The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre of 15 mostly Jewish people celebrating Hannukah, state and federal governments have passed hate speech laws. They're part of an effort to build social cohesion in a country scarred recently by growing antisemitism and other forms of religious hatred.  
But does banning phrases such as "from the river to the sea" — used usually when supporting a Palestinian state –promote cohesion?  
Can any law mandate unity? Criminologists Keiran Hardy and Rebecca Wickes from Griffith University argue in a recent paper that laws can help, but governments also need to look at declining trust, economic opportunity and loneliness. 
GUEST:Kieran Hardy, Associate Professor in Griffith University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is co-author of We can’t coerce our way to social cohesion. Here’s what else governments should be doing

In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, state and federal governments have passed hate speech laws to help build social cohesion. But does banning phrases promote cohesion? Can any law mandate unity? Also in this episode, Christian Democrats in the US are making a major pitch to win religious votes. Will they pose a significant threat to Donald Trump at upcoming midterm elections?GUESTS:
Kieran Hardy, Associate Professor in Griffith University's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is co-author of: We can’t coerce our way to social cohesion. Here’s what else governments should be doing David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

Christian Democrats in the US are making a major pitch to win religious votes. Even with growing secularism, the US still has a big Christian majority and, for 40 years, Democrats have struggled to win their trust. But ahead of congressional elections in November, several white protestant clergy have announced they're running for the Democrats. One state politician and seminarian, James Talarico, is now the party's candidate for a Texas senate seat. GUEST:
David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney.

The enthronement of Dame Sarah Mullaly as the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury comes amid a lot of talk about a quiet revival in British Christianity. 
While there is evidence – anecdotal and data – of this rise in people in the pews, the spiritual leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans faces a more complex challenge. 
Some British people are claiming a Christian identity with political, and other dubious, motives.
GUEST: 
MADELEINE DAVIES of The Church Times has done a deep dive into this trend.

Donald Trump found enthusiastic cheerleaders not only in the American Midwest but also the historic heartland of Europe. 
He spawned imitation movements across the continent, powered by a fear that Christian Europe was being lost to mass immigration. 
But the president’s war on Iran and his aggressive foreign and trade policies are unnerving European parties that were once allies. 
GUEST:
THOMAS FAZI, a columnist for UnHerd and Compact magazines has been watching this breakdown.