

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

Apr 17, 2025 • 54min
Why do we fear fat?
For most of history, body size has been about more than just health — it’s been a tool of control. From colonial ideals of “discipline” to modern-day diet culture, our ideas about fatness and thinness are deeply tied to morality, power, and profit. But are we getting it all wrong?

Apr 11, 2025 • 54min
Week with Students: Does religion have a place in the modern Australian classroom?
Generation Z and Generation Alpha have often come under fire for being disconnected and increasingly isolated from their peers. Could a decrease in religious education to be to blame? Or is religion fated to lose its grip on the younger generations for good? God Forbid speaks to high school students to get the answer.

Apr 4, 2025 • 54min
Did the human species invent the Bible?
But if God says that man is fallible, and man wrote the Bible, then how can we know that the Bible is the true word of God? Where do our ideas of God come from? Is he purely a human-made invention, used to tell a morally compelling ancient story?

Mar 28, 2025 • 54min
When is it okay to cut off your parents?
When does cutting off a parent go from self-care to severing ties unnecessarily? What are the ethics behind going 'no contact' with difficult family members?

Mar 21, 2025 • 54min
Doomsday or just good planning? The ethics of prepping
If disaster strikes, are you ready? From faith-driven survivalists to billionaire bunkers, the rise of prepping raises big ethical questions. Is it wise foresight or doomsday paranoia? And in a crisis, do we fend for ourselves or help others?

Mar 14, 2025 • 54min
How are creators using TikTok to bring history to a new generation?
How can you ethically condense millions of years of history, religion, and culture into a 30-second video?

Mar 7, 2025 • 54min
Pope Francis and the legacy he leaves behind
Pope Francis was the first pope from South America, and was said to be one of the most progressive and humble popes in Catholic history. But can the Church sustain his legacy?

Feb 28, 2025 • 54min
Mardi Gras special: on being gay and Godly
How do queer people stay faithful? And how do people raised on religion celebrate being sexually and gender diverse?

Feb 21, 2025 • 54min
Religion, drugs, and the power of mind-altering substances
How have 'psychedelics' and recreational drugs affected (and been affected by) religion?

Feb 14, 2025 • 54min
Close encounters of the religious kind: how God and UFOs have both begun religious movements
Believers have long looked to the heavens for meaning, believing in not only God, but UFOs as well.