God Forbid

This year, Israel marks its 75th birthday. But for nearly two months, there have not been celebrations, but mass protests across the Jewish state. It's been called the "Israeli spring" – triggered by December's election of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. And all this at a time when violence between Jews and Palestinians is increasing. On God Forbid, join James Carleton and our panellists visiting from the Holy Land, as they look at protest, and peace building in Israel. 

Have we lost our appetite for intervening; of standing in the way of perceived wrongs?

None of us are born religious fundamentalists, or political ideologues – so what are the conditions that lead us towards such unshakable positions? And once we do become rusted-on, dyed-in-the-wool, certain of our certainties – what is the way back?

It’s no secret the human species has been waging a long and costly war – and the enemy is ageing. So, what's at the heart of our pursuits to stay young; a love of life, or a fear of death? And if we deny the realities of growing old, does that mean we miss out on its benefits? On God Forbid, join James Carleton and the panel as they find out what it looks like to age well in a society preoccupied with looking young.

From the bitter conflicts of Northern Ireland and Cambodia, to today's flammable politics of the United states, how do we find peace when it seems impossible?

More of us in the West are seeking the help of shamans and psychedelic medicines. But why? And do they help?

Specialists say screen and gaming disorders affect tens of thousands of Australian children. The issue has led several academics, child psychologists and psychiatrists to sign a joint statement calling for urgent government action. Still, there remains debate about whether 'tech addiction' is a genuine thing at all. Is it really time to declare a war on devices? Or should we just leave those kids alone? Join James Carleton and the God Forbid panel as they discuss tech, teenagers and device addiction.

The famous psychiatrist and holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, wrote that an outsider would be astonished to hear of the humour that existed in Auschwitz. He said humour was "the soul's weapons in the fight for self-preservation."But in today's era of cancel culture and comedy by committee, is the surest way to destroy a funny story to analyse it? And yet – analysis, light-hearted at least, is what we propose on this week's God Forbid. Join James Carleton and the panel as they wonder why we laugh at things that aren't a laughing matter, and where exactly, the boundary lines lie.

What does it mean to deconstruct one’s faith? What motivates someone to reassess their spiritual or religious path and dismantle their belief system? Is reconstruction also part of this process? On God Forbid this week, James Carleton and the panel tackle these questions and more as they look at the process, and the aftermath, of faith deconstruction.

Often you'll hear the term "rock bottom" used in the world of addiction and recovery, like in the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In fact, AA's Big Book, first published in 1953, says that few people will sincerely try to practice the AA program unless they have hit rock bottom. So is it true that you have to hit rock bottom before you can get better? On God Forbid, James Carleton and the panel take a look at addiction and recovery — the personal stories, and separating the myths from the facts.