Soul Search

Meet two young "truth-tellers" challenging the status quo. Aboriginal-Celtic woman Jacinta Price is not afraid of calling out patriarchal violence toward women and girls in Aboriginal culture, despite the backlash she receives. And the Centre for Public Christianity's John Dickson, on the need to self-examine Christianity through a critical lens.

We meet the incredible people trying to make life better for people at both sides of life. Dr Cath Crock is on a mission to transform the culture of healthcare through her foundation 'HUSH', which creates calming music for patients in children's hospitals around Australia. And, the 'Faith For Life' project by HammondCare and the Bible Society offers biblical resources for people with dementia.

Women were the outstanding winners in the Mission of Hope 12th Annual Muslim Achievement Awards, and visiting scholar of Islam, Dr Daniel Peterson, of Brigham Young University, addresses the fear that underlies Islamophobia and why he, as a Mormon, is concerned to reduce the 'us and them' mentality.

Does it really matter if your spiritual experience is confirmed by science? Are they really measuring the same thing? Dr Alan Wallace would say yes, but the expert on Tibetan Buddhism rejects the idea that religious belief needs scientific validation. The former monk talks about his spiritual journey and his problem with the scaled-down, ethnocentric "fillet Buddhism" that some popular Western thinkers - like Sam Harris - espouse.

Two intrepid minds explore the meaning of life. Professor John Rasko, a gene and stem-cell scientist, does not believe in a God who ‘chose’ to create the human race, but nevertheless thinks that extending human life is sacrosanct. And author of Magic, Jan Golembiewski, tells Rachael how crossing an African desert with no belongings taught him the true definition of freedom.

The extraordinary story of poet and soldier John McCrae who wrote In Flanders Fields, the inspiration behind An Australian War Requiem and Aboriginal man's protest against Nazism after the events of Kristallnacht.

Can music create harmony between people? Australian composer Gerard Brophy believes it has the power to bridge different cultures and faiths, and tells us how travel inspires his composing life. And, we meet two women whose oratorio, The People's Passion, celebrates the extraordinary women who tried to stop WWI, and left their stamp on the League of Nations.

Three women facing dire physical and emotional challenges tell us how their spiritual traditions came to the rescue. Carolyn Martin clung to her faith when her young daughter, Sophie Delezio, was the victim of two serious car accidents. Ros Ben Moshe found a way to laugh at her shock cancer diagnosis, and nurse Tendayi Ganga found the light within after experiencing illness and divorce.

Professor Stephen Asma was a fairly confident atheist, until he saw the emotional and social value of religion while living in Cambodia. Now, his new book Why We Need Religion argues that religious belief contributes to the very survival of the human species. He joins Rachael to talk about his shift to agnosticism, the appeal of Buddhism, and why atheism is a social club motivated by outrage and anger.

Is death the actual source of religious belief? Psychologist Jamin Halberstadt tested the claim, and shares the findings in his new book Death Anxiety and Religious Belief. We hear from photo artist Tina FiveAsh, whose online project has 50 Australians reflecting on death and the afterlife. And, choir master Jenny Wong talks to us about Orlando di Lasso's masterpiece, The Tears of St Peter.