God Forbid
Detajet e Kanalit
God Forbid
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.
Episode të Fundit
254 episode
Why do human animals fly planes and build cities?
What separates humans from other animals? It’s not our brain hardware.
It’s our always changing brain software.
For so long, humans belie...
Could whales be Gods?
In the Pacific Ocean right now grey, humpback and southern right whale populations are increasing.
This is important for us all ecologically. Bu...
The ethics of witchcraft and hexing the far-right
Two days prior to the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, a group of writers at US-based feminist magazine, Jezebel, publishe...
Writing on the body: desecration or worship?
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'...
Why the origins of Christianity still matter today
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...
Gen Y and Gen Z are finding God
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...
God, the Big Bang & the fortunate universe
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 differ...
Truth and trust in a post-truth world
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...
Can celibacy actually make us purer and closer to God?
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 wo...
Is God in the machine?
Can we know God through machines?
Can machines know God?
And could machines, one day, become godlike themselves?
While AI is stil...
How should our leaders behave?
With the Coldplay "kiss cam" fiasco and two corporate careers in tatters we ask the question: Should leaders be held to a higher personal standard tha...
The language of God: Literacy, power, and the sacred word
Is God multilingual? Does the divine speak Hebrew? Arabic? Latin? Or is it something more mysterious?
This week on God Forbid, we’re asking: who...
Reality TV, Mormon wives, and guilty pleasures
What do dancing Mormons, blind dates, and superyachts have in common? They've all featured on so-called ‘reality TV’ shows. But just how ‘real’ are th...
We live in a world where horror is all too real. So why are horror movies breaking box office records?
55 horror movies came out last year - more than one a week - the most of any year this century.
But why would make-believe horror double its bo...
What binds us together as Australians?
The Prime Minister says our cultural diversity is a strength and calls for "progressive patriotism".
But global turmoil is making it's way to ou...
Can the Dalai Lama's Tibet ever be self-determined?
With His Holiness the Dalai Lama turning 90 this month, every day that passes brings his succession closer. When he dies, the religious power struggle...
Hair...flow it, grow it, show it... as long as God allows it!
On God Forbid we’re talking about the sacred strands that sprout from our skulls.
Whether it’s being grown long, shaved off, or covered up... h...
Leading with love: women are taking the church into the future
In Australia, and beyond, women are taking on religious leadership in ways that would have been unthinkable decades ago.
But change and faith i...
Monogamy: Is it still the gold standard of intimate relationships?
Although the Australian population has doubled in size since the early 1970s, the number of marriages registered each year has not increased over this...
Stealing my religion: When does religious appreciation become appropriation?
Is religious appropriation an act of reverence? Or cultural theft?
Yoga at the gym, meditation via an app on your phone, sage-smudging a corpor...
Coercion, control and worship: Where do we draw the line between a religion and a cult?
Is a cult a misunderstood religion? Or something much more dangerous?
The line between high-control religions, new religious movements, and 'cul...
Bodies bodies bodies: burial, belief and death across faith
How do different religions treat the dead? What do their burial practices say about the soul? And in an era of environmental crisis and shrinking spac...
The Devil you know: Satan’s journey from scripture to satire
From fallen angel to Netflix anti-hero, the Devil has had quite the makeover. In this episode of God Forbid, Sami Shah leads a devilishly good panel e...
BONUS: The history of the Papacy
In this special bonus episode of God Forbid, Noel Debien sits down with Dr Paul Collins, former Catholic priest, broadcaster, author of many books on...
What lies beyond the conclave for the Catholic Church
The papal conclave is set to begin on May 7. As the Sistine Chapel closes its doors to the public, preparations are underway for a secret process that...
How powerful is the Muslim vote this upcoming election?
In Australia, we like to think of ourselves as a multicultural success story, where freedom of religion, expression, and democracy coexist without con...
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...
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 re...
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...
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 m...
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 wi...
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?
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 C...
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?
Religion, drugs, and the power of mind-altering substances
How have 'psychedelics' and recreational drugs affected (and been affected by) religion?
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.
To bare or not to bare: why religion can't make its mind up about nudity
Why do religions tell us to cover up? And how has this affected the way we value, judge, and sexualise our bodies in the modern world?
Living simply in a complex world: how modern monks navigate AI, social media, and climate change
From Hare Krishna to Humanistic Buddhism, modern followers of mindful traditions grapple with maintaining a connection to the world while not falling...
The world's oldest hatred: how anti-Semitism found its way to Australia
With anti-Semitic vandalism on the rise in Australia, and debate over exactly who and what is causing this surge -- how can the international Jewish c...
The spirituality of fishing
Why are so many Australians passionate about fishing? Is it simply the thrill of the catch or is there something deeper that keeps us hooked?