In this episode we are joined by Dr Ed Kessler who is the founder and former Director of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. Dr Kessler set up the institute to act as a vehicle for Christian-Jewish dialogue but has since expanded it to include all the abrahamic faiths and to be a centre of interreligious dialogue more broadly.

In this conversation, our five main questions were presented: From a jewish perspective, who or what is God, what are the sources of the religion, what is the goal of the religion, how are we meant to reach that goal, and what does Judaism have to say about the problem of evil.

But as you will hear Dr Kessler presents Jewish ideas of compassion, community, and faith all amidst several wonderful anecdotes and stories.

Who is God?

How do we come to know God?

What is our purpose?

How do we achieve that purpose?

How do we account for evil in the world?

In this episode, esteemed Catholic commentator and educator sits down and helps us go through these questions in a continuation of our series: Foundations of Faith. These question provide a backdrop for our conversation and we also go into:

The nature of God, the importance of the Trinity, the incarnation, human nature and goodness, human flourishing, we go into the history of the early church fathers and the reformation, a quick detour to consider Nietszche, the mystery of evil and the encompassing theological virtues.

If you've enjoyed the show, please like and follow. Also feel free to get in contact: jack@religionreconsidered.com

Thank you for joining us and I hope you enjoy the podcast.

In this episode we are joined by Shaunaka Rishi Das, one of the foremost experts on Hinduism in the UK, to ask him some foundational questions:

1. Who are what is God?
2. What are the sources of Hinduism?
3. What is the goal of Hinduism?
4. How are we to reach that goal?
5. What does Hinduism have to say about the problem of evil.

The debate over whether religion is a natural phenomenon has raged for centuries.

John Calvin was the first person to talk of a sensus divinitatis but it is an idea that has stretched back to the Greeks and Romans. The idea is that religion is a natural phenomenon in human society and we as humans have a capacity to engage with the divine. The ubiquity of religion throughout the globe and across history as well as our divine sense, it is said, results in a rather resounding proof of God’s existence.

However with the rise of enlightenment ideals and especially evolutionary science, this view has been questioned. People like David Hume argued that religion arose out of fear of the natural world and it became a way to understand it while Durkheim has argued that religion plays a critical role for peaceful human societies. Religion, it is argued, is either a social or cognitive construct that our brains and societies have developed as a way to understand and manage our existence. And so, while it may be natural in this respect, it is proof that an objective idea of God is pure fancy.

In this episode we talk with distinguished academic, Professor David Fergusson, where he lays out the debate and his argument of how in the face of arguments against God's existence, religion will see a refraction of belief and more types of worship rather than a religious retreat.

As always, feel free to get in touch: jack@religionreconsidered.com

A question that I’ve always thought about: if each religion claims that what it teaches is true and that the way to salvation is through its teaching, then aren’t ideas of conversion and even forced conversion morally justified?

Is it possible to religiously justify a group such as ISIS who may say they are trying to convert people to their religion for their salvation. I appreciate there are many other issues at play with the ISIS thing and there are groups of people that do their utmost to convert people to their religious worldview but at a general level why is there not more attempts at conversion that goes on.

Fr Michael is a Jesuit, a former professor of interreligious relations at Heythrop College in London, was the director of the De Nobili dialogue centre which focused on interfaith communication, and served as a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue in Rome and to the ecumenical Churches Commission on Inter-faith Relations. His expertise is on the eastern faiths of Hinduism and Buddhism and it's safe to say he is a preeminent voice in the area of interreligious dialogue. I posed to Fr Michael the question: if each religion claims that what it teaches is true and that the way to salvation is through its teaching, then aren’t ideas of conversion and even forced conversion morally justified?

In the ensuing conversation we don’t just talk about the importance of space and respect when it comes to interreligious dialogue but also how we can come to a deeper understanding of our own faith through when we listen and consider the point of view of the other. Ultimately he puts forward a very strong case that ideas of forced conversion are fundamentally antithetical to a loving religious practice.

Fr Michael has also written several books whose titles include: theology and the dialogue of religions, waiting on grace, interreligious learning, and Ignatian spirituality and interreligious dialogue.

In 250AD a young man named Paul walked out into the Egyptian desert in fear of his own life and was never to return. He did not find safety or comfort but rather communion with God.

100 years later, Anthony the Great, a man who had taken Paul's way of life and turned it into a burgeoning communal approach to spiritual living, met the elderly hermit on the day of his death.

These two great men were the example for the thousands of monks and hermits that came to live in Egypt, Syria and Palestine that would go down in history as The Desert Mothers and Father.

In this episode, we take a look at The Desert Mothers and Father: who they were, where they came from and what they got up to. At a time of great upheaval throughout the Mediterranean world, they would come to set a foundation of not only monasticism but all Christianity.

This episode forms part of a series on the Desert Mothers and Father and in the next episode we will be heading to Egypt to see the lives of the people who continue to live out this tradition.

Thanks to Lebot for our new theme music, more of which can be found by clicking this link.

He has been called the hot priest, the ‘UK's favourite priest’, is a youtube sensation, and an instagram influencer. Rev Chris Lee has amassed a following on social media of over 170,000 people with his account RevChris7 and has become famous for his 60 second sermons where he distils Christian teachings into instagram friendly messages. Beyond this Chris has published a book titled The OMG Effect with two more books set to be published this year.

In this podcast Chris talks about how he came to love God, what it's like dealing with his newfound fame, how he tries to direct people to God and sharing the message the God love us.

For more content, check us out on Instagram @religion_reconsidered

Yesterday, the Catholic Church published a declaration titled Fiducia Supplicans that looks at The Pastoral Meanings of Blessings. The Declaration has caused a stir in the world with it being called a 'landmark moment for the church’s acceptance of L.G.B.T.Q. faithful.'

So what does the Declaration say and does it change the Church's position on same-sex relationships? In this brief explainer we consider this question.

As a massive disclaimer, I am not a Church Scholar and while I had tried to give an accurate depiction of the Declaration, please forgive any errors.

If you have any feedback, as always feel free to reach out at jack@religionreconsidered.com.