Faith Without Walls Episode Guide

Episode Guide

• 21st-Century Spirituality

  As Church attendance falls and young people increasingly reject organised religion, Ewan Aitken chairs a discussion looking at spiritual alternatives for the 21st century

• Body Image

  Leslie Orr and guests discuss the modern preoccupation with physical appearance, revealing what they feel about their own bodies and why image seems to be so important

• Building Bridges

  Lesley Orr and guests debate the issue of how to build bridges between separate communities, groups and individuals, when religion has for so long been divisive and exclusive

• The Church as a Catalyst for Change

  Ewan Aitken and guests weigh up the success of the Church as an agent of social change. Should the emphasis be on saving individual souls or on inspiring community action to create a better world?

• Community Spirit

  Ewan Aitken and guests explore the role and appeal of faith communities, asking whether their attraction lies in the offer of a much-needed sense of belonging or simply an escape from the rat race

• Death

  Mary Wallace and guests including photographer Sue Fox turn their attention to one of life's few certainties : death : asking why people are so afraid of it even though they know it's going to happen eventually regardless of what measures are taken to prevent it

• Depression

  Mike Mair and guests discuss depression, assessing whether the concept is a normal aspect of life or a serious condition which requires treatment

• Drop the Debt

  Ewan Aitken and guests discuss debt in the developing world, which currently stands at $376billion, questioning the long-term effects of writing off such a vast sum

• Ecstasy

  Mike Mair and guests discuss the state of elation and offer tips on achieving this sought-after feeling

• Faith as a Call to Action

  Debate inspired by protestors whose religious faith has given them the courage to take direct action over issues they feel strongly about, ranging from nuclear weapons to fox-hunting. Chaired by Ewan Aitken

• Faith in a Changing World

  New series revealing that the established church is losing members in the moral malaise of the modern age, while individuals are seeking new forms of worship to find peace and express their spirituality

• Happiness

  Mary Wallace and guests discuss happiness, asking whether it comes from within or depends on external events

• Home

  Mike Mair explores the concept of home, asking what it represents, where to find it and whether it is a physical place or just a feeling

• Inter-Faith

  Ewan Aitken hosts a heated discussion on the role and value of organisations such as the Parliament of the World's Religions, asking whether there can be any reconciliation between faiths when each purports to guard the absolute and unassailable truth

• Morals

  Mary Wallace and guests discuss the idea that society is becoming less moral

• Poverty

  Mike Mair and guests including MSP Tommy Sheridan discuss the problem of poverty, asking whether it is possible to eradicate it from Scottish society

• Power and Control

  Leslie Orr and guests discuss the political, religious and global dynamics of power and control and the impact they have on people's every day lives, questioning what it means to use power responsibly and where the line should be drawn between power and domination

• Religion and Politics

  With four leading figures in the present Government : including the Prime Minister : belonging to the Christian Socialist movement, Ewan Aitken chairs a discussion on the role of religion in politics. His guests will talk about topics including the situation in Northern Ireland, the proposed increase in faith schools and the continuing impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks

• Ritual

  Ewan Aitken investigates rituals from coronations to bar mitzvahs, asking why people set such store by them : are they a necessary part of human life or just superstitious habits? Guests include a psychologist, a minister and a man who trains butlers

• Seeking Sanctuary

  Leslie Orr and guests discuss the meaning of sanctuary, where it can be found, and the places traditionally associated with it

• Sex

  Mary Wallace discusses attitudes toward sex : as a natural activity and as a deviation from what society dictates. Guests explore how opinions are shaped, how and where people learn about sexuality and the embarrassment caused by debating the subject

• Sport

  Lesley Orr hosts a discussion about sport, hailed by some as the new religion

• Violence

  Leslie Orr presents a discussion about violence, asking whether it is possible to create a world untroubled by it. Guests explore causes and effects and question the real motivations behind various kinds of aggression attributed to religious beliefs

• Wealth

  Mike Mair chairs a heated debate between Tommy Sheridan MSP and entrepreneur Charles Skene on the subject of wealth, asking whether money enriches life or is simply a means of gaining power

• Wilderness

  Mike Mair and guests explore the idea of wilderness as a place of natural interdependence which challenges independent survival