God Forbid

From climate disasters to economic collapse, pandemics to political unrest — some people prepare for the worst long before it happens. 
But is prepping a sign of prudent foresight or a loss of faith in society? And how do ethics and religion shape ideas of survival? 
In this episode we explore the growing culture of preppers and survivalists, from community resilience to billionaire bunkers. 
Are preppers visionaries, doomsayers, or just realists? 
And in a crisis, what do we owe each other?
GUESTS:
Dr. Bradley Garrett – Social geographer and author of Bunker: What It Takes to Survive the Apocalypse.
Dr. Tom Doig – Journalist and author of the upcoming book We Are All Preppers Now.
John Scarinci – Secretary General of the Australian Peoples Survival League.
Tracy Simmons – Journalist, religion reporter, and executive director of FāVS News, a religion news website in the Pacific Northwest.
This episode of God Forbid was made on Gadigal land and in Meanjin. 
And was first broadcast March 2025.

Falling in love with a machine is supposed to be the stuff of science-fiction. About a decade ago, Spike Jonze made the film Her, about a lonely man Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, falling in love with his operating system, Samantha. 
And the world renowned psychoanalyst Esther Perel recently counselled a man and his romantic partner, a chat bot! 
Is romantic love just in our hearts and heads, or does it require another human to be real? 
If an AI lover is always patient, understanding, never challenges you, and you never have to pick up after them, how could a human ever compete? 
Is AI the ultimate cure for human loneliness?  
Can AI fill the God-shaped hole in us? 
GUESTS:
Professor Meghan Sullivan, Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Also, the Founding Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good
Caragh OBrien, author of AnnieBot (written under the pen name Sierra Greer) a novel told from the perspective of a robot girlfriend for a man called Doug. AnnieBot won the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke award for UK science fiction book of the year. 
Professor Uri Gal, Professor of Business Information Systems at the University of Sydney Business School, whose research focuses on the organisational and ethical aspects of digital technologies - his recent article for the ABC is here.

Since the Stone Age we’ve used, and abused, drugs and alcohol. And some cultures believed their mood-altering effects brought you closer to God.  
But if you go to an Alcoholics Anonymous or AA meeting today, you’ll be told that getting closer to God means getting away from the drink.
AA also welcomes atheists, of course, as the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. But as part of the program, surrendering to a higher power is essential. Not necessarily God, but something outside of the bondage of self.
But why does the twelve step program work brilliantly for some — and fail miserably for others? And what are the spiritual roots of the program? 
And it's not just alcoholism, there are twelve step programs for gamblers, social media and sex addicts, also overeaters and clutterers anonymous. 
GUESTS:
Joanna Thyer, Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Coordinator at the University of Technology Sydney. She's also author of 12 Steps to Spiritual Freedom - Understanding the Christian Roots of Twelve Step Programs, and Steps to Life.
Melinda Lake, psychologist and co-founder & CEO of Australian Recovery Centres in Northern NSW. She's also worked with AABCAP on Addiction in Buddhism and Psychotherapy.
Amber Rules, Clinical psychotherapist and Director of Sydney Addictions Recovery in Sydney's inner west.

Pope Leo XIV has recently slammed the use of God's name to justify what he terms as the "absurd" pursuit of war, specifically challenging military leaders who describe operations in Iran as a holy war "in the name of Jesus Christ". 
Is a "holy war" antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ?  
Sister Brigid Arthur, Rev Tim Costello and Rev Michael Woolf certainly think so. 
All of them have been at the forefront of contemporary societal battles about some of the most pressing issues of our day: asylum seekers and refugees, gambling reform and homelessness.  
So, what can Christian leaders offer us in this context? Can they be holy warriors for our most pressing concerns? 
GUESTS:
Rev Tim Costello  is Chief Advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Member of the Order of Australia, Executive Director of Micah Australia.
Rev Dr Michael Woolf is Senior Minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston in the US state of Illinois and Co-Associate Regional Minister with the American Baptist Church, and author of Sanctuary and Subjectivity: Thinking Theologically about Whiteness and Sanctuary Movements 
Sister Brigid Arthur is a Brigidine sister who coordinates the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project, which advocates for asylum seekers, and helps them out with practical needs like housing, rent and utilities, friendship.

Fairytales are among the oldest forms of human storytelling, with their roots in the oral traditions of pre-literate societies. 
Over centuries, these tales have been reworked to suit the religious, moral and political order of the day. They are instructive, entertaining and sometimes terrifying. 
Why is there this ongoing appeal – indeed a revival – of fairytales among young and old alike?  
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  
This program first aired in March 2024