Some Christian voices have suggested that the Harry Potter stories about witchcraft, magic and mythical beasts provide a gateway into satanic practices. But JK Rowling completely disagrees and she was glad that readers were unaware of her Christian faith at the time the books were first published because they might then have guessed the ending of the final book. To discuss the Christian allegory and religious themes in the Harry Potter books, Ernie Rea is joined by Dr Beatrice Groves (Research Fellow and Tutor in English at Trinity College, Oxford), Vanessa Zoltan (co-host of the podcast 'Harry Potter and the Sacred Text') and by author and lecturer John Granger who has been described by Time Magazine as “The Dean of Harry Potter Scholars”.

Producer: Helen Lee

The Queen holds two titles that date right back to Henry VIII: 'Defender of the Faith’ and ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of England'. The coronation is always held within the context of a religious service and there is no doubt that the Queen has a deep Christian faith but how relevant is her role as Defender of the Faith in a Britain where membership of the Church of England is in decline and minority ethnic religious groups are growing?

To discuss these issues, Ernie Rea is joined by Martin Palmer who was Prince Philip’s Religious Advisor on the environment; Rabbi Julia Neuberger - a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords; Dr Jasjit Singh - an Associate Professor in the School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science at the University of Leeds; and Dr Daniel Loss from Harvard University - an historian of modern Britain.

Producer: Helen Lee

In the new Scottish Parliament, a majority of MSPs want independence for Scotland but recent opinion polls suggest that only half the population is in favour. In all the debates, the religious voice has been very muted. That may be because, religious observance in Scotland has plummeted. Over half of people surveyed recently, said that they had no religion. The rise of the independence movement has coincided with a decline in the social significance of religion. So, is nationalism filling the vacuum?

To discuss the religious dimensions in the Scottish independence debate, Ernie Rea is joined by the Rev Doug Gay, who is a minister of the Church of Scotland and lectures in Practical Theology at the University of Glasgow; Peter Kearney is Spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland; the Very Rev Kevin Holdsworth is Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow and as such, a senior figure in the Scottish Episcopal Church; and the Rev Kathy Galloway is a Church of Scotland minister and former Leader of the Iona Community.

Producer: Helen Lee

Ernie Rea takes a look at a religion that emerged on the Caribbean island of Haiti about 500 years ago when the traditional religions of enslaved West Africans merged with the Catholicism of the French colonialists. Here in the West we call it Voodoo; but the correct term is Vodou. 60 million people worldwide practice Vodou. It is thought to have originated in the West African country of Benin where the word ‘Vodou’ means “Spirit” in one of the indigenous languages and the ‘Lwa’ (the Vodou name for Spirits) are central to the religion's belief and practice.

Ernie is joined by Her Majesty Queen Mother Dr Dowoti Desir (a Mambo Asogwe - Vodou High Priestess) from her Royal Palace in the city of Ouidah in Benin. Also taking part in the discussion are Dr Louise Fenton (a Senior Lecturer in Contextual Studies at the University of Wolverhampton) and Dr Kyrah Malika Daniels (Assistant Professor of Art History, Africana Studies and Theology at Boston College in the United States).

Producer: Helen Lee

On February 1st, the government in Myanmar was overthrown in a military coup. Aung San Suu Kyi is now being held in prison and hundreds of protestors have been shot on the streets. For many decades, Christians and Muslims have been at the hard end of military oppression. Now the Buddhist majority are feeling the crack of the whip. To discuss Myanmar’s turbulent history and the current crisis, Ernie Rea is joined by Soe Win Than (Editor of the BBC Burmese Service), Khin Ohmar (a democracy and human rights activist noted for her leadership in the 1988 uprising in Myanmar) and by Benedict Rogers (Senior Analyst for East Asia at Christian Solidarity Worldwide).

Producer: Helen Lee

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. He is best known as the author of 'The Divine Comedy' which describes his journey through Hell and Purgatory, until he finally reaches Paradise. But it is 'Inferno', containing gruesome descriptions of Hell, that has captured the popular imagination and it is this first part of 'The Divine Comedy' that Ernie Rea discusses with Professor Akash Kumar and Dr Paula Nasti.

Ernie also interviews jazz saxophonist and composer Sherman Irby about his jazz ballet score based on Dante's Inferno.

Producer: Helen Lee

The rollout of the UK’s vaccination programme has been the envy of much of the world but there is concern about the reluctance of people from black and minority ethnic communities to take the vaccine. Ernie Rea asks why this is the case. He also takes a look at the religious reasons contributing to vaccine hesitancy and asks some of the wider ethical questions posed by the vaccine rollout. Who should receive the vaccine first? And how do we address the problem of ‘vaccine nationalism’?

Panel:

Producer: Helen Lee

In all the tributes to Prince Philip, one of the things that surprised many people was that he was a man of deep, personal faith. We knew of his passion for science and technology, his commitment to the environment and his strong sense of duty to Queen and country. We also knew that Christian faith is the driving force in the life of the Queen, but the fact that her husband shared that faith commitment seems to have passed under the radar. To discuss Prince Philip's spiritual life, Ernie Rea is joined by a multi-faith panel: Martin Palmer (The Prince's advisor on religion and the environment), Catherine Pepinster (a writer and commentator on religion and a former editor of The Tablet). Mona Siddiqui (Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh) and Rabbi Jonathan Romain (Maidenhead Reform Synagogue).

Producer: Helen Lee

In the first of a new series of Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea is joined by three beekeepers.

Bees have been important to humans for thousands of years. Honey was found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, Aristotle and Virgil wrote about beekeeping and bees and honey get an honourable mention in the scriptures of many religions. There is a whole surah (chapter) in the Qu’ran called ‘The Bee’ ('An-nahl') and the Old Testament refers to Israel as ‘a land of milk and honey’. Bees are vital to our world ecology and they pollinate a third of our crops but their numbers are in decline.

To discuss the role of bees and honey in different religious traditions, Ernie is joined by three urban beekeepers: Salma Attan looks after her bees on the roof of the East London Mosque, Rabbi Kelley Gludt tends a hive in Baltimore, Maryland and Adrian Rhodes was the 'Canon Apiarist' at Manchester Cathedral.

Producer: Helen Lee

Since Darwin published The Origin of Species, there has been a perceived battle between science and religion. It was not always so. For hundreds of years, science was designed to help people reach a better understanding of God rather than the world. The Enlightenment changed all that. Today schoolchildren are taught science and religion as separate subjects. Are the two incompatible? Would it not be better if science and religion were taught together to help children consider some of the Big Questions of Life?

To discuss this subject, Ernie Rea is in debate with Berry Billingsley (Professor in Science Education at Canterbury Christ Church University); Dr Ruth Wareham (Education Campaigns Manager at Humanists UK); and Dr Myles MacBean (National Director at Scripture Union England and Wales).

Producer: Helen Lee