

God Forbid
ABC listen
Religion: it’s at the centre of world affairs, but profound questions still remain. Why are you here? What happens when you die? Does God matter? God Forbid seeks the answers.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 21, 2023 • 54min
How Godly is money?
Can we be truly religious and wealthy at the same time?

Jul 14, 2023 • 54min
Modding our bodies in the name of God
For RN's Flesh week, a look at Sikh hair practices and Jewish circumcision.

Jul 7, 2023 • 54min
Religion and prejudice
Is organised religion predisposed to discrimination?

Jun 30, 2023 • 54min
Does comedy use religion as a punchline or punching bag?
There's a long history of comedians making jokes about religion, but where is the line drawn between offensive and funny?

Jun 23, 2023 • 54min
Lessons at the end of life
An acclaimed poet and an Anglican minister discuss being up close and personal with death, and the lessons it taught them about time, the value of care, and life itself.

Jun 16, 2023 • 54min
Can reading save us?
In a world where everything is screaming for our attention, we find out how reading offers a refuge from distraction, nourishes us and feeds our souls.

Jun 9, 2023 • 54min
'Ghosting', deathbots, and rebirth in the digital age
Should we be worried about deathbots? Why does 'ghosting' cause so much grief? And, do our online personas go through reinvention — or reincarnation — in our search for relevance? This is part two in our series on the digital life span.

Jun 2, 2023 • 54min
The ethics of mum influencers, TraumaTok, and 'authenticity' online
Can 'authenticity' exist on Instagram? Is it OK for 'mumfluencers' to monetise their children? And why are teens turning to TikTok to share trauma stories? We're diving into the metaverse for a special two-part series on how we're memorialising our lives online.

May 26, 2023 • 54min
Saving animals, saving ourselves
If repairing our long-fractured relationship with the animal world is the key to our survival, what is the way back?

May 19, 2023 • 54min
Hindu nationalism, Modi and the Australian Indian diaspora
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi last visited Australia in 2014, to much fanfare. Since then, major political and religious conflicts have played out in India, and within the Indian diaspora, over the rise of Hindu nationalism.


