There's a paradox to Sydney. It's long been an oasis for LGBT people in Australia, but it's also globally known as the home of particularly traditional — some would say conservative — kind of Christianity. There's a tension in this dual identity, but these two communities do sometimes overlap. When LGBT people grow up in these churches, they need to decide.

What's your favourite monster story? Descriptions of monsters and evil creatures are more than just a cheap thrill — they can reveal a lot about our moral systems, and our beliefs about how the universe works.

As the Russia-Ukraine rages, there's a book cherished by both sides — the Philokalia holds what many consider the true spiritual essence of Orthodoxy: Stillness and ceaseless prayer.

When was the last time you saw a live performance that took your breath away? In a digital age, there's something spellbinding about the physicality of live music and theatre that connects us to each other, our bodies, and perhaps the divine.

When you think of inner peace, you might be thinking of a feeling, and many of us are searching all over for it! But what if it's more like... exercise?

Are video games a waste of time? Aristotle said a good life is one of flourishing and realising your potential. So, can games enrich our lives, or are they a kind of "false pleasure?"

Culture, history and faith collide in the remote Aboriginal community of Ltyentye Apurte. A former mission town 80kms east of Alice Springs, it remains one of the most Catholic communities in the country.

Is there a mantra that helps you meditate, or perhaps some music that helps you connect with your sense of the sacred? Music has a long and intimate relationship with spirituality, and has helped people throughout the ages and across faith traditions to access something of the divine.

Have you made any resolutions to read more books this year? Many of us turn to fiction to ask and explore big questions. This week we look at Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and how the Russian literary tradition can help clarify our questions about truth, love for one another, and ethics.

The Dalai Lama is one of the world's most recognisable people and he turned 90 in July, 2025. Tributes flowed from Tibetans around the world, including from Grammy-nominated musician Tenzin Choegyal.