Beyond Belief

By BBC Radio 4Religion & Spirituality

Beyond Belief episodes

September 23, 2013 Why Religions Change
What causes religions to change beliefs or traditions which have been in place for hundreds of years? For centuries the Jewish people offered animal sacrifices daily in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Catholic Church condemned Galileo for teaching that the sun, rather than the earth, is the centre of our universe. Soon we may have female Bishops in the Church of England and some churches in the UK may be prepared to marry gay couples. Is it inevitable that religions which emerged two or three millennia ago will adapt and shift with ever increasing social, cultural and scientific change? How do you distinguish between eternal truth and the culturally conditioned?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the way in which religions change are Dr Linda Woodhead, Professor in the Sociology of Religion in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University; Dr Yaakov Wise, Research Fellow in the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester; and Dr Gavin Flood, Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Oxford.
28 min
September 16, 2013 Sunni and Shia in Islam
At times in history religion can appear to be a destructive force. Today the current conflict in the middle-east is increasingly defined along sectarian lines. From Iraq where a thousand people were killed in sectarian violence in July, the highest monthly death toll for five years according the UN; to Pakistan, where the minority Shia community has experienced repeated attacks by hard-line Sunni militant groups; to Syria where the ruling Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, is embroiled in an increasing bloody civil war with the largely Sunni rebel forces.
A fault line has emerged throughout the middle-east dividing the region along Sunni and Shia lines. Where did this division within Islam occur and is it really the cause of these conflicts or merely being exploited for political gain?
Ernie Rea is joined by Murtaza Hussain, a Sunni Muslim, writer and journalist specialising in foreign policy and the Middle East. Dr Ali Al-Hilli is an Iraqi activist, lecturer and a Shia Muslim and Dr Carool Kersten, Senior Lecturer in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World, King's College London.
Producer: Catherine Earlam.
28 min
September 09, 2013 Near-Death Experiences
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
Near-Death Experiences often seem to include bright lights, the presence of benevolent spirits and a sense of peace - in other words a very positive experience. However, more unusually, there are others whose experience is very different, some cite overwhelming fear and visions of being chased by demons. Do these have a rational scientific explanation or are they indications of a life beyond this one?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the nature of Near-Death Experiences are Dr Penny Sartori of the University of Swansea, whose book 'The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences' is due to be published in 2014; the Very Reverend Professor Gordon McPhate, the Dean of Chester Cathedral who is also a trained Pathologist and a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Chris French, Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths College, the University of London.
Producer: Liz Leonard.
28 min
September 02, 2013 Comedy and Religion
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
The late Christopher Hitchins wrote that "The mockery of religion is one of the most essential things". Certainly if you go to any Comedy Club today, you can expect to find that religious belief is an open target. But are there any limits to what is acceptable? Are there any parallels between the role of the priest and his congregation & the comedian with his audience?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the relationship between comedy and religion are the Muslim stand-up comedian, Imran Yusuf, the Jewish stand-up, Josh Howie and Patrick McKearney, a Doctoral Researcher in Theology & Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.
28 min
August 26, 2013 Martin Luther King
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
Its fifty years since Martin Luther King addressed an immense crowd in Washington and told the world that "I have a dream." His words galvanised black people across America and paved the way for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Out of deep Christian conviction King wanted to fight against ingrained injustice using exclusively non-violent means. In this programme Ernie Rea explores the religious influences and ideas of Martin Luther King and asks, half a century on, whether we have sanitised the tough message of that speech.
To discuss the life and work of Martin Luther King Ernie Rea is joined by Rev Dr Cheryl Sanders, Professor of Christian Ethics at the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington D.C.;
Israel Dresner, Emeritus Rabbi of Temple Beth Tikvah synagogue in New Jersey who worked closely with King and was present when he delivered the "I have a dream" speech and Richard Reddie, author of the book Martin Luther King Junior, History Maker.
Producer: Catherine Earlam.
28 min
August 19, 2013 Buddhism and Violence
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
Buddhism is generally portrayed in the West as a religion of peace and non-violence. The first of Buddhism's 'Five Moral Precepts' states that it is wrong to take the lives of others. But recent clashes between native Buddhists and minority Muslims in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) have left over 200 people dead, and more than 150,000 people homeless. So what is Buddhism's teaching about the use of violence? Is it permitted or prohibited?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss Buddhism and violence are Michael Jerryson, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Youngstown State University, Ohio, who co-edited the book 'Buddhist Warfare'; Rupert Gethin, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, and Soe Win Than, a journalist who was born in Myanmar and who works for the BBC's Burmese Service.
28 min
August 12, 2013 Organ Donation
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
Three people die every day in need of an organ transplant while only 31% of people in the UK have joined the Organ Donor Register. Technological advancements mean there are ever more advanced ways of successfully transplanting organs but society remains divided over solutions along ethical and religious lines. Last month the Welsh Assembly became the first UK country to introduce a system where individuals will be presumed to have consented for their organs to be donated unless they opt out. Should the state take our organs or should it be the ultimate altruistic gift?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss organ donation are Reverend George Pitcher, Anglican Priest at St Bride's, Fleet Street, Janet Radcliffe-Richards, Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Oxford. And Mohammed Zubair Butt, Islamic scholar and hospital chaplain.
Producer: Catherine Earlam.
28 min
August 05, 2013 Faith and Doubt
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
We live in an age of doubt. We have been taught to question everything. But it is the religious traditions which major in certainty which are on the increase. Fundamentalism is gaining pace, even in an age of science.
In the first of a new series, Ernie Rea discusses the role of doubt within religion with Richard Holloway, the former Bishop of Edinburgh and author of "Leaving Alexandria - a memoir of faith and doubt", Shaykh Shams Ad-duha, Principal of Ebrahim College, London, which trains British Imams, and the theologian and astro-physicist, the Rev Professor David Wilkinson, Principal of St John's College, Durham.
28 min
June 17, 2013 Religion and Mrs Thatcher's Politics
Margaret Thatcher's funeral in St Paul's Cathedral was attended by thousands of world leaders and watched by millions more around the world. In death, as in life, Margaret Thatcher shaped the occasion: she dictated the order of service and chose the hymns and readings. She was probably the most overtly Christian Prime Minister of the twentieth century up to the time of her leaving office. So where did those Christian influences come from? How did her religious conviction shape her politics? And what is her legacy in terms of the relationship between religion and politics in a multi cultural Britain?
Joining Ernie Rea are Dr Eliza Filby, Lecturer in Modern British History at King's College London, whose book, "God and Mrs Thatcher: The Battle for Britain's Soul", is published later this year; Edwina Currie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health under Margaret Thatcher and MP for South Derbyshire between 1983 and 1997 and Canon Dr Alan Billings, Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council under David Blunkett when Margaret Thatcher came to power, and former Director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University.
28 min
June 10, 2013 Celibacy
Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives.
The role of celibacy differs cross-culturally among religious traditions, with some insisting on it and others prohibiting it. Obligatory celibacy for Catholic priests in the West was introduced in 1130, yet in other traditions, such as Islam, marriage for their spiritual leaders is positively encouraged and celibacy, whilst not forbidden, is seen as second class. Is celibacy an essential requirement for real closeness to God or not? And given that it's basis is essentially cultural rather than theological, should celibacy be optional across religions?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss celibacy across religions are Professor Carl Olsen, Prof of Religious Studies at Allegheny College, Pennsylvania, and Editor of the book, Celibacy and Religious Traditions; Dr Helen Costigane SHCJ, member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, who teaches Canon Law and Christian Ethics at Heythrop College, University of London, and Sheikh Michael Mumisa, Islamic scholar at the University of Cambridge.
28 min