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Vladimir Putin has the audacity to claim moral superiority over western democracy: for the full story of complicity between Russia's leaders and the the Russian Orthodox Church, read 'The Baton and the Cross' by Lucy Ash. However implausible Putin's claim may be, we do need to examine our own consciences and become more aware of the need for a moral compass for capitalism. In so many walks of life, this is also conspicuous by its absence in western democracies. Background music: 'Something Is Wrong' by Sir Cubworth

Bonds can cement obligation, and the rising yields on long-dated U.S. Treasury bonds are currently closing down Donald Trump's options for bullying the world into submission. Other superpowers may be relishing the opportunity to wrest hegemony away from America, but would this change the world for the better? Bonds can also draw people together, using the example of servant leadership given by Jesus two thousand years ago when he washed his disciples' feet. Such unconditional love enables integration and definitely leading to a better world — surely a preferable way forward than superpower hegemony. Background music: 'Saving the World' by Aaron Kenny

A fortnight ago Justin Welby announced that he would resign as Archbishop of Canterbury following the Makin report's criticism of the Church's handling of allegations of abuse and Welby's failure to investigate the allegations. We suspect that real reason for this failure to act was not so much the desire to protect someone whose behaviour was evil but rather the chronically damaging cult of inaction in the Church, which can smother even the most urgent priorities. 'Nothing changes here' is a hymn extract which neatly encapsulates the way that inaction has been treated as a virtue for centuries, but in today's world it has become quite the opposite. With reducing congregations and chronic administrative duplication and inconsistency, urgent action is needed to focus on core Christian principles and organisational rationalisation. Background music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit

Adam Cox is joined by Arun Ranganathan from Tally Money. The Hindu festival of Diwali is upon us, and today marks Dhanteras – the day when it is tradition to gift vibrant delicacies and, of course, gold. Arun, a practising Hindu tells us about how the gifting of gold has changed in modern times. https://www.tallymoney.com/

What is the psychological effect of individual ownership — and, notwithstanding the low starting point, how can we bring a sense of ownership right across society? Is the rate at which people discount the future impacted by their sense of ownership and thereby their sense of responsibility for the future? Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

It's fair to say environmental issues have moved to the forefront of the agenda in recent times. This week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost take a look at potential changes you can make to help the pound in your pocket turn a little greener. Simon explains his rallying cry for us to be his acronym 'Layby' rather than being labelled 'Nimbys'. Layby – or look after your back yard – is a movement to look after the country we live in. When it comes to investing, there is a growing movement where savers who want to combat climate change invest a small amount of money in the very companies eco-activists traditionally rally against, such as fossil fuel giants Shell and BP – so why? What can you do to be a more eco-friendly tourist? And finally… it's hard enough trying to predict how rapidly a normal car will depreciate, but estimating the loss of value of an electric vehicle is a whole other ball game. We reveal all.

On our podcast this week, Digital Manager Darren Grimes discussed the relationship between capitalism and Christianity with our Senior Academic Fellow Philip Booth and Father Marcus Walker, Rector of St Bartholomew’s Church in London. Following recent, seemingly anti-capitalist, interventions by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, they assessed the extent to which the Church of England can still be considered the “Conservative Party at Prayer”. They also examined the treatment of markets, free exchange and private property in scripture. Finally, they hypothesised that the decline of religion in our society has coincided with the growth of the State, and a growing sense that the government, not private institutions or families, should take responsibility for societal ills.

For many the thought of living forever is one of science fiction, but it was recently brought to reality with the news of a 14 year-old cancer sufferer whose dying wish was to be cryogenically frozen in the hope a cure would bring her back to life in the future. There has been plenty of debate around the emotional, financial and ethical questions of Cryonics, but where does faith come into it? To answer this, Marc is joined by Reverend Mark Woods and Rabbi Benjy Rickman

The Muslim community has come to the end of its holy month of Ramadan. As well as a month of fasting the festival also has a big focus on charitable giving, known as Zakat. But Islam isn't the only faith that puts charity at the centre of its beliefs. Research commissioned by the BBC in 2014 found that people who have a religious belief are more likely to give to charity than non-believers. Sikhs and Jews emerged as the most likely to share their wealth with a good cause, just ahead of Christians, Hindus and Muslims. The study, carried out for the BBC's network of local radio stations found that levels of generosity across the British public are strikingly high, but highest among those with a religious faith. As many as seven in 10 people in England said they had given money to a charity in the past month. But while just over two thirds of those who professed no religious faith claimed to have done so, among believers the figure rose to almost eight out of 10. Among those polled, all of the Sikhs and 82 per cent of practising Jews had given money in the past month. Among practising Christians the figure was 78 per cent. So what is it about religion that makes people so charitable? Well as one example, in the Jewish faith there is a rule that people should give 10 per cent to charity, known as Tzedakah. Marc Shoffman spoke to Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum of the Hadley Wood Jewish community to find out more.

All religions would say they welcome anyone who wants to worship. But there can be a lot of challenges, such as access to old religious buildings if you are in a wheelchair, or being able to read the small print of a bible if you are visually impaired. Marc Shoffman looks at the theological teachings behind disability with Naomi Lawson Jacobs, who is researching Disability and Christianity for a PHD. Reverend Bill Braviner and Dave Lucas, both from Disability and Jesus, and Dr Zachariah Duke, Academic Assistant to the Dean Lecturer in Theology and Biblical Studies at the Broken Bay Institute, speak to Marc ahead of Living Fully, a conference in Rome this week that looks at disability and religion.