As the US election approaches, presidential candidate Donald Trump has been doubling down on the religious language - selling bibles, preaching retribution and styling himself as a persecuted saviour. Trump enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of white evangelical voters, but will that be enough to return him to the White House?     Guests:  D Stephen Long, theologian, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics at Southern Methodist University  Sarah McCammon, NPR Political...

Today, billions of people adhere to one of the “Big Five” major religions, but there are many more religions from history that have died out. Conquests, cultural change and conversions have all caused religions to shift, shrink and disappear. But when can we truly declare a religion “dead”? And could the religions of today die out in the distant future?  Guests:   Aslan Pahari, Video presenter/producer, ABC Digital Content and Innovation  Adam Bowles, Associate Professor in Asian Religions...

Jesus was famously a carpenter, and many religious texts associate carpentry with wisdom, humility, and devotion. So, is there something divine about working with wood? Woodwork is the most ancient of crafts. It can offer both solitude and companionship, teach us lessons about patience and failure, and connect us to place, people and stories.  Guests: Phoebe Everill, furniture maker and woodwork teacher from Drummond, Victoria  Father Dan Groody, Professor of Theology at the University of...

The federal government is unwilling to progress promised religious discrimination reforms unless it secures bipartisan support from the Coalition. Can a compromise be reached, or is this debate likely to be shelved again?    Guests: Chris Bedding, is Executive Officer of Faith Workers Alliance and a priest of the Anglican Church in Perth David Robertson, Presbyterian minister, director of the ASK project of Evangelism and New Churches of the Sydney Anglican diocese Dr. Renae Barker, lawyer...

Why do we choose to endure hardship? Can sacrifices - sacred and secular - make us better human beings?  Guests: Justine Toh, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity.   Adis Duderija, Senior Lecturer in the Study of Islam and Society in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Griffith University.   Brock Bastian, Professor at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences 

What is it like to grow up in a strict religious or cultural household - and what happens when you no longer agree with your parents’ worldview?  Guests: David Newheiser, Senior Research Fellow, Religion and Theology, ACU, author of Hope in a Secular Age Laura McConnell Conti, grew up in a fundamentalist Christian group known as The Truth Professor Manjula Datta O’Connor, psychiatrist and author of Daughters of Durga: Dowries, Gender Violence and Family in Australia     

The modern welfare state emerged in Australia some 100 years ago, but it remains a subject of intense ideological, philosophical and even religious debate. Guests: Verity Archer, ​​lecturer in social work, community and human services at Federation University Eve Vincent, anthropologist at Macquarie University, author of Who Cares? Life on Welfare in Australia John Falzon, Senior Fellow Inequality and Social Justice at the Per Capita think tank, former CEO of St Vincent De Paul Society...

Evolving digital technologies have supercharged our anxieties around privacy and surveillance. These concerns may feel new, but they have always existed. Privacy is central to human dignity, intimacy and wellbeing - but in a world of ever-evolving technologies - is privacy in its death throes?  Guests:  Anita Allen, Professor of Law and Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania  Hugh Breakey, Professor of Philosophy, Griffith University  David Vincent, Professor Emeritus, Open Universities...

For as long as we have had language, we have told stories - and some of the oldest stories, are fairytales. What can they teach us about the world, and why do they still appeal? Guests:  Marguerite Johnson, classicist, historian and Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland.   Tom Wright, theatre writer and Artistic Associate at Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney   Michelle Smith, Associate Professor in Literary Studies at Monash University  

What would make religious spaces more accessible for people with disabilities? Transcript available at the ABC God Forbid website. Guests:  Carly Findlay OAM, writer, speaker and activist Professor John Gilroy, ARC Research Fellow in Indigenous Disability and Community Development at the University of Sydney Dr Louise Gosbell, a disability theologian and Research Manager at the Australian College of Theology

Cleansing rituals are a part of every major religion – from baptisms to Islamic Wudu, to bathing in sacred rivers. Where do these rituals come from and what do they mean to the faithful? 

From the sacred remains of saints to the revered memorabilia of celebrities and  sporting stars, relics are objects that act as a kind of a bridge between the material and spiritual world.  But why do religious and non-religious people alike gather to venerate these objects? Is it macabre, superstitious, or simply human?  

Surrogacy – carrying and giving birth to a baby for someone else – has been around at least since biblical times. But as the industry and fertility science advances, Christians and feminists remain divided on the issue.  

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?

Love feels the same now as thousands of years ago, yet the rules around it are changing. On God Forbid, join James Carleton and the panel as they explore love in ancient times, to romance and dating today.

Exactly where do ideas and creative inspiration come from? ANd how do we explain when someone is 'blocked'; when the creative line goes dead? And what can be done about it?

Where we are really going when we walk or run – is it about finding the post-pain pleasure of endurance, or perhaps something more: self-awareness, meaning, or even wisdom? 

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

What do Buddhism, Christianity and Islam say about eating meat? And how do believers navigate ethical concerns around the farming, exporting and slaughter of animals? 

Is it ok to lie to kids in order to protect them from harmful truths? And how can we raise them to be resilient, intellectually-critical adults?

Debates about funding and faith in schools has long been bitter and divisive in Australian history, and it continues until this day. So what makes a good school? And do schools help or hurt in the quest for the Aussie fair go?

Our youth obsessed culture is so pervasive that even calling someone an old woman or an old man can carry a negative meaning – but why should it? Old age can be the time when you find your most authentic self and the key to living well. 

Australia's religious landscape is complex and changing, so how should religion be reported on in the 21st century? As RN celebrates its 100th birthday, the panel reflects on what good religion reporting takes in an era of fake news, Tik Tok journalism and mainstream media distrust.

It was an ancient preoccupation, and now it's a modern obsession. So how has something as universal as sleep remained so mysterious? And what can the cultural and religious history of sleep, dreaming and insomnia teach us today?