Beyond Belief

According to The Vegan Society, the number of vegans in the UK increased fourfold between 2014 and 2018. Once a ridiculed minority, nowadays barely a day goes by without an announcement of a new vegan restaurant or another celebrity endorsement of a plant based lifestyle. Motivations range from animal welfare, to health, to environmental concerns. For many vegans their diet is part of an entire ethical belief system. So can you eat your way to moral and spiritual purity? What role does religion play in this shifting picture? Is there a natural correlation between religious commitment and a vegan diet or are there contradictions? To discuss these questions Ernie Rea is joined by David Clough, Professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Chester, David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Heena Modi, a Jain who coaches people on how to become vegan and Dr David Grumett, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at the School of Divinity, at the University of Edinburgh. Producer: Catherine Earlam

In light of the Easter Sunday attacks on Churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, Ernie Rea explores the religious landscape of Sri Lanka with Jonathan Spencer, Regius Professor of South Asian Language, Culture and Society at the University of Edinburgh; Dr Farah Mihlar, Lecturer in Conflict Studies at the University of Exeter and Mahinda Deegallee, Professor of the Study of Religions, Philosophies and Ethics at Bath Spa University, who is also a Buddhist monk. Producer: Catherine Earlam

It’s almost fifty years since Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. It was a momentous moment in twentieth century history but our fascination with space is not new. For thousands of years people have looked up into the night sky and wondered who we are, why are we here and is there anyone else out there. The world's religions have tried to answer those questions with varying degrees of success. Joining Ernie Rea to discuss our understanding of space through religious beliefs and ideas are Rev Professor David Wilkinson, Principal of St John’s College in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University; Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Professor of Comparative Religion, Lancaster University; and Salman Hameed, Associate Professor of Integrated Science and Humanities at Hampshire College Massachusetts in the United States. Producer: Amanda Hancox

The dreadful fire in Notre Dame Cathedral produced an enormous emotional reaction. In secular Paris people knelt and sang the Ave Maria. Clearly Notre Dame holds a central place in people’s hearts. The impact on the French psyche was enormous, but no lives were lost. It seems almost certain that Notre Dame will be restored, despite the fact that France is a secular country and the Catholic Church is in decline. What is it about Cathedrals? Why do they play such an important role in national and civic life? And can it be morally right to spend such vast sums on restoration? In this programme Ernie Rea discusses the significance of Cathedrals in the lives of modern cities with Becky Clark, Director of the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England, John Laurenson, a Paris based BBC journalist and the Rev Michael Smith, Canon of York Minster. Producer: Catherine Earlam

A hundred years after the Amritsar Massacre, when troops under British command fired on a unarmed crowd of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, this programme explores what led to the massacre and why it became a catalyst for the end of British colonial rule and the rise of Indian nationalism. Ernie Rae is joined by Dr Vinita Damodaran, Professor of South Asian History, University of Sussex, Amandeep Singh Madra, Co-author of “Eyewitness at Amritsar: A Visual History of the 1919 Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre" and author and historian William Dalrymple. Producer: Catherine Earlam