Beyond Belief (radio series)

Beyond Belief is a radio programme on the subject of religion, broadcast on BBC Radio 4. The show typically runs for 30 minutes, and features representatives of different faith traditions discussing a religious or moral issue. The programme, hosted by Ernie Rea, was first broadcast on 7 January 2002. The 200th edition was broadcast on 29 June 2009. On 15 July 2019, a special edition, looking at the relationship between religious faith and imagination, came from the Hay-on-Wye festival.

Programmes

Broadcast date and Broadcast	Title
1 Jun 2009	Just War Theory
6 Jul 2009	Orange Order
8 Jun 2009	Traditional African religions
13 Jul 2009	Poverty as a spiritual practice
15 Jun 2009	Alzheimer's disease
20 Jul 2009	Internet
22 Jun 2009	John Calvin
24 Aug 2009	Evangelism and stadium crusades
27 Jul 2009	Witchcraft
29 Jun 2009	Post-secular society.
3 Aug 2009	History and theology of the Islamic republic of Iran
10 Aug 2009	Water
17 Aug 2009	God and Neuroscience
1 Feb 2010	Monastic communities
8 Feb 2010	Epic of Gilgamesh
15 Feb 2010	Monogamy
22 Feb 2010	Religion and the law
1 Mar 2010	Saints
4 Oct 2010	Islam in America
8 Mar 2010	Biblical attitudes to childlessness
15 Mar 2010	Climate change debate
22 Mar 2010	Islam in Europe
12 Jul 2010	Sacredness of Hair
19 Jul 2010	Women in leadership
26 Jul 2010	Islam & Music
30 Aug 2010	Origins of the universe
6 Sep 2010	English Catholicism
9 Aug 2010	Abstinence
13 Sep 2010	Cardinal Newman
2 Aug 2010	Sanctuary
16 Aug 2010	Secular meaning to life
20 Sep 2010	Charedi (ultra orthodox) Jewish communities
23 Aug 2010	Faith and disability
27 Sep 2010	Religion in prison
13 Dec 2010	Supernatural
20 Dec 2010	Philanthropy
27 Dec 2010	three wise-men
3 Jan 2011	Translating sacred texts
10 Jan 2011	Suicide
17 Jan 2011	Religion in Egypt
24 Jan 2011	Ayodhya
31 Jan 2011	Celebrity culture
7 Feb 2011	Sunni and Shia Islam
14 Feb 2011	Faith schools
21 Feb 2011	Nuns
7 Mar 2011	Immortality
11 Jul 2011	Christian understanding of Hell
18 Jul 2011	Arab Spring and Middle Eastern Christians
25 Jul 2011	Religion and the Big Society
1 Aug 2011	Religion and Generational Divide
8 Aug 2011	Sabbath
15 Aug 2011	Globalisation on religion
22 Aug 2011	Sectarianism in Scotland
2 Jan 2012	Islam and the Veil
23 Jan 2012	Same-sex marriage
16 Jan 2012	Protestant Work Ethic
9 Jan 2012	Mystical Experiences
29 Aug 2011	Buddhism in the West
5 Sep 2011	Jewish identity
12 Sep 2011	Christian and Muslim understandings of God
19 Sep 2011	Exorcism
26 Sep 2011	Britain's black churches
3 Oct 2011	Catholicism in the Irish Republic
30 Jan 2012	Pilgrimage
6 Feb 2012	Republican Nomination
13 Feb 2012	Role of Bishops in the House of Lords
20 Feb 2012	Baháʼí Faith
27 Feb 2012	Religion in Korea
12 Mar 2012	Travellers
19 Mar 2012	Religion in Nigeria
26 Mar 2012	Adoption
5 Mar 2012	Atheism
2 Apr 2012	Cross
3 Sep 2012	Egalitarianism
10 Sep 2012	Women in Hinduism
20 Aug 2012	Witchcraft & Child abuse
27 Aug 2012	Baptists
13 Aug 2012	Religion in Syria
6 Aug 2012	Fear in religion
30 Jul 2012	Depression
23 Apr 2012	Physics
16 Apr 2012	Religious foundations and function of monarchy
9 Apr 2012	Olympics
31 Dec 2012	Apocalyptic
7 Jan 2013	Unification Church
14 Jan 2013	Women in Sikhism
21 Jan 2013	Development of Mecca
28 Jan 2013	Antisemitism in Europe
4 Feb 2013	Religion in Mali
11 Feb 2013	Inquisition
18 Feb 2013	Rastafari
24 Sep 2012	Religion in Russia
17 Sep 2012	Treatment of civilians in armed conflict
25 Feb 2013	Islam and Homosexuality
4 Mar 2013	Animals
18 Mar 2013	Religion and Addiction
11 Mar 2013	Restorative justice
3 Jun 2013	Livingstone's Legacy
10 Jun 2013	Celibacy
17 Jun 2013	Religion and Mrs Thatcher's Politics
13 May 2013	Jesuits
20 May 2013	Fire in Religion
25 Mar 2013	Evangelical
27 May 2013	Religion & the Coronation
5 Aug 2013	Faith and Doubt
12 Aug 2013	Organ donation
19 Aug 2013	Buddhism and violence
26 Aug 2013	Martin Luther King Jr.
2 Sep 2013	Comedy and Religion
9 Sep 2013	Near-death experience
16 Sep 2013	Sunni and Shia Islam
23 Sep 2013	Why Religions Change
30 Sep 2013	JRR Tolkien
13 Jan 2014	Archaeology and Religion
20 Jan 2014	Eve
27 Jan 2014	Christianity and the Law
3 Feb 2014	Ahmadi
10 Feb 2014	Yoga
17 Feb 2014	Religion in Russia
24 Feb 2014	Are Institutions in Decline?
3 Mar 2014	Pope Francis
10 Mar 2014	Lent
17 Mar 2014	Stonehenge
24 Mar 2014	Christian views on environmentalism
19 May 2014	Religion in Brazil
26 May 2014	Mindfulness
2 Jun 2014	Last Rites
16 Jun 2014	Islam and education
23 Jun 2014	Christianity and Gender Identity
30 Jun 2014	Shakespeare and Religion
18 Aug 2014	Seven Deadly Sins
25 Aug 2014	Charity
1 Sep 2014	Holy Spirit
8 Sep 2014	Religious History of Iraq
15 Sep 2014	Agnosticism
22 Sep 2014	Religion and PR
29 Sep 2014	Karma
6 Oct 2014	Catholic Synod on the family
24 Nov 2014	Avatars
1 Dec 2014	Plague narratives and Ebola
8 Dec 2014	Spiritualism
22 Dec 2014	T. S. Eliot's Religious Poetry
29 Dec 2014	Magna Carta
5 Jan 2015	Moses
12 Jan 2015	Fundamentalism
2 Mar 2015	Purgatory
9 Mar 2015	End Time Beliefs in Islam
16 Mar 2015	Religious literacy
23 Mar 2015	Confucianism
30 Mar 2015	Scapegoat
6 Apr 2015	Artificial Intelligence
25 May 2015	Humanism
1 Jun 2015	Religion and Earthquakes
8 Jun 2015	Religion in Greece
15 Jun 2015	Compassion
22 Jun 2015	Papal Encyclical on Environment and Climate Change
29 Jun 2015	Hadith
17 Aug 2015	Religion and Debt
24 Aug 2015	Religion in Tunisia
31 Aug 2015	Ghosts
7 Sep 2015	Rumi
14 Sep 2015	Betrayal
21 Sep 2015	Pacifism
28 Sep 2015	New Religious Communities
5 Oct 2015	Christianity and family
23 Nov 2015	How Islamic is the So-Called Islamic State?
30 Nov 2015	Interfaith marriage
7 Dec 2015	50 Years of Nostra aetate
14 Dec 2015	Childlessness
21 Dec 2015	Yule
28 Dec 2015	Heaven and the Afterlife
4 Jan 2016	Religion and Psychotherapy
11 Jan 2016	Religion in France
29 Feb 2016	Religion in Saudi Arabia
7 Mar 2016	Storytelling in Christianity
14 Mar 2016	Mercy
21 Mar 2016	Fixed Easter
28 Mar 2016	Apparitions of Mary
16 May 2016	Social Media
23 May 2016	Original Sin
30 May 2016	Rule of Benedict
6 Jun 2016	Religion in Belgium
13 Jun 2016	Freedom of Expression
20 Jun 2016	US Republican Party
27 Jun 2016	Battle of the Somme
15 Aug 2016	Cultural Revolution
22 Aug 2016	Sharia Councils in the UK
29 Aug 2016	Hair
5 Sep 2016	Religious Education
12 Sep 2016	Trauma
19 Sep 2016	Clergy during The Troubles
26 Sep 2016	Religion in Turkey
3 Oct 2016	Children's literature
21 Nov 2016	Iconoclasm
28 Nov 2016	Zionism and Judaism
5 Dec 2016	Immigration and the Church
12 Dec 2016	Cryonics and immortality
19 Dec 2016	Virgin Birth
Boxing Day 2016	Religion and consumerism
2 Jan 2017	Martin Luther and the Reformation
27 Feb 2017	Religion in Pakistan
6 Mar 2017	Mental Health
13 Mar 2017	Science Fiction
20 Mar 2017	Interfaith Worship
27 Mar 2017	Confession
3 Apr 2017	Truth
22 May 2017	Religion in Germany
29 May 2017	Ancestors
5 Jun 2017	Jane Austen
12 Jun 2017	Moon
19 Jun 2017	Religion and Hip Hop
14 Aug 2017	BR Ambedkar
21 Aug 2017	Sermons
4 Sep 2017	William Blake's Jerusalem
18 Sep 2017	Religious Polls
25 Sep 2017	Belief and Unbelief in Russia
13 Nov 2017	Death Rituals in the Absence of a Body
20 Nov 2017	Power of Chanting
27 Nov 2017	Sacred Directions
11 Dec 2017	Good Samaritan
18 Dec 2017	Light
Christmas Day 2017	Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
New Year's Day 2018	Time
2 Apr 2018	Sacred garden
9 Apr 2018	Good Friday Agreement
23 Apr 2018	Sacred Spaces
7 May 2018	Fashion
2 Jul 2018	Khadijah
9 Jul 2018	Jane Eyre
20 Aug 2018	Romanovs
27 Aug 2018	Religion and Humour
3 Sep 2018	Religion in Mexico
9 Sep 2019	Frankenstein
10 Sep 2018	Disability
1 Oct 2018	Transgender
2 Oct 2018	Begging
3 Oct 2018	Spinsterhood
4 Oct 2018	Swearing an Oath
5 Oct 2018	Religion and Numbers
5 Nov 2018	Remembrance
12 Nov 2018	Religion in China
19 Nov 2018	Blood
26 Nov 2018	Artificial intelligence
3 Dec 2018	Far Right and Christianity
10 Dec 2018	Blasphemy
17 Dec 2018	Purple
Christmas Eve 2018	Angels
31 Dec 2018	Superhero
1 Apr 2019	Masculinity and Religion
8 Apr 2019	Femininity and Religion
15 Apr 2019	Passover
22 Apr 2019	Amritsar Massacre
29 Apr 2019	Notre-Dame
6 May 2019	Space
13 May 2019	Religion in Sri Lanka
20 May 2019	Veganism
27 May 2019	Ego
15 Jul 2019	Imagination
22 Jul 2019	Free Will
29 Jul 2019	Trees
5 Aug 2019	Religion of Game of Thrones
12 Aug 2019	Relationship education
19 Aug 2019	Religion and Climate Justice
26 Aug 2019	Religion in Spain
2 Sep 2019	Nature of God
2 Dec 2019	Rumi
9 Dec 2019	Friendship
16 Dec 2019	Saudi Arabia and Iran
23 Dec 2019	Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
30 Dec 2019	Miracles
6 Jan 2020	Religion and Smell
6 Apr 2020	Sin
13 Apr 2020	Ethical Investing
20 Apr 2020	Reincarnation
27 Apr 2020	Religion Online
4 May 2020	William Wordsworth
11 May 2020	Dieting
18 May 2020	Marriage
17 Aug 2020	Animal Farm
24 Aug 2020	Bathing
31 Aug 2020	Face
7 Sep 2020	Mayflower
14 Sep 2020	Rosh Hashanah
21 Sep 2020	US Presidential Election
28 Sep 2020	Religion in Hong Kong
5 Oct 2020	Prayer
23 Nov 2020	Religion and Soap Operas
30 Nov 2020	Debt
7 Dec 2020	Grief
14 Dec 2020	Beethoven's Spirituality
21 Dec 2020	Mary, mother of Jesus
28 Dec 2020	Dalai Lama
4 Jan 2021	Religion and Science in Schools
5 Apr 2021	Bees
12 Apr 2021	Prince Philip
19 Apr 2021	The Vaccine
26 Apr 2021	Dante's Inferno
3 May 2021	Religion in Myanmar
10 May 2021	Vodou
17 May 2021	Scottish Independence
16 Aug 2021	The Monarch as Defender of the Faith
23 Aug 2021	Harry Potter
30 Aug 2021	College of Cardinals
6 Sep 2021	Ganesha
13 Sep 2021	Taliban
20 Sep 2021	Scotland and the Union
27 Sep 2021	Ignatian Spirituality
4 Oct 2021	Poetry, the Language of Religion
22 Oct 2021	African Spirituality
29 Oct 2021	Orthodox Jewish Women

External links

• BBC programme page