In the near future, artificial intelligence could do the thinking, and a robotic combination of human and machine do the lifting. 

But it’s a potentially dystopic scenario – the poor, the weak, and those who simply believe in humanity as nature intended could be abandoned. 

These are just some of major ethical challenges posed by so-called transhumanism. 

GUEST:

• Professor JASON EBERL is a bioethicist at St Louis University in Missouri. On the 8th of April, he’ll deliver the annual lecture to the Plunkett Centre for Ethics in Sydney. 

There may be a complex challenge for the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Some Brits are claiming Christian identity with a more politicised and dubious intention in mind.

Madeleine Davies of the Church Times has been investigating the recent fervour behind the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ movement and the response of the Church of England.

Plus Donald Trump has always found cheerleaders in the heartland of the US bible belt. But also in Christian Europe. 

These movements were largely spawned out of a fear that Christian Europe was being lost to mass immigration.

But the President's war in Iran and trade policies are unnerving those who once considered themselves allies. Thomas Fazi has been watching this unfold.

GUESTS:

• Madeleine Davies is Senior Writer for the Church Times
• Thomas Fazi,  is a columnist for UnHerd and Compact magazines 

In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre of 15 mostly Jewish people celebrating Hannukah, state and federal governments have passed hate speech laws. They're part of an effort to build social cohesion in a country scarred recently by growing antisemitism and other forms of religious hatred.  

But does banning phrases such as "from the river to the sea" — used usually when supporting a Palestinian state –promote cohesion?  

Can any law mandate unity? Criminologists Keiran Hardy and Rebecca Wickes from Griffith University argue in a recent paper that laws can help, but governments also need to look at declining trust, economic opportunity and loneliness. 

GUEST:Kieran Hardy, Associate Professor in Griffith University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is co-author of We can’t coerce our way to social cohesion. Here’s what else governments should be doing

In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, state and federal governments have passed hate speech laws to help build social cohesion. But does banning phrases promote cohesion? Can any law mandate unity? Also in this episode, Christian Democrats in the US are making a major pitch to win religious votes. Will they pose a significant threat to Donald Trump at upcoming midterm elections?GUESTS:

Kieran Hardy, Associate Professor in Griffith University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is co-author of: We can’t coerce our way to social cohesion. Here’s what else governments should be doing David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

Christian Democrats in the US are making a major pitch to win religious votes. Even with growing secularism, the US still has a big Christian majority and, for 40 years, Democrats have struggled to win their trust. But ahead of congressional elections in November, several white protestant clergy have announced they're running for the Democrats. One state politician and seminarian, James Talarico, is now the party's candidate for a Texas senate seat. GUEST:

David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney.

Donald Trump found enthusiastic cheerleaders not only in the American Midwest but also the historic heartland of Europe. 

He spawned imitation movements across the continent, powered by a fear that Christian Europe was being lost to mass immigration. 

But the president’s war on Iran and his aggressive foreign and trade policies are unnerving European parties that were once allies. 

GUEST:

THOMAS FAZI, a columnist for UnHerd and Compact magazines has been watching this breakdown.

The enthronement of Dame Sarah Mullaly as the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury comes amid a lot of talk about a quiet revival in British Christianity. 

While there is evidence – anecdotal and data – of this rise in people in the pews, the spiritual leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans faces a more complex challenge. 

Some British people are claiming a Christian identity with political, and other dubious, motives.

GUEST: 

MADELEINE DAVIES of The Church Times has done a deep dive into this trend. 

This week, as part of the ABC’s look at the persistence of antisemitism in Australia and the world, the Religion and Ethics team partnered with ABC TV and Big Ideas here on Radio National. 

In a special episode of Big Ideas, we explored the religious roots of anti-Jewish prejudice because certain Christian and Muslim texts have been manipulated to fit political ideologies. 

A key turning point came in the 1800s, when a racial form of antisemitism began to supplant religious bigotry, with the most lethal consequence by the 1930s and 1940s. 

Geoff Levey of the University of New South Wales explained this change to me and my colleague Scott Stephens.  

GUEST:

• Associate Professor Geoff Levey of the University of New South Wales

The bookshelves of the Dalai Lama are groaning with awards for peace and justice work, including the Nobel Peace Prize. But he recently added a more unusual accolade – a Grammy award for the best spoken-word book recording. 

It’s another example of how religion and popular culture are deeply enmeshed. 

Research by the US-based Faith and Media Initiative suggests audiences, including those with no religious belief, love religious themes on the big and small screens. 

GUEST:

• Dr Anna Halafoff is Professor of Sociology at Deakin University who specialises in faith and popular culture 

As Israel and the United States continue their war with Iran, even promising to assassinate the new and hardline ayatollah, Pope Leo has emerged as a champion of international law. He’s called for an immediate ceasefire. 

Tens of millions of people maybe hearing him, but does the leadership in Jerusalem, Washington and Tehran care? 

Leo understands the brutal history of Iran’s regime, but he’s worried about the strongest nations behaving as they choose, without restraint. 

What balance is he trying to strike? 

GUEST:

Dr Miles Pattenden of Oxford University is a papal historian.