Oh God Now What

Each week brings new scary headlines about AI. Buddhist monk Tenzin Priyadarshi Rinpoche says  Big Tech executives he has worked with lack the ‘discerning empathy’ to understand how AI will affect the masses. He is our guest along with Father James Martin, editor-at-large of America magazine. They help us navigate an industry they say has made outsourcing, efficiency, and potential “free time” God-like without us questioning if that is even a good idea.Subscribe on Substack Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @ognwprxFollow Niala on Instagram: @nialab

In 2001, just before 9/11, Haroon Moghul was head of the Muslim Student Association at NYU, but he had not yet solidified his own relationship with Islam. Then, everything changed, and he had to navigate his beliefs when islamophobia was suddenly everywhere. He is now a chaplain at Xavier University, and offers his take on shifting the focus away from rampant islamophobia onto what we can control.Mentioned in the show: Register here for Religion News Service's event moderated by Niala, "The 9/11 Generation: 25 Years Later"  El-Sayed's interview on FOX Subscribe on Substack Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @ognwprxFollow Niala on Instagram: @nialab

What makes travel sacred? With so many flight delays and skyrocketing hotel prices, we look to two spiritual guides to remind us that any kind of trip can be a soul-nurturing experience — even the seemingly mundane.Phil Cousineau is a an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and travel leader. He's the author of The Art of Pilgrimage, and a new book called The Wisdom of the Odyssey: 24 Life Lessons from Homer's Epic. Rabbi Shira Stutman is a frequent traveler who hosts the weekly Jewish advice podcast, Chutzpod, about how to live life better. She's also senior rabbi at Aspen Jewish Congregation and was the founding rabbi at Sixth & I Synagogue in DC.Subscribe on Substack Subscribe to our YouTube channel: @ognwprxFollow Niala on Instagram: @nialab

The concept of a “just war" is foundational to Christianity, but lately we’ve seen it improperly used – or ignored. Even in his May encyclical, Pope Leo called the concept “outdated.” We’ll break apart “just war" with the first rabbi to have been designated a U.S. ambassador, Rabbi David Saperstein, and with Miroslav Volf, a Croatian Protestant theologian at Yale University.Subscribe on Substack Follow Niala on Instagram: @nialab

Should you vote for a candidate’s policies or for their character? How do we get through another midterm news cycle with our own character intact? In our debut episode, host Niala Boodhoo welcomes public theologian Curtis Chang and Rabbi Jill Jacobs. Using their expertise as religious thought leaders, they help us navigate aligning beliefs with how we vote. And they offer perspective and tools for strengthening democracy outside of high-stakes elections. Chang is the Executive Director of Good Faith, which helps politically ‘homeless’ Christians navigate a deeply divided world. Rabbi Jacobs is the CEO of T’ruah, which empowers rabbis and cantors to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights. Subscribe on Substack Follow Niala on Instagram: @nialab

If you think ‘oh God, now what?’ every time you open your news app, here’s the secret: journalists feel this way, too. Veteran journalist and host Niala Boodhoo created this show because she’s close to the stories of our time, but also passionate about religious wisdom’s ability to guide us when things are difficult. Each week, through conversations with faith leaders of all kinds, you’ll learn how religious and spiritual traditions can help us live with the news, not just survive it.Subscribe on Substack Follow Niala on Instagram: @nialabDo you have a question or idea for the podcast? Email us at [email protected].