God Forbid

ABC

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RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

6 DAYS AGO

Pawnbroking, bankruptcy, debt, usury & God!

Credit and debt — borrowing and lending — have long been a part of life. Mortgage holders are all too familiar with the challenge of meeting their repayments and juggling the household budget — a challenge made even more difficult by the recent Reserve Bank decision to increase interest rates. But are financial commitments purely economic obligations, or do they come with a significant moral burden? Guests: Dr Lucie O’Brien, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Melbourne’s Centre for Commercial Law Dr Ilsup Ahn, Professor of Philosophy at North Park University Royce Kurmelovs - journalist

54 min
30 JAN

If you could save a drowning child, would you?

Of course, you believe you WOULD save a drowning child. But that doesn’t make you a saint – in fact, depending on how you live the rest of your life, it could well make you a sinner. For 50 years, PETER SINGER has been making uncomfortable observations like that. Peter is perhaps the world’s most influential philosopher - he’s shaped the way we think about animals and bioethics, abortion and euthanasia. And he's the philosophical father of the Effective Altruism movement - a quiet revolution that's transformed doing good from sentiment into science. GUEST: Professor Peter Singer is Emeritus Professor of Bioethics at Princeton and National University of Singapore His Bold Reasoning substack is here His book The Life You Can Save is free to download

55 min
23 JAN

The Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission

After the targeting of Jews in the worst terrorist attack in modern Australian history – a Royal Commission into antisemitism has been announced by the PM. And many Australians refused to believe the something like Bondi could happen here. But other Australians –Jews and Gentiles – warned the terror was not an isolated act, but a foreseeable progression – antisemitic thoughts leading to words leading to action. GUESTS: Ronald Sackville KC was the royal commissioner into the abuse of disabled people. A former federal court judge, he is a former member of the advisory board of the New Israel Fund. His substack piece on The Special Envoy’s Plan to Combat Antisemitism is here. Robert Richter KC has appeared before royal commissions, and is one of Australia's most prominent criminal barristers. David Slucki is Director of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, and Associate Professor of Contemporary Jewish Life and Culture at Monash University. He wrote this piece for ABC Religion and Ethics

54 min
16 JAN

Living simply in a complex world: how modern monks navigate AI, social media, and climate change

What does living simply mean in 2025? With an increasingly complex world, it is becoming harder and harder to detach from Earthly possessions. But what if we don't need to, in order to live an awakened and spiritual life? The monks of today don't look like the ones you might picture from your childhood. They carry iPhones, have social media, and catch planes across the world. From Hare Krishna to Humanistic Buddhism, modern followers of mindful traditions grapple with maintaining a connection to the world while not falling prey to its modern trappings of selfishness, consumerism, and greed. How do they do it? And what can we learn from them? GUESTS: His Holiness S.B. Keshava Swami, a Hare Krishna monk, author, and teacher of the Vaishnava Hindu traditionTosana Krsna Dasa, also know as Tilak, a Hare Krishna teacher, pastor and disciple, also a student in both law and religion at the University of SydneyVenerable Dr JueWei Shi, a member of the Fo Guang Shan order of Buddhists and Director of the Nan Tien Institute’s Humanistic Buddhism Centre.This episode of God Forbid was recorded on Dharawal and Gadigal land and produced on Gadigal land. It was first broadcast in January 2025

54 min
9 JAN

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 'cults' is as grey as ever. But the fascination we have with these groups is only getting stronger. What counts as a 'cult'? Is it your highly controlling tech workplace? Your gym with a forever-binding contract? Or does the casual use of the word 'cult' do a disservice to those stuck in dangerous and emotionally manipulative religious and spiritual organisations? To shed some light on the difference between a new religious movement, a cult, and your regular high-control Pentecostal mega-church are the God Forbid guests who have lived, studied, or spoken to survivors of these groups. GUESTS: Professor Carole Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney, specialising in new religious movements (NRMs) contemporary religious trends and Western esotericism.Sarah Steel, host and creator of award-winning podcast, Let's Talk About SectsScott Parker, writer and star of stage production, Hillsong BoyThis episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and first broadcast in May 2025. Technical production by Craig Tilmouth and Tegan Nicholls. More Information If you or someone close to you has been affected by an extreme or controlling group, you can make a submission or anonymous report to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry here: Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. If you need support or help you can call Lifeline 13 11 14

54 min
1 JAN

Did the human species invent the Bible?

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?

54 min
25/12/2025

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? Why do we see fatness as a personal failure rather than a natural variation in human bodies? How have our ideas of race and femininity affected our ideas of acceptable fat? Is public health really about health, or does it fuel stigma? And in an era of body positivity, have we actually made progress — or just rebranded the same old shame? GUESTS: Tess Royale Clancy, fat activist and co-founder of Radically Soft, Sydney’s first ever market for plus sized 2nd hand & new clothes. April Helene-Horton aka The Bodzilla, body positivity advocate, model, and a 2025 ambassador for the Butterly Foundation. Dr Kathryn MacKay, researcher in feminist bioethics and a lecturer at the Sydney Health Ethics Centre. Dr Jane Williams, researcher at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) at the University of Wollongong. Also co-host of the Undisciplinary podcast.This episode first went to air in April 2025 This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal and Ngunnawal land. Technical production by Roi Huberman and Dylan Prins.

54 min
18/12/2025

Close encounters of the religious kind: how God and UFOs have both begun religious movements

Looking towards the heavens for meaning doesn’t always mean looking to God. UFOs (and the modern moniker UAPs) have long been the food for thought of sceptics, theologians, and astrobiologists alike. But what does belief in these mysterious phenomena have in common with religion? And what implications does life outside Earth have for the existence of God? GUESTS: Bill Chalker, UFO researcher. Contributing editor, International UFO Reporter. Author of Hair of the Alien and The Oz Files: The Australian UFO Story. Reverend Dr Tim Jenkins, Reader in Anthropology and Religion, Divinity Faculty, University of Cambridge. Author of Images of Elsewhere Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka, Professor, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington, specialising in UFO and UAP religions This program first went to air in February 2025 This episode of God Forbid was produced on Gadigal land, and recorded on Gadigal and Dharug land as well as the sovereign land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

54 min

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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.