The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

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.

As Israel and the United States continue their war with Iran, even promising to assassinate the new and hardline ayatollah, Pope Leo has emerged as a champion of international law. He’s called for an immediate ceasefire. Tens of millions of people maybe hearing him, but does the leadership in Jerusalem, Washington and Tehran care? Leo understands the brutal history of Iran’s regime, but he’s worried about the strongest nations behaving as they choose, without restraint. What balance is he trying to strike? GUEST:Dr Miles Pattenden of Oxford University is a papal historian.

The bookshelves of the Dalai Lama are groaning with awards for peace and justice work, including the Nobel Peace Prize. But he recently added a more unusual accolade – a Grammy award for the best spoken-word book recording. It’s another example of how religion and popular culture are deeply enmeshed. Research by the US-based Faith and Media Initiative suggests audiences, including those with no religious belief, love religious themes on the big and small screens. GUEST:Dr Anna Halafoff is Professor of Sociology at Deakin University who specialises in faith and popular culture 

This week, as part of the ABC’s look at the persistence of antisemitism in Australia and the world, the Religion and Ethics team partnered with ABC TV and Big Ideas here on Radio National. In a special episode of Big Ideas, we explored the religious roots of anti-Jewish prejudice because certain Christian and Muslim texts have been manipulated to fit political ideologies. A key turning point came in the 1800s, when a racial form of antisemitism began to supplant religious bigotry, with the most lethal consequence by the 1930s and 1940s. Geoff Levey of the University of New South Wales explained this change to me and my colleague Scott Stephens.  GUEST:Associate Professor Geoff Levey of the University of New South Wales

As Israel and the United States continue their war with Iran, even promising to assassinate the new and hardline ayatollah, Pope Leo has emerged as a champion of international law. He’s called for an immediate ceasefire. Tens of millions of people maybe hearing him, but does the leadership in Jerusalem, Washington and Tehran care? Leo understands the brutal history of Iran’s regime, but he’s worried about the strongest nations behaving as they choose, without restraint. What balance is he trying to strike? This week, as part of the ABC’s look at the persistence of antisemitism in Australia and the world, the Religion and Ethics team partnered with ABC TV and Big Ideas here on Radio National. In a special episode of Big Ideas, we explored the religious roots of anti-Jewish prejudice because certain Christian and Muslim texts have been manipulated to fit political ideologies. A key turning point came in the 1800s, when a racial form of antisemitism began to supplant religious bigotry, with the most lethal consequence by the 1930s and 1940s. Geoff Levey of the University of New South Wales explained this change to me and my colleague Scott Stephens. The bookshelves of the Dalai Lama are groaning with awards for peace and justice work, including the Nobel Peace Prize. But he recently added a more unusual accolade – a Grammy award for the best spoken-word book recording. It’s another example of how religion and popular culture are deeply enmeshed. Research by the US-based Faith and Media Initiative suggests audiences, including those with no religious belief, love religious themes on the big and small screens. GUESTS:Dr Miles Pattenden of Oxford University is a papal historianAssociate Professor Geoff Levey of the University of New South WalesDr Anna Halafoff is Professor of Sociology at Deakin University who specialises in faith and popular culture 

Donald Trump says he’s liberated the people of Iran to forge their own future, after killing their autocratic leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But as the bombing continues and any organised resistance struggles to emerge, is this ethnically diverse land, with thousands of years of history, at risk of breaking up or descending into sectarian division? Nahid Siamdoust of the University of Texas specialises in the politics and culture of the Middle East. She’s also part of the Iranian diaspora.Guest:Professor Nahid Siamdoust of the University of Texas specialises in the politics and culture of the Middle East. She’s also part of the Iranian diaspora.

Donald Trump says he’s liberated the people of Iran to forge their own future, after killing their autocratic leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But as the bombing continues and any organised resistance struggles to emerge, is this ethnically diverse land, with thousands of years of history, at risk of breaking up or descending into sectarian division? Nahid Siamdoust of the University of Texas specialises in the politics and culture of the Middle East. She’s also part of the Iranian diaspora.Acclaimed journalist Robin Wright of The New Yorker covered Iran from the start of the 1979 revolution, which brought the first ayatollah, Ruhollah Khomeini, to power.  She’s sceptical that the United States and Israel can bring change through aerial bombardment.As the regime in Iran fell, a handful of Shia Muslim communities in Australia went into mourning for the Ayatollah, drawing criticism from New South Wales premier Chris Minns. Khamenei was a brutal autocrat, but he was also a spiritual leader to many Shi’ites. Is it the role of the state to decide who a religious community can mourn?  Dr Renae Barker specialises in law and religion at the University of Western Australia law.

As the regime in Iran fell, a handful of Shia Muslim communities in Australia went into mourning for the Ayatollah, drawing criticism from New South Wales premier Chris Minns. Khamenei was a brutal autocrat, but he was also a spiritual leader to many Shi’ites. Is it the role of the state to decide who a religious community can mourn?  GuestDr Renae Barker Senior Lecturer, UWA Law School