Beyond Belief

Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives. We live in an age of doubt. We have been taught to question everything. But it is the religious traditions which major in certainty which are on the increase. Fundamentalism is gaining pace, even in an age of science.In the first of a new series, Ernie Rea discusses the role of doubt within religion with Richard Holloway, the former Bishop of Edinburgh and author of "Leaving Alexandria - a memoir of faith and doubt", Shaykh Shams Ad-duha, Principal of Ebrahim College, London, which trains British Imams, and the theologian and astro-physicist, the Rev Professor David Wilkinson, Principal of St John's College, Durham.

Margaret Thatcher's funeral in St Paul's Cathedral was attended by thousands of world leaders and watched by millions more around the world. In death, as in life, Margaret Thatcher shaped the occasion: she dictated the order of service and chose the hymns and readings. She was probably the most overtly Christian Prime Minister of the twentieth century up to the time of her leaving office. So where did those Christian influences come from? How did her religious conviction shape her politics? And what is her legacy in terms of the relationship between religion and politics in a multi cultural Britain?Joining Ernie Rea are Dr Eliza Filby, Lecturer in Modern British History at King's College London, whose book, "God and Mrs Thatcher: The Battle for Britain's Soul", is published later this year; Edwina Currie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health under Margaret Thatcher and MP for South Derbyshire between 1983 and 1997 and Canon Dr Alan Billings, Deputy Leader of Sheffield City Council under David Blu

Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives. The role of celibacy differs cross-culturally among religious traditions, with some insisting on it and others prohibiting it. Obligatory celibacy for Catholic priests in the West was introduced in 1130, yet in other traditions, such as Islam, marriage for their spiritual leaders is positively encouraged and celibacy, whilst not forbidden, is seen as second class. Is celibacy an essential requirement for real closeness to God or not? And given that it's basis is essentially cultural rather than theological, should celibacy be optional across religions? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss celibacy across religions are Professor Carl Olsen, Prof of Religious Studies at Allegheny College, Pennsylvania, and Editor of the book, Celibacy and Religious Traditions; Dr Helen Costigane SHCJ, member of the Society of the Holy Child Jes

Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives. It's 200 years since the birth of the Scottish missionary, David Livingstone. His legacy was to shape missionary work in Africa and elsewhere, right through to the present day. His supporters point to the medical and educational advances Christian missions have brought whilst his detractors talk about the oppression of colonialism. Today African missionaries are being sent to the UK. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss Livingstone's legacy are Paul Lloyd, Senior Pastor of the Victory Outreach Church; Cyprian Yobera, an Anglican Minister in Salford and Dr Jack Thompson, Honorary Fellow at the School of Divinity, the University of Edinburgh.

Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives. The Queen is preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her Coronation on 2nd June 1953. The Coronation is an occasion for pageantry and celebration, but it is also a solemn religious ceremony. The form and wording have varied over the centuries. Today, the Sovereign undertakes to rule according to law, to exercise justice with mercy, and to maintain the Church of England. Ernie and his guests will be considering the spiritual elements of the ceremony, asking whether both the wording and the solely Christian emphasis are appropriate in today's multi-faith society. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the role of religion in the Coronation ceremony are Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin who is both a chaplain to the Queen and Speaker's Chaplain in the House of Commons, as well as vicar to two inner city parishes in Hackney; Martin Pa

Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives. In Edinburgh a modern festival has grown up around the ancient pagan festival of Beltane, traditionally marked on May 1st, where fires are lit. But does fire have both negative and positive connotations across all religions? Is it always viewed as potentially transforming as well as destructive? In today's programme, Ernie Rea is joined by Alan Williams, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester; Ronald Hutton, Professor of History at Bristol University and Canon Loveday Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield, to discuss the role of fire within religion and its symbolism today.

Beyond Belief debates the place of religion and faith in today's complex world. Ernie Rea is joined by a panel to discuss how religious beliefs and traditions affect our values and perspectives. Pope Francis is the first Pope from a religious order for 200 years. Many were surprised by his appointment. But what will his Jesuit formation give him as he grapples with the many complex issues facing the Catholic Church, including child abuse and infighting, including what some view as corruption, within the Vatican itself? In the first of a new series, Ernie Rea discusses the Jesuits, with panellists Brendan Callaghan SJ, Master of Campion Hall, Oxford; Michael Barnes SJ, Professor of Interreligious Relations at Heythrop College, University of London and Catherine Pepinster, Editor of The Tablet.

When Justin Welby was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury there were two things we quickly learned about him. The first was that he has a business head on him and used to work in the oil industry - that's significant for a country grappling with issues of financial morality. The second was that he is an Evangelical - that's important for the wider Anglican church which is battling splits between evangelicals and liberals over the issue of homosexuality - and for the church of England where there's an internal debate among Evangelicals about the very meaning of that term. Joining Ernie to discuss Evangelicals, especially within an Anglican context are the Rev Dr Rob Munroe, who is a member of the Anglican evangelical group, Reform: Vicky Beeching, a Theologian and Visiting Research Fellow at Durham University ; and Jonathan Bartley, co-director of the think tank Ekklesia.

Addiction to alcohol costs the UK around £22 billion per annum in health, welfare, social care and prison costs. The expectation is that more than 200,000 people will die prematurely in this country of alcohol related liver disease in the next 20 years. Is addiction a disease or does it signify an absence of will power? Alcoholics Anonymous famously claims that the cycle of addiction can only be broken by surrendering to a higher power. So is a spiritual approach to the problem effective?Joining Ernie to discuss the spiritual dimension to alcohol addiction and its treatment are Mike Williams, General Director of Stauros Foundation, a Christian Charity which offers fellowship to people suffering or recovering from addiction; Maia Szalavitz a neuro-science journalist with Time.com; and Dr Wendy Dossett Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Chester University who has just completed a Research Project on Spirituality and Addiction.

Restorative Justice schemes are increasingly playing a role within the Criminal Justice System. They are designed to confront the criminal with the consequences of his or her actions. Sometimes they involve a meeting between the victim and the offenders, where victims can give their perspective on what has happened and offenders can seek forgiveness.Many religious groups believe that Restorative Justice principles resonate with their traditions.Joining Ernie to discuss Restorative Justice are Pavan Dhilowal, Head of Public Affairs at the British Humanist Society and former policy head at a think tank specialising in criminal justice; Khola Hassan, Media Representative at the Islamic Sharia Council; and Tim Newell former Governor of Grendon, a therapeutic prison.

The revelation that horse meat has found its way into supermarket products, and that Muslim prisoners have been fed meals containing pork has highlighted again the way food is produced and animals treated.Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the place of animals in the religions of East and West are Shimon Cohen, Director of Shechita UK, an organisation which defends the Jewish method of slaughtering animals for food; Barbara Gardner, a trustee of the RSPCA and author of The Compassionate Animal; and Shaunaka Rishi Das a Vaisnav priest from the Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies.

As the bill to allow same sex marriage makes its way through Parliament, Ernie Rea and guests discuss whether homosexuality is compatible with Islam. The Muslim Council of Britain has voiced its opposition, but what does the Koran say about homosexuality - is the prohibition unequivocal and absolute? Ernie's guests are Ibrahim Mogra, one of Britain's leading Imams; Pav Akhtar, Muslim politician and the director of UK Black Pride and Islamic scholar and Secretary of the Charity "Scriptural Reasoning" Sheikh Dr Muhammed al-Hussaini,.

To most people the word Rastafarian conjures up images of dreadlocks, the smoking of ganja, and Bob Marley. But Rastafari, as it's more correctly known, is a movement with a complex belief system. It has its origins in Jamaican society in the early 20th century, when black people rose up in protest at oppressive systems imposed by white rulers. But is it just a passing phenomenon? Has it continuing relevance in a fairer, more open society? How does it need to evolve? Joining Ernie to discuss Rastafari are Tony Tafari, who is a member of the Rastafari Council of Britain; Dr Ellis Cashmore, Professor of Culture, Media and Sport at Staffordshire University; and Marzia Coltri, visiting Lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton.

"No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!" The brilliant Monty Python sketch was able to use an historical reference because the very mention of the Inquisition conjured up images of dark dungeons; cruel monks wielding instruments of torture and consigning thousands of alleged heretics to the flames. The Inquisition has had a bad press. But in fact there were several Inquisitions, some more cruel than others. And it is still active. Nowadays it goes under the name of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and in the 1990s it was run by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. So what does it do? How does its present structure relate to its medieval origins? Does it deserve its sinister reputation?Joining Ernie to discuss the Inquisition are Dr Gemma Simmons, Lecturer in Pastoral and Social Studies at Heythrop College London and a member of the Congregation of Jesus; Dr Christopher Black, Honorary Professor of Italian History at the School of Humanities, at the University of Glasgow; and Cullen Murphy, Editor at Larg

The history of Islam in Mali is a long one. The faith, brought by traders, was adopted slowly over the centuries until the French colonisers arrived, after which its spread was accelerated. The recent conflict in Mali has been portrayed as a struggle between a home-grown "tolerant" Islam and an aggressive Wahabi influence from outside. How accurate is this picture? Ernie Rea is joined by journalist Celeste Hicks, academic Marie Rodet and the South African Sheik and academic Michael Mumisa.

Ernie Rea and guests discuss the reasons behind rising anti-semitism in Europe. A survey published last year revealed that 24% of the French population holds anti semitic views. The figure for Hungary is 63%. In Spain 72% of the people are willing to admit that they are anti Jew. Just 70 years after Hitler tried to wipe out European Jewry, attacks on Jews are on the increase. What is the cause of this resurgence? What can be done to stop it? Joining Ernie to discuss anti Semitism in Europe today are Dr Ed Kessler, Director of the Woolf Institute for the Study of Abrahamic Faiths; Social and political commentator Mohammed Ansar who is a Social and Political Commentator and Dr Yaakov Wise from the Centre for Jewish Studies, at the University of Manchester.

It may surprise you to know that the world's tallest hotel is in Makkah. The Clock Tower which is part of the same complex is the world's largest clock tower. None of this would be all that important were it not for the fact that these building are metres away from the Grand Mosque which, for Muslims, is the world's holiest place. In order to create the space for this expansion, large residential districts have been demolished and the residents evicted; many examples of traditional urban architecture have been destroyed. What is behind this programme? Is it cultural vandalism? Or rampant capitalism? Or does it reflect a legitimate theological concern on the part of the Saudi authorities to prevent idolatry? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the potential destruction of some of Islam's Holy Sites are Yaqub Zaki, Visiting Professor at the Aga Khan Foundation at Harvard University; Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow; and Irfan Al Alawi, Executive Director of the Isl

The fundamental message of Sikhism appears to be simple; God is one and all people are equal. But are some more equal than others? If the Sikh scriptures are consistent with a feminist agenda, why do some Sikh women feel that they are second class citizens? Joining Ernie to discuss the position of women within the Sikh tradition are Navtej Purewal, Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Manchester University; Eleanor Nesbitt, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Education in the University of Warwick; and Nicky Guninder Kaur Singh, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Colby College Waterville Maine in the USA.

The 1960s and 70s saw a proliferation of New Religious Movements in this country. Perhaps the best known is the Unification Church founded by the Rev Sun Myung Moon which attracted world wide attention because of mass weddings where couples who had often never met were paired together. The Rev Moon died last September and the movement is struggling to come to terms with his departure. So what will happen now? How do New Religious Movements survive when their founder dies?Joining Ernie to discuss the Unification Church are Professor Eileen Barker, Director of Inform, an Information Network focusing on New Religious Movements, George Chryssides, Honorary Research Fellow in Contemporary Religion at the University of Birmingham and Jack Corley, Director of the UK branch of the Unification Church.

If you get to listen to this programme, it's because the Domesday scenario - according to which the world would end on December 21st - did not happen. The interpretation of the Mayan calendar that arrived at this date was derided by most Mayan scholars, but this hasn't stopped the media camping out in the French village of Bugarach, identified as the only village on earth which was to be spared destruction. Apocalyptic ideas about the end of the world, as we in the West understand them, have their roots in the Jewish and Christian traditions. The popular imagery - the Mark of the Beast, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Whore of Babylon - feed the imagination of film makers and writers, who draw upon Biblical imagery.Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the nature and role of apocalyptic ideas on western religion and culture are Dr Philip Alexander, Professor of Post Biblical Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester; Dr Stefan Skrimshire, lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Le