God Forbid

It’s International Women’s Day! Join Justine Toh and the panel as they celebrate women’s achievements, fight stereotypes and explore how religious commitment can help – rather than harm – the female cause.

People say there's nothing that can quite prepare you to be a parent. That's probably because through the highs and lows, you learn as much about the best (and worst) of yourself as you do about your child. Justine Toh and the God Forbid panel dwell on the spiritual lives of parents and children.

Australia is a secular society, but there's a religious claim that forms part of the foundation of its liberal democratic values: That all people, regardless of circumstance, have intrinsic value. Judaism and Christianity claim every person is "made in the image of God", but what does this mean in practise? Guest host Justine Toh and the God Forbid panel discuss work, gender, ageing, disability and the need for rest.

Disaster recovery chaplains have had their longest summer in years. The drought, bushfires and now floods have ravaged the country and left thousands in need of support. Guest host Justine Toh speaks with three disaster recovery chaplains who were deployed to spiritually support people in the midst of crisis.

Buddhism is one of the fastest-growing religions in the country, but it seems Australia is changing Buddhism just as much as Buddhism is changing Australia. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel explore enlightenment, suffering and Humanistic Buddhism.

For all history people claim to have mystical experiences - a sense of timeless oneness with the universe or with God. It's not proof of the existence of the divine, but there is something going on here. James Carleton and the God Forbid panel examine Rumi, seizures and the Cloud of Unknowing.

If something is true, you should be able to prove it. Sounds reasonable, but is it correct? James Carleton and the God Forbid panel investigate the nature of knowledge and the philosophy of science.

All of us will experience grief and the loss of a loved one at some point in our lives, but why is it so hard to come to terms with? The God Forbid panel looks at grief and mortality.

As confidence in our Westminster system of parliamentary democracy erodes, we seem to long for a leader — any leader — to save us. But no one person can be and do everything, and our politics was never designed to provide that kind of all-encompassing moral leadership. Will there ever be a saviour in the Lodge, or do we need to look elsewhere? James Carleton and the God Forbid panel examine how three different faiths view leadership.