Beyond Belief

In Britain we're sometimes nervous about talking about religion, lacking the tools to talk about it in a society of many faiths and none. But how can we begin to understand one another if we cannot talk about those things which form the bedrock of so many peoples' lives.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.

According to Islamic teaching, there will a be a Day of Judgement when all of humanity will be judged by Allah. It will be preceded by divisions within the body of Islam and battles throughout the Middle East, particularly in Syria. Little wonder that some Muslims are speculating that the End Times are upon them. The leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, uses the language of End Times to underpin his organisation's legitimacy. So are we really experiencing the signs of the End Time? Why are the end time beliefs in Islam similar to those in Christianity? Does Islamic State believe they are hastening the Last Judgement? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the end of time is Ibrahim Mogra, an Imam working in Leicester and Assistant Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain; Dr Shuruq Nagruib, Lectuere in Islamic Studies at Lancaster University and Dr Rebecca Masterton, Islamic scholar and Director of Online Shia Studies.

Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Is Purgatory a religious place or a psychological concept?

Even in this so-called secular age, people with little or no religious belief often revert to religious terminology to describe their experience. After a difficult time, someone will say, "I've been to Hell and back." And after a time of testing or of waiting, they might say they've been through Purgatory.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.

Is it correct to describe the killers of Charlie Hebdo staff in Paris as fundamentalists?

Producer: Rosie Dawson.

Moses has always been good box office even before Ridley Scott's blockbuster movie hit the cinema screens on Boxing Day. There was Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments; the cartoon Prince of Egypt. It's a great story - Ancient Egyptian pharaohs and pyramids, babies in baskets, plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and a great chase.

The story of Moses is the seminal one for Jews; without him they would never have become a people. But he's important for Muslims and Christians too. And the story of a people being rescued from slavery and journeying to the Promised Land has been claimed by countless groups down through the ages.

Ernie Rea is joined by Maureen Kendler, teaching fellow at the London School of Jewish studies, Shuruq Naguib, lecturer in Islamic Studies at Lancaster University, and the Rev Keith Hebden, Anglican Priest in Nottingham and author of "Seeking Justice: The Radical Compassion of Jesus.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.

In Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea and his guests explore the place of faith in our complex world.

Ernie is joined by three guests who discuss how their own religious tradition affects their values and outlook on the world, often revealing hidden and contradictory truths.

In this programme, ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to England and Scotland, Ernie and his guests ask what is distinctive about English Catholicism. How did the ban on Catholics taking public office, only lifted in 1829 with the Catholic Relief Act, alter the treatment and perception of Catholics in England? What were the key moments and factors which restored Catholicism to a place in society and how have those created a distinctive form of Catholicism, unique to England and different to traditional Catholic countries. How does this play out today in public life, in relationship to the Pope and in acceptance of Vatican authority?

Producer: Karen Maurice.

What was the Church's role in the creation of Magna Carta? We all know about "Bad King John" and his barons, but this was a religiously charged document. The very first and the very last clause declare that "The Church must be free," and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, almost certainly drafted it.

Ernie Rea is joined by the Very Rev June Osborne, Dean of Salisbury , whose Cathedral houses one of the four original copies of Magna Carta; Simon Barrow Co Director of Ekklesia, a Christian think tank; and David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at Kings College London and one of the investigators involved in the Magna Carta Project which is researching the context, production and reception of Magna Carta.

Ernie Rea and guests discuss the enduring appeal of TS Eliot's religious poetry.

It's 50 years since TS Eliot died. His later work, most notably the Four Quartets, is informed by a Christian Faith which became one of the pillars which sustained his life. How religious is his poetry? And what does it have to say to a society which many feel has lost its Christian moorings?

Producer: Rosie Dawson.

In recent months some major American cities have experienced racial tension which has erupted into violence. In August Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Sections of the community reacted with violence, looting and protest and when, at the end of November, a Grand Jury decided not to indict the policeman there was further violence. Then in New York another Grand Jury decided against indicting a policeman who was caught on video in Staten Island putting a choke hold on a black man. Eric Garner was heard screaming "I can't breathe" and he subsequently died. The cases have raised questions about how much progress has been made in America towards creating a truly equal society. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss church and race relations in the United States of America is the Rev Cheryl Sanders, Professor of Christian Ethics at the Howard University School of Divinity and Pastor at the Third Street Church of God in Washington DC; Bishop Larry Jones, Founder and Pastor of Greater Grace Church in St Louis Missouri; and Alexander Smith, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Warwick University and at Kansas University.

Producer: Beatrice Pickup

The sale of Ouija Boards has soared recently due to a new horror film Ouija. The desire to make or maintain contact with the dead has been a feature of societies down the ages, but for one modern religion, Spiritualism, it continues to play a central role. Spiritualism is on the rise in Britain, increasing by 17 per cent between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. Ernie Rea discusses the appeal of Spiritualism with David Bruton, President of the Spiritualists' National Union, the Rev Dr Steve Jeffrey, and Dr Nadia Bartolini from the Open University.

Producer: Rosie Dawson.