Heart and Soul

Mike Wooldridge explores another story of faith and hard decisions. When American Beth Ball was pregnant with her first child, she found out that the baby had Down’s syndrome. Upon receiving the diagnosis, she says she was shocked at the heavy hints that she should terminate the pregnancy, and outdated information made available. For Beth and her husband Stephen, both Christians, the next months were a struggle, emotionally and spiritually. At one point, Beth prayed that if she was unable to cope with a baby with Down’s syndrome, God would take it away.

(Photo: DNA helix illustration. Credit: Getty Images)

Mike Wooldridge tells the story of Rais Bhuiyan, who In his 20s, traded a job in the Bangladeshi Air Force for a life in the US. He was working at a petrol station. A man with baseball cap walked in and pointed a double-barrelled shotgun at him. Rais offered all the money in the till to him, but the attacker asked him where he was from. Rais was confused, and said ‘Excuse me?’, but as he spoke, he was shot. He said it felt like a million bees stinging his face. He fell to the floor and started reciting from the Koran, begging God not to take him that day.

White supremacist Mark Stroman’s attack left Bhuiyan partially blind, and two other men died during Stroman’s killing spree. In court Stroman said he had intended to target Muslims in revenge for the 9/11 attacks. Stroman was found guilty and received the death penalty, but Bhuiyan forgave his attacker and campaigned against the execution, saying that his faith told him that saving one life was like saving the whole of mankind.

As well as Rais, we hear from his friends, those who worked alongside him to save Mark Stroman, and the brother-in-law of one of the other victims, Waqar Hussein.

(Photo: Rais Bhuiyan. Credit: WFFA ABC Channel 8, Dallas)

Veer is four years old. He has a genetic disorder called Fanconi Anaemia affecting his bone marrow. In 2019, his parents were told they would need to find a lifesaving stem cell donor for him. Doctors estimated that Veer could expect to live for between two to five years before needing a transplant, depending on how quickly his bone marrow depletes. However, after one of Veer’s recent general check-ups, the Doctors said things were deteriorating faster than expected and Veer was only three to six months from needing the transplant. The challenge is to get people to register. Currently, only 2% of the UK’s population are stem cell donors. A donor could come from anywhere around the world but misconceptions about becoming a donor means registrants are low. In the end, all it involves is a procedure similar to giving blood.

Rajeev Gupta follows Veer’s parents as they dramatically ramp up efforts to save their son's life. In this emotional story, we get to know the charming little Veer and his family as they battle limitations placed by the coronavirus pandemic to try and find a match for him. Rajeev hears how Veer’s mum, Kirpa and dad, Nirav have increasingly turned to their Jain faith to help deal with the emotional traumas placed upon the family. Kirpa believes their faith inevitably guides them through this and will help Veer find his match. With exclusive access, this programme follows Veer and his family to what could be a joyous or equally heart wrenching conclusion.

Presenter/producer: Rajeev Gupta

(Photo: Veer. Credit: helpveernow.org)

Malta is the last country in Europe to still criminalise abortion. A majority Catholic country, prior to Covid-19 Malta was due a visit from the Pope. While a pro-choice movement is increasingly emerging in the country, the Maltese political sphere on virtually all sides is anti-abortion. Doctors for Choice, a group of pro-choice medical professionals, was set up last year and they have received major criticism in the country – with hundreds of doctors writing a letter in response in support of what they call pro-life laws and treatments.

In the far north of Finland, 6km south of the Artic Circle, the town of Rovaniemi is the “official home" of Santa Claus - the location where any letter addressed to Santa (over 500,000 every year) will arrive.

St Nicholas may have roots in 3rd Century Turkey - but this one-time logging town is now the centre of a vast Santa industry. In 2019, more than half a million people came to Rovaniemi’s Santa Village – including 60,000 from China. Dignitaries such as Chinese President Xi Jinping have also made a pilgrimage to the home of the world’s most identifiable, pan-cultural, pan-faith icon.

This year, though, things are different. Santa’s village lies eerily quiet due to Covid-19. All focus – and hope – lies on his official Post Office, and the letters that continue to stream through the door from children – and adults – across the world. Producer Steven Rajam tells the story of the global Santa tourism boom, the myths, fantasies and traditions that Santa represents across different cultures.

Contributors include writer on Christmas and biographer of Santa Claus, Gerry Bowler; historian Martin Johnes; expert on China and religion, Fenggang Yang; travel agency chief Chao Tang; and supervisor at Santa’s official post office, Katja Tervonen, who details how the hundreds of letters received every year give a unique insight into the thoughts and emotions of children around the world.

(Photo: Driver POV of sleigh ride in thick snow and bright sunshine in Rovaniemi. Credit: Lars Ley)

The identity and colour of Jesus – and why it matters - has taken on a new significance in this year of protest and change. Seeing Jesus as a darker skinned Palestinian Jew rather than blonde European is both historically accurate and theologically important, but it’s not a new idea.

James Cone, the influential US theologian released ‘A Black Theology of Liberation’ 50 years ago this year – and formally developed a radical new way of exploring the message of Christianity. While people often say it’s a ‘white man’s religion’, Cone emphasised Jesus’ identity as black, on the side of the oppressed, and Christianity as a religion of liberation.

Robert Beckford, one of the UK’s prominent black theologians, wants to explore the impact Black Theology has had, the implications for the church and whether seeing Jesus as black is having a revival due to the influence of black lives matter. In this programme Robert speaks to key theologians who studied under Cone; Professor Dwight Hopkins and the Very Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas about the social context and significance of Cone’s work. He hears from Rev Otis Moss III from a Chicago based church which lives out black theology, and Pastor Jonathan Jackson in the UK. Robert goes on to explore how young Christians are readdressing Jesus’ identity in the UK with Chine McDonald and has a discussion about embracing the Black Jesus with Clare Williams, Shermara Fletcher and Joel Brown. Plus he’ll hear from American artist and iconographer Mark Doox about the depiction of a black Christ in Christian art.

Producer: Miriam Williamson

(Picture: ‘The Holy Face' by Mark Doox)

In 1978, over 900 US citizens died at Jonestown, a remote settlement in Guyana. The vast majority were members of a community run by the charismatic Rev Jim Jones, taking their own lives with poison under armed guard on his orders. But how did a church known for racial integration and practical help for the poor come to such a destructive end? How could one man’s increasing paranoia have driven so many people, who had built a mission community from nothing in four years, into a seemingly pointless sacrifice?

In this second and final programme, Erin Martin – who herself grew up in a controlling religious group – hears from ex-members of Peoples Temple who explain how steadily increasing isolation made it so hard to leave the organisation. Vera Washington describes how she and seven others had to accelerate their escape plan when a leadership spy heard of it, and Jordan Vilchez relates how a faked assassination attempt on Jim Jones was used to reinforce their sense of threat from outside.

The move to the Guyanese jungle meant escape was almost impossible - Jim Jones’ son, Stephan, and a few others survived because they were on a visit to the capital, Georgetown. But could Jonestown have had a future? Tim Carter imagined paved streets and seeing his grandchildren there. And John Cobb still feels that if he hadn’t been in Georgetown with Stephan on November 8th, 1978, he could have prevented what was, before 9/11, the largest intentional loss of civilian lives in American history.

Producer: Paul Arnold

(Photo:Main entrance to Jonestown, with welcome sign over the road. The sign reads Welcome to Jonestown, on the top line; the next line reads Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, May 1978. Credit Jon Moore/The Jonestown Institute).

In 1978, over 900 US citizens died at Jonestown, a remote settlement in Guyana. The vast majority were members of a community run by the charismatic Rev Jim Jones, taking their own lives under armed guard on his orders. But how did a church known for racial integration and practical help for the poor come to such a destructive end? How could one man’s increasing paranoia have driven so many people, who had built a mission community from nothing in four years, into a seemingly pointless sacrifice?

In these programmes, Erin Martin – who herself grew up in a religious group that exercised strong control over its members – hears from survivors of what’s become known as the Jonestown Massacre, an event that captivated and horrified the US and international media.

Contributors include Stephan Jones, son of the Rev Jim Jones; Vera Washington, for whom Peoples Temple was “a wonderful, warm family” before it all went wrong; Jordan Vilchez, who at 16 already belonged to Jones’ inner circle; John Cobb, Leslie Wagner-Wilson, Tim Carter and Mike Cartmell, who each lost several family members in Jonestown; and Fielding M McGehee III, Temple archivist and Research Director at the Alternative Considerations of Jonestown website.

Between them, they reflect on the attraction of Peoples Temple, trace the road that ended with the destruction of the Jonestown community, and explain how they escaped with their lives. And they try to answer one crucial question: what could have led an idealistic group of community-minded people to such destruction?

Producer: Paul Arnold

(Photo:The local tourist office has placed signs to mark the site of Jonestown, Guyana. Credit: Getty Images)

Experts say China has detained as many as one million Uighurs and Muslims in "re-education" camps in Xinjiang province. Survivors have shared stories of countless alleged abuses including mass surveillance, forced labour and forced sterilization.

Uighur activist Rukiye Turdush said she feels helpless in Canada knowing Uighurs back home are being forced to learn Chinese, renounce their faith and abandon their culture.

"We said never again after World War Two, but it's happening again in the 21st century in China."

In this programme, reporter Idil Mussa meets Canadian Uighurs, like Turdush, to hear their stories. She learns that the Chinese state has tried to stop all contact with their families, how the Canadian Uighur community suffers from a collective guilt knowing their loved ones are suffering and how Toronto has become a hive of activism to raise awareness of their plight.

(Picture: Rukiye Turdush. Credit: Idil Mussa/BBC)

Protests against the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko have carried on for months. 80% of the country calls themselves Orthodox Christian. The church has stood squarely behind their President but not all of the faithful agree with them. Alina Isachenka is from Belarus and speaks to some of the Orthodox worshippers who have converted and become Catholic. The church has become a symbol of resistance and a haven for reformers. Why have these converts stepped away from the official church and how big a decision was it to leave the church that’s been in their blood for generations?

Presenter Alina Isachenka

(Photo: Women form a human chain outside the Catholic Church of Saints Simon and Helena to protest against police violence during opposition rallies against the 2020 presidential election results. Credit: Sergei Gapon/AFP)