No school nativity play is complete without the Three Wise Men ‘traversing afar’ bearing gifts for the baby Jesus. One of these gifts is frankincense, which for centuries has played a powerful role in many religious rituals. As an important ingredient in incense, its perfumed smoke has been a part of much religious worship since the time of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt. So why has smell become an important part of many faiths and how does it enhance religious observance? To discuss these questions, Ernie Rea is joined by Tim Jacob (Emeritus Professor at the School of Biosciences at the University of Cardiff), Kim Lahiri (Director at the International Federation of Aroma Therapists) and Dr Nicky Nielson (Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Manchester). Producer: Helen Lee

Beyond Belief

Religion and Smell

This year, the Catholic Church declared John Henry Newman a saint following a lengthy investigation which concluded that two miraculous cures had resulted from the Cardinal’s intercession. It’s not only the Christian Church that believes in miracles. But what actually are they and should we find a new and broader definition for the 21st century? Nuclear scientist Professor Ian Hutchinson; John Thavis, former Rome Bureau Chief for the Catholic News Service and Dr Sarah Shaw, a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, join Ernie to discuss. Producer: Helen Lee

Miracles

Although it was written nearly seventy years ago, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ still appears in the top ten favourite children’s books and has sold over 100 million copies in 47 different languages. It's set in the magical Land of Narnia where the White Witch has cast a spell to make sure that it is always winter and Christmas never comes. This changes when four siblings – Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund – stumble into Narnia through the back of a wardrobe and defeat the evil that has engulfed Narnia with the help of the mighty lion Aslan. For some readers, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ is an allegory of the story of Jesus. Many others view it simply as a good yarn. To discuss the religious message behind the book – and whether or not it really matters – Ernie is joined by three authors: Lucy Mangan, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Francis Spufford. Extracts are read by Julie Hesmondhalgh. Producer: Helen Lee

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Saudi Arabia and Iran have been rivals for many years but recently this rivalry has become more intense. As the two countries struggle for regional dominance, what is the impact of this new ‘Cold War’ on the whole of the Middle East? And why is the tension between the two more complicated than simply a disagreement between Sunni and Shia Muslims? Joining Ernie to discuss this conflict are Iranian academic Dr Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi (Goldsmiths, University of London), Dr Simon Mabon (Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Lancaster University) and Saudi Arabian academic Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed (London School of Economics). Producer: Helen Lee

Saudi Arabia and Iran

As we come to the end of an acrimonious General Election campaign, Beyond Belief attempts to soothe the fractious public mood with a discussion on Friendship. The dictionary defines Friendship as “a state of mutual trust between friends but can friendship survive a deep division of opinion? Can we be friends with someone who holds radically different religious and ethical principles to ours? Can we really describe someone whom we have only met online as a Friend? To discuss these questions are the Reverend David Butterworth, a Methodist Minister; Julie Siddiqi, a leading Muslim feminist and activist with a focus on gender equality and inter faith relations; and Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism. Producer: Helen Lee

Friendship

Who could have predicted that the 13th century Persian poet Rumi would have such a huge presence on the Instagram feeds of post-Millennials? Jalal ad-Din Muhammed Rumi, to give him his full name, was a Sufi master who wrote ecstatic mystical poems about joy and love and the search for divine truth. His poetry would literally move people to dance, which is where the notion of the ‘whirling dervish’ comes from. 800 years on, what is it about the poetry of Rumi that continues to strike a chord with so many today, including artists like Madonna and Coldplay’s Chris Martin? For some, Rumi has been sanitised for a secular Western audience, but not everyone can read Persian. Ernie Rea chairs a special discussion about Rumi's appeal, recorded at the BBC's Contains Strong Language Festival in Hull. Contributors: Narguess Farzad – Senior Lecturer in Persian Studies at SOAS University of London; Alan Williams – Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester, who is currently translating the six volumes of the Masnavi; Shaykh Paul Salahuddin Armstrong – Managing Director of the Association of British Muslims and member of the Naqshbandi Sufi order; Jamal Mehmood - writer and poet. Producer: Dan Tierney

Rumi

Frankenstein, the tale of a scientist who creates a creature that ultimately destroyed him, has been a popular subject for films for many years. But the religious content of the original novel written by Mary Shelley is lost on the big screen. Her story centres on the scientist Victor Frankenstein, who plays God. His creation identifies first with Adam and then with Satan in Paradise Lost. He has admirable human qualities but is deprived of love and affection and becomes brutalised. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are Andrew Smith, Professor of Nineteenth Century English Literature at the University of Sheffield; Marie Mulvey-Roberts, Professor of English Literature at the University of the West of England; and Dr James Castell, Lecturer in English Literature at Cardiff University. Producer: Helen Lee

Frankenstein

Who or what is God? Assuming here, that he or she exists. The traditional image is that of an old man with a beard, sitting somewhere up there, keeping an eye on his creation. But for many the nature of God has evolved far beyond this. But to what? What do we mean by God in today's world? Can we ever pin down the unknowable and does that matter? Ernie Rea is joined by the Right Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon; Dr Mark Vernon, a Psychotherapist and author of A Secret History of Christianity and Pradip Gajjar, President of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness movement in Leicester and a teacher of Philosophy, Religion and Ethics. Producer Catherine Earlam Series Producer Amanda Hancox

The Nature of God

500 years ago this summer a fleet of ships left Spain in search of the Spice Islands and a way around the new world. Three years later just one ship returned barely afloat. The first documented circumnavigation of the Earth was complete. The voyage signalled the growth of the Spanish Empire and the spread of Christianity to the new world. The voyage was financed by a Papal grant and Spaniards were committed by Vatican decree to spread Catholicism to the new world. So how do we assess the role of religion in Spanish history, what have been the key moments and how has the place of religion changed in today’s contemporary Spain. In this episode of Beyond Belief, Ernie Rea is joined by historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Dr Elizabeth Drayson, author of “The Moor’s Last Stand: how seven centuries of Muslim rule in Spain came to an end" and Dr Javier García Oliva, Senior Lecturer in Law, The University of Manchester. Producer: Catherine Earlam Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

The Religion of Spain

Barely a day goes by without some dire warning about the state of the environment. But we also hear that if we act now we may be able to avoid the worst consequences of man-made climate change. The vast majority of the world’s population hold to a faith tradition. So what role can religion play in bringing about the kind of change that is needed? Religion appeals not only to science but to deeply held beliefs and values. Religion can talk the language of hope as opposed to fear and can tap into vast networks and mobilise communities. So what difference can religions make, what kind of things are already happening and are they doing enough to tackle a problem that will connect all people regardless of faith and belief? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss religion and climate justice are Dr Husna Ahmad is Chief Executive Officer of Global One 2015, a Muslim Independent non-governmental organisation led by women, Gopal Patel, Director of the Bhumi Project, which works to mobilise the Hindu community on environmental issues and Martin Palmer former Secretary-General of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation. Producer: Catherine Earlam Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

Religion and Climate Justice

“You say we are homophobic, we say you are Islamophobic”. These were the words of a protester outside a primary school in Birmingham which has found itself on the front line of a culture war. Parents, many of them Muslim, have been protesting against a programme called, “No Outsiders.” According to the school’s website the programme teaches that “Everyone is welcome, regardless of their race, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation and age.” The protesters claim that the “No Outsiders” curriculum is pushing a pro LGBT agenda and that this contradicts their religious beliefs. The school rejects their claim. The issue is not going to go away. From September next year, all primary schools are compelled to teach Relationship Education and parents at a number of other schools have raised concerns. At the heart of the matter is a clash of rights, a tension between the need to protect LGBT rights while accommodating certain religious convictions. How do you adjudicate between competing rights? In a plural, liberal democracy how do get along with respect and difference? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss those questions are Yusuf Patel, Founder of SRE Islamic, an organisation which provides advice, support and training to parents concerned with how Sex and Relationship Education is taught in schools; Dr David Landrum, Director of Advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance; and Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK. Producer: Catherine Earlam Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

Relationship Education

The TV series Game of Thrones has been a world wide phenomenon. Based on a series of books by American novelist George RR Martin, Game of Thrones depicts a medieval-inspired fantasy world torn apart by a violent power struggle. At once fantastical and familiar, it reflects both the political dimensions of various historical time-frames as well as a number of real world belief systems and religions. In this episode of Beyond Belief Ernie Rea and guests explore the way in which religious ideas are developed and used in Game of Thrones, what it adds to the story telling and about the role of belief in the fantasy genre. Ed West is former deputy editor of the Catholic Herald and the author of “Iron, Fire and Ice: The real History that Inspired Game of Thrones”. Dr Jeffrey D Long Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. Dr Jayme Reaves is Public Theologian and Coordinator at the Centre for Encountering the Bible at Sarum College, Salisbury. And Racha Kirakosian is Associate Professor of German and the Study of Religion at Harvard University. Producer: Catherine Earlam Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

The Religion of Game of Thrones

Throughout time trees have inspired awe and a sense of the spiritual. There is a persistent idea running through religious traditions that trees connect us to the heavens. In Judaism, the Torah is called “The Tree of Life.” The Buddha attained Enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi Tree. Our Celtic ancestors venerated the mighty oak and the ancient Yew. Trees provide food, shelter and fuel so they've always been vital to human life on earth but increasingly we are discovering that by reconnecting with trees we can become happier, healthier people. In this programme Ernie Rea is joined in the studio by Charley Baginsky, a Rabbi from Liberal Judaism; Mabh Savage, Pagan Federation Children and Families Secretary; and John Parker who is the Senior Technical Officer at the Arboricultural Association to explore what the worlds great religious traditions can teach us about why trees matter so much.

Trees

What is the relationship between free will and religion? Historically, theistic religions have been dogged by questions concerning the nature of human agency. Do we make the choices we have in life because we can freely choose or does God somehow map life for us? If we don’t have free will how can we be held responsible for our actions in this life and the next? A belief in free will is central to the religious concept of "sin". Our criminal justice system rests on it. Yet developments in neuroscience suggest free will could be an illusion – that you can reduce human behaviour to the firing of neurons in the brain. But how can we live a moral life if we don’t have free will? Joining Ernie Rea to discuss belief in free will are Rev Sharon Grenham-Thompson, an Anglican minister and former prison chaplain; Professor Rasjid Skinner a consultant clinical psychologist and Dr Richard Christian, Research Associate in Philosophy and Economics at the University of Manchester. Producer: Catherine Earlam Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

Free Will

Creative expression has often accompanied internal religious experience. And religious experience, by its nature other-worldly, is deeply connected to the power of the mind to contemplate, visualise and to imagine that there is a God. In a special edition in front of a live audience at the Hay-on-Wye Literature Festival Ernie Rea explores the relationship between religion, creativity and the imagination with Professor Anna Abraham, Neuroscientist and Professor of Psychology at Leeds Beckett University, Mohammed Ali, a Street Artist and Curator, Barnabas Palfrey Lecturer in Christian Spirituality, at Sarum College in Salisbury and Manchester born poet and playwright, Louise Wallwein Producer: Catherine Earlam Series Producer: Amanda Hancox

The Imagination

Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world

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Beyond Belief

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