Beyond Belief
Rásarupplýsingar
Beyond Belief
Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world
Nýlegir þættir
357 þættir
Faith versus Fear
Giles Fraser delves into the moral and theological tensions surrounding immigration, asking whether Christian faith leads to exclusion or radical incl...
Cultural Religiosity
Giles Fraser meets columnist Giles Coren, who was raised in the Jewish tradition, became an atheist and who now feels at home in a Christian church, t...
Claiming Christianity
Giles Fraser meets the Revd Canon Fr Phil Harris, of the Anglican Church in North America, to discuss defending Britain’s Christian heritage.
Ch...
Faithful Food
We hear from the volunteers serving an average of 1,500 meals a day at the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha in Hounslow and explore the significance of...
Mixed Blessings
Giles Fraser and guests hear from novelist and opinion writer Lisa Solod on her negative experience of marrying outside of her Jewish faith, and from...
Pharisees: a byword for hypocrisy?
The word hypocrite gets used with such regularity – and Jesus himself had form using the term.
How did the Pharisees became a byword for hypocri...
Divine Comedy
Faith based comedy is growing in popularity. Why is religion such a good source for jokes? Is God funny? And, is there anywhere with religion that...
The Religion of Detection
Giles Fraser and guests hear from authors of detective fiction, Kate Charles and Martin Edwards, on the subtle ways they weave faith into the crime pu...
Blue Christmas
Mona Siddiqui and guests hear from Rev Denzil Larbi. He reflects on his cousin, Elianne Andam, who was 15 when she was fatally stabbed at a bus stop...
Do our pets go to heaven?
The Rev Tara Hellings, an Anglican vicar, outlines her experiences of conducting funerals at a Pet Crematorium in Winchfield, and Nurul Ain Abdul Hami...
Armour of God
Imam Asim Hafiz, the first Muslim chaplain to the British Armed Forces and an Islamic advisor for the Ministry of Defence, who has been working with t...
Religious Freedom
Giles Fraser meets Stephen Schneck, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, to explore the impact of globalisation on religio...
The Gift of the Garden
In her poem 'God's Garden', Dorothy Frances Gurney writes:
'One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.’
Join...
Religion in the therapy room
Giles Fraser explores the parallels and overlaps between spirituality/religion and psychotherapy.
Professor Josh Cohen is a psychotherapist, wh...
A Suffering God
Giles Fraser hears about the revolutionary ideas of late theologian Jürgen Moltmann, whose work challenged and transformed Christian ideas of God in t...
Wine of the Gods
Giles Fraser explores the place of wine in some religious traditions, as the blood of Christ, the nectar of the Greek Gods or Persian poets, to someth...
Spreading the Word
Street evangelist Marios Kaikitis tells Giles Fraser why he stands on Leicester Square with a sketch board trying to engage passers by with his messag...
Poetry: Reaching for Divine Heights
Recorded live at the Bradford Literature Festival three poets join Giles Fraser to consider the relationship between poetry and the divine.
Some...
Why We Walk
Why is walking spiritual? Giles Fraser asks if the power of pilgrimage in it's destination, or along the pathway.
Alice Sainsbury was recoverin...
More Than One Wife
Giles Fraser meets Hafsa Rizki, a British Muslim women who coaches women in polygamous relationships. Her husband was already married when they met an...
Monsters and Gods
Bunny Love-Schock is an interfaith minister and practising witch. She has a devotional practice to the figure of Lilith, a character who has appeared...
Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir: Religion and Politics in India
In a temple in Southall, west London, Giles Fraser hears about the spiritual significance for British Hindus of the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodh...
Spiritual Seekers
Eddy Elsey, an estate agent in London, was struggling with his mental health and looking for support. Like 37% of people, according to the last censu...
Embracing Neurodiversity
Giles Fraser hears from a Mum of two who describes how her family’s neurodivergence has affected their practice of faith. Carolina Mountford has recen...
Faithful Feet
In our society feet are often hidden away in shoes, perhaps to make an odd appearance post pedicure… but they can be an incredibly powerful symbol wit...
Assisted Dying
Giles Fraser hears about Alison Davis, who was in pain, very unwell and wanted to die. Her friend and carer Colin Harte describes how she changed her...
Interfaith: Can We Still Talk?
People of faith who have pro-actively built bridges with those from other religions say their work is the most difficult it's ever been. Since the Ham...
What's so funny about faith?
Is religion funny? Or are some subjects just too sacred for satire?
Religious institutions are large establishments, but does this give people t...
Religion and War
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu used biblical references in the early days of Israel's armed response to the October 7th massacre, carr...
What Should We Teach in RE?
Teacher and Tik-Toker Henna Karin-Sayer (@mrsreandpsheteacher) shares her passion for her subject, and the challenges facing those trying to teach rel...
Women in Charge?
What does female leadership in faith and religion look like today? Whilst more women than ever participated in the Pope’s recent Synod, (an assembly,...
Stem Cell Steaks and the Scriptures
Is cultured or cultivated meat, grown from animal stem cells, kosher or halal?
That's what some religious leaders and scholars are starting to...
Faith In The Psychedelic Renaissance
Aleem Maqbool meets Richard Butler, who describes a new-found connection with Jesus during an Ayahuasca retreat in Mexico, after discovering spiritual...
Sacred Sounds
What makes music sacred?
A young, slightly lost university student wanders into York Minster on a Saturday afternoon, after football practice....
Witches, Druids and Pagans
The number of Pagans in the UK is on the rise. The 2021 Census saw 75,000 define themselves as Pagan, 13,000 as Wicca and there was also a huge increa...
Behind Bars
In 1993 Michael Emmett was sentenced to 12 years in prison. It was there that he had a radical transformation. After a difficult night, alone in his c...
Ashes to Ashes
‘We always put our hand on the coffin and use their name, tell them how loved they were. And then just as the door opens, we wish them well on their j...
Faith and Politics
The former SNP leadership contender Kate Forbes, found herself at the centre of a political storm about her religious views. In response to interviews...
Faith and Fortune
Daniel Ally is an influencer and author who has built an online coaching business, sharing tips on how to become wealthy. He’s also a committed Christ...
Taking a Stand
Revd Hilary Bond is a priest in the Church of England in Wareham in Dorset. She's also bee arrested five times at climate change protests and now has...