Catalog Search Results
1) Islam
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English
Description
In this program, Dennis Wholey has a conversation about Islam with Imam Sayed Hassan al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America, in Dearborn, Michigan. Topics of discussion include the meaning of the words Islam, Muslim, and mosque; the two predominant denominations of Islam, Sunni and Shia; the Five Pillars of Islam; the Muslim view of life after death; and the deplorable hijacking of Islam by radical Muslims for use as a tool of hatred and violence....
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English
Description
Belief is at the heart of the world's great religions as well as the sustaining power behind the paranormal, supernatural, and occult events that grace America's tabloids. How can belief be explained, and from what deep well within the human psyche does it spring? In this program, ABC News anchor John Stossel goes to a psychology lab and even walks through fire to investigate the power of belief-as demonstrated by the placebo and "nocebo" effects-and...
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English
Description
This program respectfully explores mystical aspects of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Taoism. Learned scholars, including Elliot Wolfson, professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University; Peter Awn, professor of Islamic studies and comparative religion at Columbia University; and Eric Yudelove, author of The Tao and the Tree of Life, introduce Kabbalism, Sufism, Hesychasm, kundalini yoga, and Taoist yoga. Together they shed...
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English
Description
In this program, Dennis Wholey has a conversation about the Greek Orthodox Church with Father Stephen Callos of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Topics of discussion include primary distinctions between Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism; similarities and differences among the Greek, Russian, and other Orthodox Churches; the Orthodox view of the incarnation of Jesus; and marriage and celibacy...
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English
Description
This program documents the MANTRA clinical study, the largest multifaith prayer experiment ever devised. A three-year effort to find a causal link between prayer and physiological healing, the project generated a high degree of skepticism among scientific purists and religious leaders. Nevertheless, it rigorously assembled medical data on 750 critical heart patients while coordinating Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist prayer groups from...
6) Hell
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English
Description
The iconography of hell-a grim warning and arguably a form of behavior control-dates back to ancient times. This program surveys the landscape of damnation as it has been portrayed as Tartarus, Gehenna, Hell, Jahannam, Naraka, and modern-day apocalyptic horror. Representative works of art include the doom painting at Salisbury's Church of St. Thomas, Lorenzo Maitani's relief The Last Judgment on the facade of Orvieto Cathedral, Hieronymus Bosch's...
7) Heaven
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English
Description
Incorporating works of art from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and other traditions, this program examines the evolution of the concept of heaven and how it has been depicted since ancient times. Luca Signorelli's fresco Coronation of the Elect, at Orvieto Cathedral; Fra Angelico's altarpiece Last Judgment; an illustration of paradise in a Persian manuscript by Aqa Mirak; an image of heaven from a medieval Hebrew Bible; and a Wheel of Life thangka...
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English
Description
The city of Rishikesh, a center of great spiritual energy, is home to the renowned yogi Swami Chaitanya. This program introduces both hatha and raja yoga while observing Chaitanya meditate; perform a fire ritual by the Ganges; engage in shatkriyas, internal purification methods, including sutra neti and dhouti; and visit with sadhus and other spiritual seekers. He also warns against false asceticism. The goal of yoga? To make contact with the inner...
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English
Description
The Apostles' Creed ends with an affirmation of belief in the redemptive nature of Christianity. Forgiveness, sin, and "life everlasting" according to Christian doctrine are the focus of this program as theologians shed light on concepts that are often misunderstood. Framing sin in terms of disobedience, the discussion presents a more nuanced view of the concept; examines redemption imagery in the New Testament; looks at the notion of eternity; and...
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English
Description
Each Sunday millions of people around the world stand to recite a creed that affirms their belief in the Christian faith. In this program Christian theologians provide an overview of the tenets encapsulated in the Apostles' Creed. Topics include the Creed as a summary of basic Christian doctrine; the Creed as defense against heresy, especially in the early Christian era when uncanonical versions of the Gospel were circulating; the Creed as a confession...
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English
Description
The term "Holy Spirit" or even "Holy Ghost" was more easily grasped by Christian celebrants when the Apostles' Creed was first written. This program helps clarify the concept of the Holy Spirit and how the third person of the Trinity might be experienced by believers today. With input from Christian theologians, the video discusses the Holy Spirit in relation to Jesus and God; the Holy Spirit as a link between the human and the divine; what it means...
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English
Description
By the Middle Ages, women's roles as defined by the Church were strictly circumscribed; however, alternate role models were also available, beginning with the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the transvestite saints from the early Church. This program examines the options available to women living in the 12th through 15th centuries and how some subverted traditional roles in order to discover and express their own freedom, dignity, and power. Professors...
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English
Description
A 14th-century English mystic who enclosed herself for life in order to fully develop her relationship with God after a series of revelations, Julian of Norwich and her writings are still studied by Christian theologians. Her prose, some of the most terrifying and compelling, is the first to refer to God as "She," forging the way for inclusive language that is used in many Bibles today. This program offers a concise overview of Julian's life, times,...
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English
Description
A 13th-century French mystic, Douceline de Digne established the first community for laywomen devoted to caring for the sick and the poor. This program presents an in-depth biography of an early mystic who embraced an ascetic life and who was emulated by many, both rich and poor, male and female. Commentary from Kathy Garay, of McMaster University, offers insight into medieval culture and Douceline's role as a lay icon.
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English
Description
An illiterate common woman, Constance of Rabastens' visions of the apocalypse and prophecies of the coming of the Antichrist resulted in her imprisonment at the hands of the Inquisition and the Archbishop of Toulouse. In this program, McMaster University's Madeleine Jeay places Constance of Rabastens in the historical context of the tumultuous 15th century, including the Hundred Years' War, the French Civil War, the struggle between the Avignon Pope...
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English
Description
Inspired by Saint Francis, Clare of Assisi abandoned a comfortable and privileged life to establish her own order; founded on vows of poverty, self-denial, and working for the poor, it flourishes to this day. This program provides a biography of Clare's life along with an in-depth analysis by McMaster University's Kathy Garay of Clare's relationship to the Church and to her peer St. Francis. A history of religious orders is also provided, as is testimony...
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English
Description
The Creed declares that "on the third day he rose again from the dead." What does it mean that Jesus was raised up, after death, by God? In this program, Christian theologians examine the tenet of Christ's resurrection and what it means for human beings. Topics include the resurrection as victory over sin and death; the role of faith in accepting this belief; the implications of Christ's transformation from physical death to a new spiritual life,...
19) Almighty, Maker
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English
Description
The Apostles' Creed begins with the words "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." This program explores the concept of God as an all-powerful being and explains how his supremacy is understood by the Christian Church. Theologians discuss the role of love and humility in God's omnipotence; the puzzle of determinism and free will; God as the source of all that exists; life's origin as purposeful creation and not random chance;...
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English
Description
His Holiness the Karmapa talks about how he was discovered to be the reincarnation of a revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism. In telling his story, he urges us to work on not just technology and design, but the technology and design of the heart. He is translated onstage by Tyler Dewar.