God Forbid

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

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

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

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 tradition
Tosana 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 Sydney
Venerable 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

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 Sects
Scott Parker, writer and star of stage production, Hillsong Boy
This 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