CATHOLICISM IN NORTHERN IRELAND
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The most striking change in Ireland today, where 90% of the country is Catholic, is the decline in the clerical church. The number of religious vocations has plummeted; nuns, priests, and bishops constitute an aging group; and the laity is taking increasing control of areas of public life, like education and health, formerly dominated by the clergy. People want the Church to speak more authoritatively on social matters while, at the same time, they question the Church’s authority on matters affecting their private lives. This program examines the issues facing the Catholic Church in Ireland: the role of the laity, the impact of Vatican II, the place of women in a "man’s church," and the nature of personal belief. 116 min / 1994

FAITH UNDER FIRE
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Faith Under Fire explores the role of the church in the overthrow of the communist governments of Poland and Czechoslovakia. The ideas and actions of Roman Catholics and Protestants, both clerics and lay persons, are presented as examples of how to respond to government proclaims itself an enemy of religion and persecutes those who expresses "forbidden" ideas. Poignantly, participants in these anti-communist revolutions tell their own stories and reveal their human frailty and nobility. 60 mins / 1993

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
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The world of Islam is shared by some 800 million people of all colors, economic levels, and social strata. What they share is a faith which is today what it was from the beginning, the same in the Morrocan King’s palace or the Philippino hovel. The essential principles upon which Islam rests--its five pillars--are discussed, described and put into historical context in this program. The program introduces the huge international mosaic of Moslem believers, and the conflict between traditional teaching and the effects of industrialization. 30 mins / 1989

ISLAM & DEMOCRACY
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This disturbing documentary raises questions about whether democracy can take root in cultures with no history of democratic values. Rare and candid interviews with Arab leaders including President Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan as well as Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman outline the complexities confronting social and political change in Islamic society. The film captures the intensity of Islamic fundamentalists and the willingness of extremists to eliminate those with an opposing point of view. Also addressed is the difficulty of western-style democracy in countries where so many are illiterate and poor and women are oppressed. ISLAM & DEMOCRACY tackles one of the world's most explosive issues. 56 mins / 1993

JOSEPH CAMPBELL AND THE POWER OF MYTH
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An exhilarating journey into the mind and spirit of Joseph Campbell, legendary teacher and master storyteller, conducted by TV journalist Bill Moyers. 58 mins each / 1989
THE HERO’S ADVENTURE Long before medieval knights charged off to slay dragons, tales of heroic adventures were an integral part of all world cultures. Campbell challenges everyone to see the presence of a heroic journey in his or her own life.
THE MESSAGE OF THE MYTH Campbell compares the creation story in Genesis with creation stories from around the world. Because the world changes, religion has to be transformed and new mythologies created. People today are stuck with old metaphors and myths that don’t fit their needs.
THE FIRST STORYTELLERS Campbell discusses the importance of accepting death as rebirth as in the myth of the buffalo and story of Christ, the rite of passage in primitive societies, the role of mystical shamans, and the decline of ritual in today’s society.
SACRIFICE AND BLISS Campbell discusses the role of sacrifice in myth, which symbolizes the necessity of rebirth. He also talks about the significance of sacrifice--in particular, a mother’s sacrifice for her child, and the sacrifice to the relationship of marriage--and stresses the need for everyone of us to find our sacred place in the midst of today’s fast-paced technological world.
LOVE AND THE GODDESS Campbell talks about romantic love, beginning with the 12th century troubadours, and addresses questions about the image of woman--as goddess, virgin and Mother Earth.
MASKS OF ETERNITY Campbell provides challenging insights into the concepts of God, religion, and eternity, as revealed in Christian teachings and the beliefs of Buddhists, Navajo Indians, Schopenhauer, Jung and others.

MARTIN’S LAMENT: RELIGION AND RACE IN AMERICA
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Martin Luther King, Jr., called eleven o’clock on Sunday mornings the most segregated hour in America. King believed that churches should play a fundamental role in shaping the morality and changing the prejudices of the nation. This program examines the issue of religion and race by visiting four different churches, speaking with experts and with members of each congregation. The program examines a church that holds separate services for whites and blacks, a black couple who attend a predominantly white church, a white woman who attends a black church, and an interracial church that has created a remarkable bond among its congregation. 60 mins / 1993

MIRROR, MIRROR NORTHERN IRELAND
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This program focuses on the Loyalists of Northern Ireland: Protestant, anti-Catholic, anti-European, anti-Irish, monarchist, the clearly belong to a nation-state-the United Kingdom-but feel abandoned by the British people, who no longer share their devotion to traditional values. They are, of course, at home in the northern part of Ireland; but they seem most at home when invoking the past to justify their present opinions and singing the king of nationalist song which any Serb, Croat or Kurd, German or Ukrainian, French Canadian or Cree would sing to prove his or her blood and belonging. 50 mins / 1995

THE ONLIEST ONE ALIVE
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In 1978 the mass suicide of 900 members of the People’s Temple at Jonestown in Guyana shocked and fascinated the world. How had Jim Jones, the charismatic evangelist who led "his people" first from Indianapolis to San Francisco and then to the Guyanese jungle, managed to exert such power over the minds of so many? Hyacinth Thrash discovered Jones and his preaching in Indianapolis and followed him to the very end. She, in fact, was "the onliest one alive," the lone survivor of the mass suicide. In this film, Hyacinth tells her story: her religious convictions, her formative years facing abuse and racism in the South, her conversion to the People’s Temple and Jim Jones--who campaigned for integrated churches and brotherhood. This is an absorbing look at the fundamentalist sensibility. 58 mins / 1989

RELIGION AS A WINDOW ON CULTURE
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This series introduces concepts common to most faith traditions. Indianapolis is the setting of the videos, but the information is widely applicable. 20 mins each / 1998
INTRODUCTION AND SACRED SPACE. This episode introduces the series and addresses sacred space and how houses of worship express the values of the people who use them.
SACRED RITUALS, SACRED SPACES. This episode looks at different kinds of sacred space, from buildings to outdoor areas. How does space become designated as sacred? How do the use of symbol, ritual and ceremony define what is sacred? This segment depicts traditional and non-traditional sacred space.
SACRED TIME. Sacred Time examines those religious periods set apart from everyday life. Specific times of the day, the week or the year may be designated as sacred, including times when people gather to worship together. The segment includes rites such as bar mitzvah, baptism and weddings.
SACRED MEMORY. Sacred memory is often expressed in the form of ritual. This video explores the rituals and celebrations used to commemorate sacred memory.
SACRED TEXTS AND STORIES. Christians revere the Bible, Jews the Torah, Muslims the Koran. Rituals may also convey stories sacred to the traditions. This video shows the different ways that people of faith keep traditions alive, connect the past to the present and preserve their religion for future generations.
SACRED JOURNEY AND CONCLUSION. Sacred Journey examines the ancient practice of pilgrimage, encouraged or even required by many religions. All able Muslims must go at least once during their lifetime. Both Jews and Christians are drawn to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Catholics visit Rome and shrines where miracles have taken place. Mormons journey to Salt Lake City. In Indianapolis, members of the Church Federation Prayer Vigil Network "journey" to where a murder has taken place to say prayers and bring healing to the community.

SATYA: A PRAYER FOR THE ENEMY
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Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, more than one million people have been tortured, executed or starved to death for their role in demonstrations against the Chinese occupation. Tibetan Buddhist nuns have led the resistance by staging protests for religious freedom. Many nuns have been imprisoned and tortured for shouting slogans, and distributing pro-Tibetan literature or flags. SATYA is the personal testimonies of these nuns. With evocative imagery, the film seeks to understand the philosophical basis for their non-violent actions. The nuns reveal their reservoirs of spiritual strength and communal commitment that allow them to transcend a fear of death and even to love their Chinese oppressors. 28 mins / 1993

THE SHAKERS
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This exquisitely-photographed program documents the fascinating story of the New World Shakers, chronicling the foundations of the movement from its origins in Manchester, England to its present near-extinct state. The Shakers were known, of course, for their vibrant style of religious worship, and are remembered for their sublime architecture and design, fully integrated with their utilitarian philosophy of life. This uplifting exploration is narrated by Ben Kinglsey. 52 mins / 1994

TELEGRAMS FROM THE DEAD
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Spiritualism--the belief in life after death and the human ability to communicate with the dead--held wide appeal in America from 1850 to 1890. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and Commodore Vanderbilt were counted among its proponents. This segment from PBS' "American Experience" series explores the reasons from spiritualism's attraction, among them the newness of the wonders of science (the telegraph!), plus the rigidity of most organized religion. 60 mins / 1994

THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD
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The Book of the Dead is a unique traditional Tibetan text. Following these guidelines, viewers witness the preparation and application of rites and liturgies performed for a recently deceased Ladakhi elder. The film features footage of rarely seen Buddhist rituals filmed on location in Himalayas. In an interview, the Dalai Lama shares his views of the book's importance for the 21st century. The filmmakers then travel to San Francisco where the text is used in hospices for those dying of AIDS. THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD will introduce western viewers to the eastern philosophy of the meaning of death. 45 mins / 1994

WHY HAS BODHI-DHARMA LEFT FOR THE EAST?
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This feature film is the first Korean film ever released theatrically in the U.S. It was selected by three international film critics as one of the ten best films of all time. The film took seven years to plan, two years to shoot, and another year to edit. The film examines the spiritual struggles of an old master, a young monk, and an orphaned boy in a remote monastery in the Korean mountains. As the master faces death, he must lead his disciples to spiritual freedom. The film’s title is an unanswerable riddle that is both a challenge and an aid on the path to enlightenment. Above all, WHY HAS BODHI-DHARMA LEFT FOR THE EAST? is a moving and wondrous view of the Buddhist philosophy. In Korean with English subtitles. 135 mins / 1989

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