A quarter century ago, religion retreated to the margins of Australian public life. Faith was personal, private, practised quietly. Today, that's changed. Religious identity is celebrated and amplified across social media, where belief systems compete for hearts and minds.

But this renewal has coincided with something darker. Acts of violence committed in religion's name – like the Bondi Beach shootings – have forced an uncomfortable reckoning. When faith becomes potent in fractured societies, does it risk becoming a weapon?

Throughout history, religion has inspired both extraordinary compassion and devastating cruelty. So as Australia grapples with religious violence, we must ask: Is the problem religion itself? Or how faith is exploited by those seeking power or redemption through violence?

Should we implement 'faith guard rails'? Where does religious freedom end and public safety begin?

Rev. Bill Crews sits down with Simon Smart from the Centre for Public Christianity – one of Australia's most thoughtful voices on faith in public life.

A conversation about belief, violence, and whether our diverse society can withstand the strains of religious division.

The Discussion. Available now.

Between 1952 and 1967, 39,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen witnessed 45 nuclear bomb tests in Australia and the Pacific.

Now survivors report devastating health impacts – cancers, birth defects, generational disabilities – yet their medical records remain classified or missing.

In this episode of The Discussion, investigative journalist Susie Boniface discusses allegations of a decades-long cover-up, reclassified blood samples, and sanitised archives. With veterans now in their 80s and 90s, she examines why the truth about Britain's nuclear testing programme remains one of the state's most closely guarded secrets.

What if our civilization is already collapsing – and we're too deluded to see it?

Julian Cribb delivers a confronting message: the collapse of modern civilization isn't a question of if, but when. Throughout history, 90 civilizations have fallen, and ours shows all the warning signs – resource depletion, climate catastrophe, overpopulation, and a dangerous faith that growth can continue forever on a finite planet.

But the greatest threat isn't climate change or nuclear war. It's delusion – our collective inability to face hard truths about the world we've created.

With no government prepared and time running out, Cribb argues we have perhaps a few years to act before the slide becomes irreversible. The evidence is overwhelming, yet most of humanity remains indifferent, content to sacrifice the future for the comfort of today.

In this urgent conversation, I explore the 10 interconnected megathreats facing humanity, why our political systems are structurally incapable of responding, and whether anything can still be done to save what remains.

Are we witnessing the twilight of modern civilization? And if we are, why can't we bring ourselves to believe it?

Listen now.