God Forbid

In the Pacific Ocean right now grey, humpback and southern right whale populations are increasing.This is important for us all ecologically. But for some of us, even more is at stake.Because around the world, from the equator to the Arctic, from Russia to New Zealand, throughout history and today, humans revere whales, as spiritual ancestors and as harbingers of fortune and protection.And as we’ll learn, some communities and traditions even worship whales as gods. Which makes their near extinction in the 20th century nothing less than deicide.GUESTS:Aike Peter Rots is principal investigator of the Whales of Power project at the University of Oslo.Mere Takoko is a leading Maori whale conservationist and founder and CEO of the Pacific Whale Fund.

Two days prior to the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, a group of writers at US-based feminist magazine, Jezebel, published an article stating that they 'Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk’. The magazine has since pulled the article, on the advice of their lawyers, so as not to cause any confusion about their stance on political violence of any kind.  Is it ever ethical to wish harm on someone, even if that harm is theoretical or supernatural? What code of ethics are witches bound to? And why do witches have such a complex relationship with right-wing politics? GUESTSDr Caroline Tully – witchcraft maven, archaeologist, writer, tarot reader, and scholar of modern Pagan religions Dr Kenneth Freeman – Adjunct Professor of social work at North Carolina Central University, author of the research paper Ethical parallels: an exploration of the NASW code of ethics, Wiccan Rede, and the growing influence of Wicca in the United StatesDr Megan Goodwin – scholar of politics, and American religions, senior editor of Religion Dispatches, and author of Religion is Not Done With YouThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land, in Naarm, and on the land of the Eno, Tuscarora and Occcaneechi peoples.

The art of marking the body, by piercing the flesh and pushing ink into the wound, the tattoo, has had an uneasy relationship with religion.It's sometimes seen as a desecration of the body, but equally, the tattoo is venerated as a rite of passage and as a form of worship.Then there are tattoos in the secular context. They are so common in Australia now,  it’s actually hard to find a body under the age of 40 NOT permanently marked by ink.  It’s a fascinating form of human expression, both in existence for millennia, and changing before our eyes.GUESTS:LARS KRUTAK is an anthropologist and documentary maker who specialises in tattoos and their cultural significance. . His new book Indigenous Tattoo Traditions  (Princeton University Press) explores the role of tattooing cross-culturally. JULIA MAGEAU GRAY is a researcher, documentary maker, and tattoo artist. Julia is credited with revitalising women's tattoo traditions across Melanesia

Two thousand years ago, Christianity was an obscure movement with no wealth, power, or friends in high places. Yet within a few centuries, its radical commitment to human dignity, charity and non-violence transformed the Roman world and helped shape the civilisation we live in today.How did a powerless sect became the most influential religion on Earth? From ancient plagues and persecution to today’s debates about faith and society: can Christianity still turn the world upside down?GUESTS:Greg Sheridan – Foreign editor of The Australian and author of several books on Christianity’s modern relevance, including  How Christians can succeed today – reclaiming the genius of the early church.Dr Karen Pack – Historian at the University of Notre Dame, ordained minister specialising in the early church and author of Queer Omissions: Unmarried Women and Social Justice Activism in the ChurchThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm.

It’s hard to believe that one in three young Australian adults go regularly to worship services – more than any other age group. But it’s true and men are leading the charge.It’s a puzzle, because it breaks two longstanding rules of religion: believers are typically female and old.Remember back in 2000. Even the most optimistic priest wouldn’t have predicted that would change.  The Cold War was over, religion was set to fade way – replaced globally with rationalism, liberalism and democracy. Generation Xers were finishing the work of their baby boomer parents - rejecting once and for all church moralising, hypocrisy, and dogma.But the children of Generation X are now young adults themselves. And just as the hippie boomers rebelled, Gen Y and especially Gen Z are rebelling against their atheist parents by turning to God.Remembering too, what the so-called rationalist generation bequeathed today’s young adults – a world of debt, insecurity, and climate chaos. Why not look elsewhere for meaning and purpose?GUESTS:Dr Intifar Chowdhury Lecturer in Government at Flinders University, where she studies the political attitudes of young Australians.Dr Anna Halafoff  Associate Professor of Sociology at Deakin University, coordinator of their Spirituality and Wellbeing Research Network.Emelia Haskey Undergraduate at the University of Divinity Adelaide where she’s in training to become a minister of the Uniting Church.

We live in a universe that sustains life – but what are the chances of that? And scientists now believe that if the laws of physics were different by just a fraction – our universe would be either empty, simple, or long ago extinct.If the strength of gravity or the mass of an electron was different by even the tiniest amount, the universe as we know it would not exist. So tiny even that the difference itself is almost beyond comprehension.Why has this cosmic fine tuning come about? The philosophical and even religious implications are so profound, that this is one of the most exciting questions in astrophysics.Which is why it’s so exciting that this week on the God Forbid panel, we have two internationally acclaimed astrophysicists. GUESTS:Luke Barnes - Senior Lecturer and astrophysicist at Western Sydney UniversityGeraint Lewis - Professor of astrophysics at The University of SydneyThis program was made on the land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

Truth used to be something we argued about. Now we can’t even agree on what it is. In a world of fake news and alternate facts, we each claim our personal truth, our own competing version of reality.So, how does science, religion, and philosophy help us navigate truth when certainty is elusive?What does it mean to live in a time when truth itself feels fractured? When the world is so complex – that we yearn for trust as much as truth?  And how do we navigate moral or epistemic disagreement without falling into hostility or relativism?GUESTS:DR CAROLYN FOSTER is an astro-physicist at the University of NSW.Prof ALAN DUFFY from Swinburne university of Technology in Melbourne, where he’s pro-vice chancellor too.DR VICTORIA LORRIMAR is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Notre Dame.This program was made on Warrang, Naarm, and Walyalup

Can celibacy actually make us purer and closer to God?  What is it about sex that gets in the way of our divinity?What do some of the world’s major religions say about celibacy or even require of it’s devotees?And, with the very noticeable global decline in the birth rate, are we already seeing a trend towards a more chaste life? If so, can abstinence draw us closer to our spiritual selves?GUESTS:Dawn Eden Goldstein is a theologian, canon lawyer and author of TheThrill of The Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes OnDr Maeve Heaney is also a theologian, author, musician and composer and has written on the subject of celibacy and the Catholic Church and author of Suspended God: Music and a theology of doubtDr Samishka Goyal is a philosopher and teacher at Monash University and has written extensively about Hinduism and JainismThis program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and Naarm

Can we know God through machines? Can machines know God? And could machines, one day, become godlike themselves? While AI is still in its infancy, it is evolving at lightning speed, and ingraining itself in our lives. From writing our emails, creating our budgets and  even serving as our therapists, society is embracing AI as part of our everyday lives. But what about faith? Our spirituality, our souls, our connection to God - these are elements of the human experience that can’t be quantified by science, and reproduced in machines. Or can they? GUESTS:Dr. Declan Humphreys is a lecturer in Cyber Security and Ethics at the School of Science, Technology and Engineering at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is also one of the winners of the ABC Top 5 Humanity residency programme for 2025.Dr. Jane Compson, Associate Professor of Comparative Religion and Ethics at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Jane is a practicing Buddhist and a trained chaplain. She is also a member of the research team at AI and Faith.Carl Youngblood, is the co-founder and current president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and has more than 20 years experience in software engineering and technology development. This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and the lands of The Turrbal and Yuggera People. 

In this discussion, philosopher Tim Dean, management expert Nelly Liyanagamage, and author Tim Duggan tackle whether leaders should uphold higher personal standards, especially after public scandals like the Coldplay incident. They explore the ethical challenges leaders face under scrutiny, the striking pay disparity between CEOs and their employees, and the dangers of idolizing leaders as perfect entities. The conversation also touches on the evolving nature of leadership in a digital age, advocating for ethical practices and fostering trust.