUESTS:Rev Tim Costello  is Chief Advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Member of the Order of Australia, Executive Director of Micah Australia.Rev Dr Michael Woolf is Senior Minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston in the US state of Illinois and Co-Associate Regional Minister with the American Baptist Church, and author of Sanctuary and Subjectivity: Thinking Theologically about Whiteness and Sanctuary Movements Sister Brigid Arthur is a Brigidine sister who coordinates the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project, which advocates for asylum seekers, and helps them out with practical needs like housing, rent and utilities, friendship. 

Fairytales are among the oldest forms of human storytelling, with their roots in the oral traditions of pre-literate societies. Over centuries, these tales have been reworked to suit the religious, moral and political order of the day. They are instructive, entertaining and sometimes terrifying. Why is there this ongoing appeal – indeed a revival – of fairytales among young and old alike?  Guests: Marguerite Johnson, classicist, historian and Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland.  Tom Wright, theatre writer and Artistic Associate at Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney  Michelle Smith, Associate Professor in Literary Studies at Monash University  This program first aired in March 2024

It’s Eastern Orthodox Easter this weekend, where the faithful will announce to each other Christos Anesti. Christ is Risen.Also risen? The fortunes of Eastern Orthodoxy among men – though this is contested. Over the last 50 years, the numbers of people around the world identifying as religious have dropped. But the numbers of Christians seem to have stabilised, just in the last few years. Why?

If you go to the movies, or turn on your TV, you’ll find it hard to avoid the medieval fantasy genre. With its castles and fortresses, cloaks and crowns, and even dungeons and dragons.The stories are fantastical but of course, fictional in their portrayal of medieval Europe and the Islamic Golden Age.But how can a better understanding of what actually happened, in a rapidly changing Europe and Middle East, 500 to 1,000 years ago, help us navigate complexities in the world today?GUESTS:Dr Michael Barbezat, Research Fellow in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the Australian Catholic University.Dr Miles Pattenden, Senior Research Fellow in Medieval Studies, also at ACU.Dr Mahsheed Ansari, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. This program was first broadcast in October 2023

Evolving digital technologies have supercharged our anxieties about privacy and surveillance. These concerns may feel new, but they have always existed. Access to privacy is central to human dignity and intimacy - but it is also conditional in a society which values openness and accountability. So what should remain seen and unseen? When does surveillance become intrusive? And can privacy survive the digital age? Guests: Anita Allen, Professor of Law and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania Hugh Breakey, Professor of Philosophy, Griffith University David Vincent, Professor Emeritus, Open Universities UK, author of Privacy: A Short History 

"Don't judge me" is the unofficial commandment of our secular liberal society. We're told so long as you’re not hurting anyone, live however you want. But online, judgement is relentless and cruel. Have we lost the ability to wisely judge, and — eventually — forgive? Or did we never really have it in the first place?

These days, we want Rights, not religion. Choice, not Church. Pleasure, over prayer. In Australia, and the world  increasingly, the market is the Messiah, and the self is the saviour. But, if we’re the freest people who’ve ever lived, to choose our partners, careers, genders, and Gods or no God, free to buy anything, stream anything, be anything...why then do we seem to be unravelling?   In a world of loneliness, anxiety, extremism, polarisation, the more we chase freedom, the more it seems to slip away. Are we in a freedom trap?GUESTS:Priyan Max Jeganathan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity, author of The Freedom Trap.Alexander Lefebvre is Professor of Politics and Philosophy at the University of Sydney. He's the author of Liberalism as a Way of Life.

What is the state of women in Australia and globally in 2026?    Mainstream social media is increasingly clogged with misogyny, there's the horrendous revelations around Jeffrey Epstein, a rise in women killed by their partners and online harassment of women is at a peak. Are we going backwards? Guests:Ginger Gorman is a journalist and author of Troll Hunting: Inside the World of Online Hate and its Human FalloutNayomi Kannangara is CEO of the International Women's Development Agency.

Why would you trade the visible for the invisible?  And experts believe in the census later this year – for the first time ever - those ticking “no religion” will surpass Christians. And it’s happening across the global north - even the US – where 95% believed in something 30 years ago – today, nearly 1-in-3 American’s say they’re atheist or agnostic or no religion in particular. So why in this sea of secularism would some swim against the current? People raised without faith, who find themselves drawn to prayer, or ritual, or surrender to the unseen? To the disbeliever it can look madness. Or maybe in a world of clicks and content the hunger for sacred silence makes more sense than we think. GUESTS:​Tanya Luhrmann, Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University and author of “How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others” Kelsey Osgood, a journalist, a convert to orthodox Judaism, and the author of “Godstruck - Seven Women's Unexpected Journeys to Religious Conversion”Abdullah Kunde is a medical doctor a convert to Islam, and Founder and President of the Muslim Debate Initiative Australia.

If forgiveness is a gift to yourself, what do you give when the harm is unforgiveable? And it’s hard to believe, but some families endure unspeakable harm and somehow remain intact, while others fracture over what seems like nothing at all. How do we hold space for the reality of suffering, even trauma – but also the possibility of redemption? Our culture justifies righteous anger – the victim rightly must be vindicated, not blamed. But the question remains challenging for all of us, because perfect families don't exist. And any relationship worth having, comes at a cost. GUESTS:Dr Karen Pack is a lecturer at University of Notre Dame Australia, a religious historian, ordained minister, trained pastor and teaches around the world.  Her new book is “Queer Omissions: Unmarried Women and Social Justice Activism in the Church” Professor Michael Salter, from UNSW, is the director of the Australasian hub of Childlight, the Global Child Safety Institute and is an internationally recognised expert in child sexual exploitation, complex trauma and gender-based violence. 

Imagine losing the only person who never judged you, never walked away, always made you feel safe. Our culture, and our religions, can make us believe human loss is different to animals dying. But tell that to someone who believes one of the most important relationships in their life is with their pet. GUESTS:Dr Millie Cordaro, Professor of Psychology at Texas State UniversityDr Daniela Rizzo is a theologian at Alphacrucis University College and author of Animal PneumatologyDavid Michie is an author, known around the world for his series of books about Buddhism and animals

Credit and debt — borrowing and lending — have long been a part of life.Mortgage holders are all too familiar with the challenge of meeting their repayments and juggling the household budget — a challenge made even more difficult by the recent Reserve Bank decision to increase interest rates.But are financial commitments purely economic obligations, or do they come with a significant moral burden? Guests: Dr Lucie O’Brien,  Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Melbourne’s Centre for Commercial Law Dr Ilsup Ahn, Professor of Philosophy at North Park University   Royce Kurmelovs - journalist  

Of course, you believe you WOULD save a drowning child. But that doesn’t make you a saint – in fact, depending on how you live the rest of your life, it could well make you a sinner. For 50 years, PETER SINGER has been making uncomfortable observations like that.Peter is perhaps the world’s most influential philosopher - he’s shaped the way we think about animals and bioethics, abortion and euthanasia. And he's the philosophical father of the Effective Altruism movement - a quiet revolution that's transformed doing good from sentiment into science.  GUEST:Professor Peter Singer is Emeritus Professor of Bioethics at Princeton and National University of Singapore   His Bold Reasoning substack is hereHis book The Life You Can Save is free to download

After the targeting of Jews in the worst terrorist attack in modern Australian history – a Royal Commission into antisemitism has been announced by the PM.And many Australians refused to believe the something like Bondi could happen here.  But other Australians –Jews and Gentiles – warned the terror was not an isolated act, but a foreseeable progression – antisemitic thoughts leading to words leading to action. GUESTS:Ronald Sackville KC was the royal commissioner into the abuse of disabled people. A former federal court judge, he is a former member of the advisory board of the New Israel Fund. His substack piece on The Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism is here.Robert Richter KC has appeared before royal commissions, and  is one of Australia's most prominent criminal barristers. David Slucki is Director of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, and Associate Professor of Contemporary Jewish Life and Culture at Monash University. He wrote this piece for ABC Religion and Ethics

What does living simply mean in 2025? With an increasingly complex world, it is becoming harder and harder to detach from Earthly possessions. But what if we don't need to, in order to live an awakened and spiritual life?The monks of today don't look like the ones you might picture from your childhood. They carry iPhones, have social media, and catch planes across the world. From Hare Krishna to Humanistic Buddhism, modern followers of mindful traditions grapple with maintaining a connection to the world while not falling prey to its modern trappings of selfishness, consumerism, and greed. How do they do it? And what can we learn from them?GUESTS: His Holiness S.B. Keshava Swami, a Hare Krishna monk, author, and teacher of the Vaishnava Hindu traditionTosana Krsna Dasa, also know as Tilak, a Hare Krishna teacher, pastor and disciple, also a student in both law and religion at the University of SydneyVenerable Dr JueWei Shi, a member of the Fo Guang Shan order of Buddhists and Director of the Nan Tien Institute’s Humanistic Buddhism Centre.This episode of God Forbid was recorded on Dharawal and Gadigal land and produced on Gadigal land. It was first broadcast in January 2025

Is a cult a misunderstood religion? Or something much more dangerous?The line between high-control religions, new religious movements, and 'cults' is as grey as ever. But the fascination we have with these groups is only getting stronger. What counts as a 'cult'? Is it your highly controlling tech workplace? Your gym with a forever-binding contract? Or does the casual use of the word 'cult' do a disservice to those stuck in dangerous and emotionally manipulative religious and spiritual organisations?To shed some light on the difference between a new religious movement, a cult, and your regular high-control Pentecostal mega-church are the God Forbid guests who have lived, studied, or spoken to survivors of these groups. GUESTS: Professor Carole Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney, specialising in new religious movements (NRMs) contemporary religious trends and Western esotericism.Sarah Steel, host and creator of award-winning podcast, Let's Talk About SectsScott Parker, writer and star of stage production, Hillsong BoyThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and first broadcast in May 2025. Technical production by Craig Tilmouth and Tegan Nicholls.More InformationIf you or someone close to you has been affected by an extreme or controlling group, you can make a submission or anonymous report to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry here: Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. If you need support or help you can call Lifeline 13 11 14

If God says that man is fallible, and man wrote the Bible, then how can we know that the Bible is the true word of God? 

For most of history, body size has been about more than just health — it’s been a tool of control. From colonial ideals of “discipline” to modern-day diet culture, our ideas about fatness and thinness are deeply tied to morality, power, and profit. But are we getting it all wrong?Why do we see fatness as a personal failure rather than a natural variation in human bodies? How have our ideas of race and femininity affected our ideas of acceptable fat? Is public health really about health, or does it fuel stigma? And in an era of body positivity, have we actually made progress — or just rebranded the same old shame?GUESTS:Tess Royale Clancy, fat activist and co-founder of Radically Soft, Sydney’s first ever market for plus sized 2nd hand & new clothes. April Helene-Horton aka The Bodzilla, body positivity advocate, model, and a 2025 ambassador for the Butterly Foundation. Dr Kathryn MacKay, researcher in feminist bioethics and a lecturer at the Sydney Health Ethics Centre.  Dr Jane Williams, researcher at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) at the University of Wollongong. Also co-host of the Undisciplinary podcast.This episode first went to air in April 2025This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal and Ngunnawal land.Technical production by Roi Huberman and Dylan Prins. 

Looking towards the heavens for meaning doesn’t always mean looking to God. UFOs (and the modern moniker UAPs) have long been the food for thought of sceptics, theologians, and astrobiologists alike.  But what does belief in these mysterious phenomena have in common with religion? And what implications does life outside Earth have for the existence of God? GUESTS:Bill Chalker, UFO researcher. Contributing editor, International UFO Reporter. Author of Hair of the Alien and The Oz Files: The Australian UFO Story. Reverend Dr Tim Jenkins, Reader in Anthropology and Religion, Divinity Faculty, University of Cambridge. Author of Images of Elsewhere Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka, Professor, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, specialising in UFO and UAP religions This program first went to air in February 2025This episode of God Forbid was produced on Gadigal land, and recorded on Gadigal and Dharug land as well as the sovereign land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The big news for Christians is that this year we had BOTH a new Pope and – for the Anglican communion – the announcement of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.For Catholics, of course, Leo was the surprise choice at the papal conclave in May.  The first pope from the United States. And the first from the Order of Saint Augustine. And Dr Sarah Mullally will be the first woman to be enthroned as the Church of England’s senior bishop at Canterbury Cathedral in March next year.Anglicanism is reaching what could be an emerging global schism in the church. Next March the bishops of the conservative Global Anglican Future Conference or GAFCON have been summoned to meet in Nigeria. This could well be one of the most eventful Anglican assemblies in history.This year saw fundamental change in the power of Artificial Intelligence. For centuries we've defined ourselves by capacities we thought were uniquely human — reasoning, language, creativity, pattern recognition. We are now at the stage where Artificial Intelligence makes decisions and generates ideas that we can't fully explain or understand. It may well be a paradigm shift at least as big as evolution.And...the Zionist Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari famously said this year – 2025 – may be the biggest turning in Jewish history since the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE. Harari says Judaism has survived every catastrophe imaginable – even the Holocaust – but never until now has it faced a spiritual catastrophe.GUESTS:Andrew West from the Religion and Ethics ReportMeredith Lake from Soul Search Senior religious reporter and Editor, Religion and Ethics, Noel DebienScott Stephens from The Minefield

A bohemian journalist who found God in the slums — and built a movement that unsettled both Church and State.Born in Brooklyn in 1897, Dorothy Day lived many lives: radical writer, suffragist, single mother, and eventually Catholic convert. In the midst of the Great Depression, she co-founded the Catholic Worker movement, opening houses of hospitality for the poor and protesting every war America fought. To admirers, she was a saint in street clothes; to critics, a communist in disguise. Can holiness and revolution coexist? Day’s life suggests that faith and rebellion may be closer than we think.GUESTS:Paul Elie — author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American PilgrimageMartha Hennessy — granddaughter of Dorothy Day and lifelong member of Catholic Worker Movement.Robert Ellsberg — former editor of Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker newspaper. He worked closely with her in the final years of her life and is the editor of her published diaries and selected letters, The Duty Of Delight and All the Way to Heaven. Rev Simon Moyle — ordained Baptist Minister and elder at the Grace Tree Christian community in Coburg Melbourne.This is the sixth and final episode of God Forbid's Religious Rebels, a six-part special series exploring the lives of spiritual revolutionaries who defied empires, reshaped traditions — and sometimes paid with their lives.

A street hustler turned minister whose faith transformed Black politics — and himself.Born Malcolm Little in 1925, Malcolm X rose to fame as a fiery preacher in the Nation of Islam, calling for Black self-determination “by any means necessary.” But after his pilgrimage to Mecca, he embraced Sunni Islam and a universal vision of justice that transcended race. Weeks later, he was assassinated. Was Malcolm X a prophet of liberation or a threat to the powerful? His journey from militant separatism to spiritual reformer still forces America — and the world — to confront the cost of conviction.GUESTS:Tamara Payne — co-writer and principal researcher of Pulitzer prize winning biography “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” Assistant Professor Jimmy Butts — specialist in Malcolm X Studies at Trinity university in San Antonio Texas This is the fifth episode of God Forbid's Religious Rebels, a six-part special series exploring the lives of spiritual revolutionaries who defied empires, reshaped traditions — and sometimes paid with their lives.

A French lawyer-turned-theologian who split from Rome — and built his own city of God.John Calvin fled Catholic France to lead a new Protestant movement in Geneva during the 1500s. His ideas about predestination and the absolute authority of Scripture reshaped Christianity and inspired the Reformed and Presbyterian traditions. Yet under his rule, dissenters were exiled, imprisoned, and violently executed. Was he a reckless heretic or a visionary thinker centuries ahead of his time — and what does his death say about the danger of new ideas?GUESTS:Randall C. Zachman Professor Emeritus of Reformation Studies, at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, after many decades at University of Notre Dame. Professor Ben Myers at Alphacrucis University College in Brisbane - author of The Apostles’ Creed: A guide to the ancient catechism Dr Constance Lee is Lecturer in Law at Adelaide University, and author of a forthcoming book Natural Law and the Nature of Government: John Calvin’s Constitutional Theology This is the fourth episode of God Forbid's Religious Rebels, a six-part special series exploring the lives of spiritual revolutionaries who defied empires, reshaped traditions — and sometimes paid with their lives.

A Persian poet and scholar who tore off her veil — and announced the dawn of a new religious age. In the 1840s, Táhirih became one of the first women to preach in public in Iran. As a leading figure in the Bábí movement — a precursor to the Bahá’í faith — she argued that revelation had not ended and that women should be free to study, speak, and lead. Her defiance of clerical and royal authority terrified the establishment. In 1852, she was executed in secret, her body buried in silence. Was Táhirih a prophet of liberation or a heretic undone by her own courage?GUESTS:Professor Negar Mottahedeh — cultural critic and film theorist specialising in interdisciplinary and feminist contributions to the fields of Middle Eastern Studies at Duke UniversityRaya M Hazini — doctoral candidate with her Masters from the Graduate Theological UnionDr Zara Moballegh — PhD from Tehran University, she’s now visiting Assistant Professor at Harvard Divinity School. This is the third episode of God Forbid's Religious Rebels, a six-part special series exploring the lives of spiritual revolutionaries who defied empires, reshaped traditions — and sometimes paid with their lives.

A former Dominican friar who dared to say the universe had no centre — and paid with his life.Born in 16th-century Italy, Giordano Bruno broke with Church teachings to imagine an infinite cosmos filled with countless worlds. To him, God was not confined to heaven or hierarchy but alive in every corner of creation. The Inquisition saw it differently. After years of imprisonment and interrogation, Bruno was burned alive in Rome in 1600. Was he a reckless heretic or a visionary thinker centuries ahead of his time — and what does his death say about the danger of new ideas?GUESTS:Ingrid Rowland — Emeritus Professor of History at the US University of Notre Dame. Dilwyn Knox — Emeritus Professor of Renaissance Studies at University College, London Dr Shaun Blanchard — Lecturer in Theology at Notre Dame University Australia.This is the second episode of God Forbid's Religious Rebels, a six-part special series exploring the lives of spiritual revolutionaries who defied empires, reshaped traditions — and sometimes paid with their lives.

A teenage peasant who claimed to hear the voice of God — and changed the course of European history. At just seventeen, Joan of Arc convinced the French prince to let her lead an army against the English, turning the tide of the Hundred Years’ War. But her victories came at a price: captured, accused of heresy, and burned alive at nineteen. Was she a divinely inspired saviour or a dangerous fanatic? Centuries later, her story still provokes questions about faith, gender, and power — and how belief can turn an ordinary girl into a national saint.GUESTS:Dr Charlotte Millar — Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Melbourne.    Author Witchcraft, the Devil & Emotions in Early Modern EnglandDr Stephanie Downes — Lecturer at La Trobe University, an expert on the history of English and French, and of books and writing of the periodDr Shaun Blanchard — Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia. His anticipated fifth book – Catholicism and Enlightenment.This is the first episode of God Forbid's Religious Rebels. A six-part special series exploring the lives of spiritual revolutionaries who defied empires, reshaped traditions — and sometimes paid with their lives.

What’s on the other side of the near-death experience?

Only half of all Australians understand Jesus to be a real person who lived at a time and place in history, according to the latest Australian Community Survey.Two in 10 Australians said Jesus was a mythical or fictional character while three out of 10 didn’t know.Their doubts stand in contrast to those of ancient historians, classicists and New Testament scholars, who universally accept that Jesus was a real person in time and place in history.The question here is ontological: what makes “Jesus” Jesus? Is it enough that a man called Jesus (or Joshua or Yeshua), who became a charismatic teacher, was born around the turn of the millennium in Palestine? GUESTS:Dr John Dickson, Anglican cleric, historian and author of Is Jesus History?Professor Vrasidis Karalis, Professor of Greek at the University of SydneyRev Dr Karen Pack, lecturer in history at Notre Dame Australia Sound Engineer: Antonia Gauci, Music by Russell StapletonThis program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

What separates humans from other animals? It’s not our brain hardware. It’s our always changing brain software.For so long, humans believed our brain power separates us from animals: since the earliest human species, our brain size has tripled.But our brains haven’t grown for 30,000 - probably 300,000 years.So, why are we the ones who build cities and fly to space?  Michael Muthukrishna calls it our collective culture.As every generation passes our operating system gets a free upgrade, and we build on the knowledge of the generation before.GUEST:Professor Michael Muthukrishna is at the London School of Economics and, in January 2026, will take up a professorship at New York University This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

In the Pacific Ocean right now grey, humpback and southern right whale populations are increasing.This is important for us all ecologically. But for some of us, even more is at stake.Because around the world, from the equator to the Arctic, from Russia to New Zealand, throughout history and today, humans revere whales, as spiritual ancestors and as harbingers of fortune and protection.And as we’ll learn, some communities and traditions even worship whales as gods. Which makes their near extinction in the 20th century nothing less than deicide.GUESTS:Aike Peter Rots is principal investigator of the Whales of Power project at the University of Oslo.Mere Takoko is a leading Maori whale conservationist and founder and CEO of the Pacific Whale Fund.

Two days prior to the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, a group of writers at US-based feminist magazine, Jezebel, published an article stating that they 'Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk’. The magazine has since pulled the article, on the advice of their lawyers, so as not to cause any confusion about their stance on political violence of any kind.  Is it ever ethical to wish harm on someone, even if that harm is theoretical or supernatural? What code of ethics are witches bound to? And why do witches have such a complex relationship with right-wing politics? GUESTSDr Caroline Tully – witchcraft maven, archaeologist, writer, tarot reader, and scholar of modern Pagan religions Dr Kenneth Freeman – Adjunct Professor of social work at North Carolina Central University, author of the research paper Ethical parallels: an exploration of the NASW code of ethics, Wiccan Rede, and the growing influence of Wicca in the United StatesDr Megan Goodwin – scholar of politics, and American religions, senior editor of Religion Dispatches, and author of Religion is Not Done With YouThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land, in Naarm, and on the land of the Eno, Tuscarora and Occcaneechi peoples.

The art of marking the body, by piercing the flesh and pushing ink into the wound, the tattoo, has had an uneasy relationship with religion.It's sometimes seen as a desecration of the body, but equally, the tattoo is venerated as a rite of passage and as a form of worship.Then there are tattoos in the secular context. They are so common in Australia now,  it’s actually hard to find a body under the age of 40 NOT permanently marked by ink.  It’s a fascinating form of human expression, both in existence for millennia, and changing before our eyes.GUESTS:LARS KRUTAK is an anthropologist and documentary maker who specialises in tattoos and their cultural significance. . His new book Indigenous Tattoo Traditions  (Princeton University Press) explores the role of tattooing cross-culturally. JULIA MAGEAU GRAY is a researcher, documentary maker, and tattoo artist. Julia is credited with revitalising women's tattoo traditions across Melanesia

Two thousand years ago, Christianity was an obscure movement with no wealth, power, or friends in high places. Yet within a few centuries, its radical commitment to human dignity, charity and non-violence transformed the Roman world and helped shape the civilisation we live in today.How did a powerless sect became the most influential religion on Earth? From ancient plagues and persecution to today’s debates about faith and society: can Christianity still turn the world upside down?GUESTS:Greg Sheridan – Foreign editor of The Australian and author of several books on Christianity’s modern relevance, including  How Christians can succeed today – reclaiming the genius of the early church.Dr Karen Pack – Historian at the University of Notre Dame, ordained minister specialising in the early church and author of Queer Omissions: Unmarried Women and Social Justice Activism in the ChurchThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm.

It’s hard to believe that one in three young Australian adults go regularly to worship services – more than any other age group. But it’s true and men are leading the charge.It’s a puzzle, because it breaks two longstanding rules of religion: believers are typically female and old.Remember back in 2000. Even the most optimistic priest wouldn’t have predicted that would change.  The Cold War was over, religion was set to fade way – replaced globally with rationalism, liberalism and democracy. Generation Xers were finishing the work of their baby boomer parents - rejecting once and for all church moralising, hypocrisy, and dogma.But the children of Generation X are now young adults themselves. And just as the hippie boomers rebelled, Gen Y and especially Gen Z are rebelling against their atheist parents by turning to God.Remembering too, what the so-called rationalist generation bequeathed today’s young adults – a world of debt, insecurity, and climate chaos. Why not look elsewhere for meaning and purpose?GUESTS:Dr Intifar Chowdhury Lecturer in Government at Flinders University, where she studies the political attitudes of young Australians.Dr Anna Halafoff  Associate Professor of Sociology at Deakin University, coordinator of their Spirituality and Wellbeing Research Network.Emelia Haskey Undergraduate at the University of Divinity Adelaide where she’s in training to become a minister of the Uniting Church.

We live in a universe that sustains life – but what are the chances of that? And scientists now believe that if the laws of physics were different by just a fraction – our universe would be either empty, simple, or long ago extinct.If the strength of gravity or the mass of an electron was different by even the tiniest amount, the universe as we know it would not exist. So tiny even that the difference itself is almost beyond comprehension.Why has this cosmic fine tuning come about? The philosophical and even religious implications are so profound, that this is one of the most exciting questions in astrophysics.Which is why it’s so exciting that this week on the God Forbid panel, we have two internationally acclaimed astrophysicists. GUESTS:Luke Barnes - Senior Lecturer and astrophysicist at Western Sydney UniversityGeraint Lewis - Professor of astrophysics at The University of SydneyThis program was made on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

Truth used to be something we argued about. Now we can’t even agree on what it is. In a world of fake news and alternate facts, we each claim our personal truth, our own competing version of reality.So, how does science, religion, and philosophy help us navigate truth when certainty is elusive?What does it mean to live in a time when truth itself feels fractured? When the world is so complex – that we yearn for trust as much as truth?  And how do we navigate moral or epistemic disagreement without falling into hostility or relativism?GUESTS:DR CAROLYN FOSTER is an astro-physicist at the University of NSW.Prof ALAN DUFFY from Swinburne university of Technology in Melbourne, where he’s pro-vice chancellor too.DR VICTORIA LORRIMAR is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame.This program was made on Warrang, Naarm, and Walyalup

Can celibacy actually make us purer and closer to God?  What is it about sex that gets in the way of our divinity?What do some of the world’s major religions say about celibacy or even require of it’s devotees?And, with the very noticeable global decline in the birth rate, are we already seeing a trend towards a more chaste life? If so, can abstinence draw us closer to our spiritual selves?GUESTS:Dawn Eden Goldstein is a theologian, canon lawyer and author of TheThrill of The Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes OnDr Maeve Heaney is also a theologian, author, musician and composer and has written on the subject of celibacy and the Catholic Church and author of Suspended God: Music and a theology of doubtDr Samishka Goyal is a philosopher and teacher at Monash University and has written extensively about Hinduism and JainismThis program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and Naarm

Can we know God through machines? Can machines know God? And could machines, one day, become godlike themselves? While AI is still in its infancy, it is evolving at lightning speed, and ingraining itself in our lives. From writing our emails, creating our budgets and  even serving as our therapists, society is embracing AI as part of our everyday lives. But what about faith? Our spirituality, our souls, our connection to God - these are elements of the human experience that can’t be quantified by science, and reproduced in machines. Or can they? GUESTS:Dr. Declan Humphreys is a lecturer in Cyber Security and Ethics at the School of Science, Technology and Engineering at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is also one of the winners of the ABC Top 5 Humanity residency programme for 2025.Dr. Jane Compson, Associate Professor of Comparative Religion and Ethics at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Jane is a practicing Buddhist and a trained chaplain. She is also a member of the research team at AI and Faith.Carl Youngblood, is the co-founder and current president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and has more than 20 years experience in software engineering and technology development. This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and the lands of The Turrbal and Yuggera People. 

With the Coldplay "kiss cam" fiasco and two corporate careers in tatters we ask the question: Should leaders be held to a higher personal standard than the rest of society? Beyond the memes and outrage, what does this moment reveal about how we expect leaders to behave — not just at work, but in public and online?And what does ethical leadership look like in an era where CEO pay is high, but trust is low?  Guests:Dr Tim Dean, philosopher and ethicist from the Ethics CentreDr Nelly Liyanagamage, PhD in Leadership and Lecturer, University of Wollongong, and author of How to Deal with a Machiavellian BossTim Duggan, Journalist and author of best-selling books including Cult Status, Killer Thinking and Work Backwards 

Is God multilingual? Does the divine speak Hebrew? Arabic? Latin? Or is it something more mysterious?This week on God Forbid, we’re asking: who gets to speak the language of God? And what happens when only a select few can read the sacred texts? From ancient scrolls to colonial classrooms, religion has often been shaped — and controlled — by language and literacy.Guests:Prof Halim Rane, a scholar of Islamic theology and the sociology of religion from Griffith University, his latest book: Covenants with Allah: Keystone of IslamDr Simon Holloway, a sessional lecturer at Melbourne University, his PhD in classical Hebrew and Biblical studies. Simon is the manager of Community and Corporate Programs at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.Dr Laura Rademaker, ARC DECRA Fellow at ANU and historian of Indigenous Australia and Christian missions. Author of Lost in Translations: Many Meanings on a North Australian MissionThis program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and in Naarm.

What do dancing Mormons, blind dates, and superyachts have in common? They've all featured on so-called ‘reality TV’ shows. But just how ‘real’ are they? Some argue reality tv is anti-feminist – yet the genre is consistently popular with young women, and a new reality TV show is breaking records with religious women at the centre of it – The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.It's not the first time The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints has been featured on reality TV, and it certainly won't be the last. So why the interest in the 'real' lives of religious people? And can 'trash' tv teach us complex lessons about gender, shame, and religion?Guests:Siobhan Marin, writer and producer with ABC Radio National, and digital lead for ABC's Religion and Ethics unitDr Elisha McIntyre, researcher on the intersection between pop culture, comedy, and The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day SaintsHannah Ferrier, reality TV star made famous by Bravo TV's Below Deck, and host of the reality TV podcast Dear Reality, You're Effed!First broadcast 19 October 2024

55 horror movies came out last year -  more than one a week - the most of any year this century.But why would make-believe horror double its box office share in a decade which has seen real existential fear: wars, pandemics, and natural disasters.And what do movies that scare us have to do with religions that comfort us?Well, they’re both interested in what you believe, ask questions about evil, and want your attendance on a Sunday morning.GUESTS:BARBARA CREED Professor of Screen Studies at the University of Melbourne. Author of Phallic Panic: Film, Horror & the Primal Uncanny and The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, PsychoanalysisFr RICHARD LEONARD a parish priest and film scholar. Author of The Mystical Gaze of the Cinema: The Films of Peter Weir and Movies That Matter: Reading Film through the Lens of Faith COLTAN SCRIVNER, research fellow at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University and psychologist at Arizona State University and author of Morbidly Curious: A scientist explains why we can’t look away.This program is made on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and in Naarm

The Prime Minister says our cultural diversity is a strength and calls for "progressive patriotism".But global turmoil is making it's way to our shores in the form of demonstrations and violence on our streets. What does the future hold for the ties that bind us together?And what IS progressive patriotism anyway?GUESTS:Prof, the Rev Peter Kurti, Director, Culture, Prosperity & Civil Society program, Centre for Independent Studies. His recent paper is The Ties That Bind: Reconciling value pluralism and national identity Dr Yassir Morsi, Lecturer, Aboriginal Studies, La Trobe University, Author: Radical Skin, Moderate Masks: De-radicalising the Muslim and Racism in Post-racial SocietiesDr Chloe Patton, Lecturer, RMIT. Research spans sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, and intersections of gender, race, identity and representation. Author: Visualising Young Muslims in the West This program is recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and Naarm

With His Holiness the Dalai Lama turning 90 this month, every day that passes brings his succession closer. When he dies, the religious power struggle over his replacement will certainly be at the top of the Communist Party’s agenda.So what might lie in the future for Tibet in it's ongoing struggle for autonomy from Chinese rule?Is there a middle way that could be acceptable to both sides in the dispute?GUESTS:Dr Lobsang Sangay was the leader of the Central Tibetan Administration in India for ten years. He grew up in a refugee camp in India and has gone on to have a prestigious academic career. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School.Professor Baogang He is the distinguished Chair in International Relations at Deakin University, and recognised internationally for his expertise on both the Tibet & Taiwan disputes.This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land of the Eora Nation.

On God Forbid we’re talking about the sacred strands that sprout from our skulls. Whether it’s being grown long, shaved off, or covered up... hair has long been a point of contention for faith communities.  Claims of both modesty AND freedom come up when we discuss hair coverings... and often a similar piece of fabric will elicit very different responses depending on the religion of the person wearing it.  From turbans to tonsures, hijabs to high-top fades... hair is more than style, it’s spiritual. GUESTS:Michael D. (David) Barbezat - a historian of medieval European religious history. His first book, Burning Bodies: Communities, Eschatology, and the Punishment of Heresy in the Middle Ages. Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa - Director of The Blue Room Theatre in Perth. She’s a writer, performer, theatre and filmmaker. Since her sell-out theatre work Fully Sikh she’s currently producing A Hairy Tale, a documentary exploring female body hair. Aseel Tayah - Palestinian-Australian artist, CEO of community art project Bukjeh in Melbourne, and hijabi Muslim.This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land, the land of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and in Naarm. 

In Australia, and beyond, women are taking on religious leadership in ways that would have been unthinkable decades ago. But change and faith is a complex brew. And for every breakthrough, there's backlash.  And the arguments aren't just theological – they're personal too, touching on tradition, culture, and what it means to be faithful in a changing world. So, what happens when the drive for gender equality meets the weight of sacred tradition? GUESTS:Pastor Sue Westhorp last year was one of three women ordained for the first time into the Lutheran church. Rev. Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, the youngest and first person of colour to hold the office.This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm. Technical production by John Jacobs.

Although the Australian population has doubled in size since the early 1970s, the number of marriages registered each year has not increased over this time.And…interest in poly modes of intimacy are on the rise.So, what do people want in their intimate relationships and indeed marriages in 2025?Can we still make a case for monogamy – dedication to “the one” till death do us part? Or are we moving towards new models of intimacy?GUESTS:Justine Toh is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public ChristianityMichail Ivanov is a socio-legal academic from the University of Adelaide and author of Polygamy: Proper or Primitive Belinda Tobin, researcher and author of The Moral Dilemma of MonogamyWatch a recent Compass episode about polyamory Beyond Monogamy

Is religious appropriation an act of reverence? Or cultural theft? Yoga at the gym, meditation via an app on your phone, sage-smudging a corporate office. Religious rituals and traditions are being taken out of their original context and used in everyday life by people outside the culture and faith they're taken from. Could this be considered a kind of theft? Or is this part of a healthy modern cultural exchange? To explore the ethical and spiritual implications of wellness-ifying religious practices are two guests researching the impact of these cases. GUESTS:Prof Liz Bucar, professor in religious ethics at Northeastern University and author of Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural AppropriationA/Prof Shameem Black, associate professor in the School of Culture, History, and Language at the Australian National University and Author of Flexible India: Yoga's Cultural and Political TensionsThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land, the land of the Ngunnawal people, and the traditional land of the Massachusett peopleTechnical production by Craig Tilmouth and John Jacobs