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 box office share in a decade which has seen real existential fear: wars, pandemics, and natural disasters.And what do movies that scare us have to do with religions that comfort us?Well, they’re both interested in what you believe, ask questions about evil, and want your attendance on a Sunday morning.GUESTS:BARBARA CREED Professor of Screen Studies at the University of Melbourne. Author of Phallic Panic: Film, Horror & the Primal Uncanny and The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, PsychoanalysisFr RICHARD LEONARD a parish priest and film scholar. Author of The Mystical Gaze of the Cinema: The Films of Peter Weir and Movies That Matter: Reading Film through the Lens of Faith COLTAN SCRIVNER, research fellow at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University and psychologist at Arizona State University and author of Morbidly Curious: A scientist explains why we can’t look away.This program is made on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and in Naarm
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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 our shores in the form of demonstrations and violence on our streets. What does the future hold for the ties that bind us together?And what IS progressive patriotism anyway?GUESTS:Prof, the Rev Peter Kurti, Director, Culture, Prosperity & Civil Society program, Centre for Independent Studies. His recent paper is The Ties That Bind: Reconciling value pluralism and national identity Dr Yassir Morsi, Lecturer, Aboriginal Studies, La Trobe University, Author: Radical Skin, Moderate Masks: De-radicalising the Muslim and Racism in Post-racial SocietiesDr Chloe Patton, Lecturer, RMIT. Research spans sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, and intersections of gender, race, identity and representation. Author: Visualising Young Muslims in the West This program is recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and Naarm
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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 over his replacement will certainly be at the top of the Communist Party’s agenda.So what might lie in the future for Tibet in it's ongoing struggle for autonomy from Chinese rule?Is there a middle way that could be acceptable to both sides in the dispute?GUESTS:Dr Lobsang Sangay was the leader of the Central Tibetan Administration in India for ten years. He grew up in a refugee camp in India and has gone on to have a prestigious academic career. He is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School.Professor Baogang He is the distinguished Chair in International Relations at Deakin University, and recognised internationally for his expertise on both the Tibet & Taiwan disputes.This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land of the Eora Nation.
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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... hair has long been a point of contention for faith communities. Claims of both modesty AND freedom come up when we discuss hair coverings... and often a similar piece of fabric will elicit very different responses depending on the religion of the person wearing it. From turbans to tonsures, hijabs to high-top fades... hair is more than style, it’s spiritual. GUESTS:Michael D. (David) Barbezat - a historian of medieval European religious history. His first book, Burning Bodies: Communities, Eschatology, and the Punishment of Heresy in the Middle Ages. Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa - Director of The Blue Room Theatre in Perth. She’s a writer, performer, theatre and filmmaker. Since her sell-out theatre work Fully Sikh she’s currently producing A Hairy Tale, a documentary exploring female body hair. Aseel Tayah - Palestinian-Australian artist, CEO of community art project Bukjeh in Melbourne, and hijabi Muslim.This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land, the land of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and in Naarm.
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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 is a complex brew. And for every breakthrough, there's backlash. And the arguments aren't just theological – they're personal too, touching on tradition, culture, and what it means to be faithful in a changing world. So, what happens when the drive for gender equality meets the weight of sacred tradition? GUESTS:Pastor Sue Westhorp last year was one of three women ordained for the first time into the Lutheran church. Rev. Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, the youngest and first person of colour to hold the office.This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm. Technical production by John Jacobs.
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.
Australia