God Forbid

Anthropologists theorise that prayer coincided with the human capacity to think in the abstract. That means it's been around since the stone age — 150,000 years ago. Today the practice of prayer continues unabated for billions around the world. And one thing is for certain, prayer will be around for a lot longer than we will. On God Forbid, join James Carleton and the panel as they explore how, and why, we pray. 

Today, the term 'self-determination' refers to individuals: each of us claiming our right to personal independence and to determine who we are. But is that claim true, given that humans only exist in connection with others? What comes first – the identity of one, or the collective identities of all? On God Forbid, join James Carleton and the panel as they look at some fundamental questions about identity.

The Alcoholics Anonymous' Big Book, first published in 1953, says that few people will sincerely try to practice the AA program unless they've first hit rock bottom. So is it true that you have to get to the 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.

The 77th session of the UN general assembly took place this week. And the consensus is in: the world is facing a profound crisis, on economic, environmental and political levels. In these times, hope can be a rare and valuable commodity, but why might hope still be necessary?

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 about the reasons for dark humour, and whether there are lines that shouldn't be crossed.

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?

Do we simply not have the time or money to enable us to volunteer like we once did? Has our community life moved online, or has it evaporated? Join James Carleton and the God Forbid panel as they discuss giving, taking and volunteering in Australia.

The decline and secularisation of marriage comes amid other changing social dynamics. In one in four relationships, women are the main breadwinners. There are post-separation blended families, and of course we now have same-sex marriage. It's the final episode of our three-part series on births, deaths and marriages.

It's a simple fact of life that we will inevitably, one day, die. Yet we still find death, dying and grief difficult to talk about. On God Forbid, we look at what it means to die, and to grieve, in this current moment in Australia.

In modern Australia, what does it mean to be born, to live and love, and then to die? Across the next three episodes, God Forbid will be exploring births, deaths and marriages. In the first episode we explore one of the most fundamental and defining moments: birth.