2 January (2009-01-02) – 20 February 2009 (2009-02-20)
Around the World in 80 Faiths is a British television series which was first broadcast by the
BBC on 2 January 2009. The series was presented by
AnglicanvicarPete Owen-Jones, who was researching the various faiths from around the world.[1][2]
There was also a book planned to accompany the series, written by Owen-Jones and published by
BBC Books, but the book is not published.[3][4]
Episodes
The series was presented in eight episodes with the last one airing on 20 February 2009:
Episode One: Australasia and the Pacific Ring of Fire
Directed & Produced by Sian Salt, Camera Graham Veevers
Faith 3: Catholic Carabao festival: Visits the annual town festival of
Pulilan, Bulacan,
Philippines in honour of the town's
patron saint,
San Isidro Labrador.
Carabaos, the traditional beast of burden, are made to kneel by the church's doors in veneration of the saint.
Faith 4: Catholic fertility ritual: Attends the
Obando Fertility Rites in
Obando, Bulacan,
Philippines, a three-day
pagan fertility festival now held to honour
three Catholic saints. Locals dance to pray for fertility, out of tradition for past successful dances, and just to be a part of the festival. A priest prays and preaches before directing a large dance inside
Obando Church. Peter reflects on the cross-fertilization between
Catholicism and
animism and suggests that instead of the Catholics simply incorporating the dance into a prayer to the saints the festival may instead be a mutual coupling of fertility and creation.
Faith 5:
Aboriginal Dreaming: Visits
Alice Springs to meet with the
Indigenous Australian people, the
Aborigines, to witness a baby smoking ritual. Peter accompanies a group of locals on a trip to find the bush used in the ritual. A baby is then held in a small sand pit containing smoldering leaves for a few seconds at a time. A local tells him that the ritual is done so that the baby will be healthy and strong. Peter hoped to witness some of the Aboriginal
Dreaming rituals, however, a local tells him that baby smoking is not related to
Dreamtime. Peter reflects that the ritual seems to have lost its meaning as the locals are sparse in their explanation of the spiritual aspects of the event. The women of the group then remove their shirts and paint their chest and arms. With feathers in their hair, they dance around a fire. The women tell Peter they are Christian and do not know of the old Aboriginal religion.
Faith 9: John Frum cult – Meets practitioners of the new religion of
John Frum of Tanna, inspired by the American presence on the island after the
World War II.
Faith 10:
Prophet Fred and Unity: Witnesses the religion of Unity and interviews their prophet, Fred from
Tanna and
Killian.
Episode Two: The Far East
Directed, Filmed & Series Produced by Graham Johnston
Faith 11: Japanese Shinto: Witnesses the cleansing,
Shinto fire festival of
Shingū, Wakayama, Japan.
Faith 12: Buddhism,
Hadaka Matsuri (The Naked Man festival) – Visits the
Buddhist fertility festival at
Okayama, Japan.
Faith 13: Hindu street shrine – Visits a busy, popular
Hindu shrine in downtown
Bangkok used by
Buddhist worshippers.
Faith 14:
Theravada Buddhism – Interviews a monk of
Theravada Buddhism, describing its importance in
Thailand.
Faith 14 1/2: Unfilmed
Tibetan Buddhist festival in China, because Chinese officials issued the host & crew visas only after the completion of this religious festival, hinting at a long lasting
state animosity to religion.
Faith 22: Voodoo – Gris Gris: Visits the
fetish market in
Cotonou,
Benin to see various dead animal parts. Practitioners claim these heal common ailments.
Faith 23: Voodoo – Church of Thron: Peter attends a Sunday service involving
animal sacrifice in
Cotonou,
Benin.
Faith 24: San Trance Dance:
San Bushmen from near Ghanzi,
Botswana, perform a trance dance and reflect on modern encroachments on their religious practice.
Faith 26: Twelfth Apostolic Church: Witnesses an outdoor
prayer meeting in
Hillbrow,
Johannesburg, South Africa, where rituals involving healing and protection through the intercession of the
Holy Spirit are key.
Faith 27:
Afrikaner Calvinism: Attends a prayer meeting at home in
Groot Marico, South Africa where worshippers believe the world will end by 2020.
Faith 33:
Judaism: Witnesses
Purim celebrations at the Jerusalem
Great Synagogue, and in the ultra-orthodox district of Me'a She'arim, Jerusalem, Israel.
Faith 37:
Yazidi: Witnesses the Yazidi New Year celebrations in a village near
Mosul,
Iraq and at
Lalish meets the current Yazidi leader. Yazidis' gatherings are cautious and persecuted because they are labelled 'satanist' by neighbours.
Directed & Produced by Karen Selway. Camera Graham Veevers
Faith 40:
Snake handling: Witnesses a prayer meeting involving holding
venomous snakes at the Edwina Church of God in Jesus Christ's Name, Newport,
Tennessee.
Faith 41:
Baptist preacher prodigy: Attends a prayer meeting conducted by 10-year-old minister Jared Sawyer Jr at the Greater Travelers' Rest Baptist Church,
Decatur, Georgia.
Faith 42:
Evangelical revival: Witnesses a prayer meeting and a laying-on of hands at the Ignited Church,
Lakeland, Florida.
Faith 46: Religious polygamists: Interviews religious polygamists in St George, Utah who have broken with the LDS church over its attitude to
polygamy.
Faith 58:
Sikhism: Attends the 300th anniversary of the consecration of the
Guru Granth Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra, India.
Faith 59:
Jainism: Witnesses celebrations at the monolithic statue of Lord
Gomateshwara,
Shravanabelagola,
Hassan district, India and here meets a Jain wandering nun, which proves to be a moving experience.
Faith 60: Hindu
Gorehabba ritual: Takes part in the Gorehabba ritual during
Diwali at Gummatapura, a village on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, southern India.
Episode Seven: Latin America
Directed & produced by Rob Cowling. Camera Graham Veevers
Faith 62:
Santa Muerte,
Folk Catholicism: Witnesses prayers to
Santa Muerte (Spanish for Saint Death, which is a sacred figure and feminine skeletal folk saint),
Barrio de Tepito, Mexico City. Also sees devotee of Santa Muerte being tattooed.
Peter Owen Jones then visited
Bolivia, mentioning how the current president is the first native ethnic president of Bolivia.
Faith 64:
Pachamama: Witnesses llama sacrifice on hill above
Sampaya, Bolivia
Faith 65: Roman Catholic Church: Automobile blessing outside the basilica of the Virgen de la Candelaria,
Copacabana, Bolivia
Faith 66:
Pentecostalism: Cleansing and exorcism of prisoners at Benfica detention centre,
Leopoldina,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by
Assemblies of God minister. Minister later exorcises Owen-Jones in attempt to stop him smoking.
Faith 69:
Valley of Dawn: Takes part in the Vale do Amanhecer ritual, a spirit reading, at location near
Planaltina, Brazil which proves to be a nerve-racking experience.
Faith 70:
Santo Daime: Takes part in
Ayahuasca service where participants drink powerful substance that is said to induce a higher state of consciousness and reveal aspects of an individual's inner divine self. Location:
Ceu do Mapia,
State of Acre, Brazil
2 January (2009-01-02) – 20 February 2009 (2009-02-20)
Around the World in 80 Faiths is a British television series which was first broadcast by the
BBC on 2 January 2009. The series was presented by
AnglicanvicarPete Owen-Jones, who was researching the various faiths from around the world.[1][2]
There was also a book planned to accompany the series, written by Owen-Jones and published by
BBC Books, but the book is not published.[3][4]
Episodes
The series was presented in eight episodes with the last one airing on 20 February 2009:
Episode One: Australasia and the Pacific Ring of Fire
Directed & Produced by Sian Salt, Camera Graham Veevers
Faith 3: Catholic Carabao festival: Visits the annual town festival of
Pulilan, Bulacan,
Philippines in honour of the town's
patron saint,
San Isidro Labrador.
Carabaos, the traditional beast of burden, are made to kneel by the church's doors in veneration of the saint.
Faith 4: Catholic fertility ritual: Attends the
Obando Fertility Rites in
Obando, Bulacan,
Philippines, a three-day
pagan fertility festival now held to honour
three Catholic saints. Locals dance to pray for fertility, out of tradition for past successful dances, and just to be a part of the festival. A priest prays and preaches before directing a large dance inside
Obando Church. Peter reflects on the cross-fertilization between
Catholicism and
animism and suggests that instead of the Catholics simply incorporating the dance into a prayer to the saints the festival may instead be a mutual coupling of fertility and creation.
Faith 5:
Aboriginal Dreaming: Visits
Alice Springs to meet with the
Indigenous Australian people, the
Aborigines, to witness a baby smoking ritual. Peter accompanies a group of locals on a trip to find the bush used in the ritual. A baby is then held in a small sand pit containing smoldering leaves for a few seconds at a time. A local tells him that the ritual is done so that the baby will be healthy and strong. Peter hoped to witness some of the Aboriginal
Dreaming rituals, however, a local tells him that baby smoking is not related to
Dreamtime. Peter reflects that the ritual seems to have lost its meaning as the locals are sparse in their explanation of the spiritual aspects of the event. The women of the group then remove their shirts and paint their chest and arms. With feathers in their hair, they dance around a fire. The women tell Peter they are Christian and do not know of the old Aboriginal religion.
Faith 9: John Frum cult – Meets practitioners of the new religion of
John Frum of Tanna, inspired by the American presence on the island after the
World War II.
Faith 10:
Prophet Fred and Unity: Witnesses the religion of Unity and interviews their prophet, Fred from
Tanna and
Killian.
Episode Two: The Far East
Directed, Filmed & Series Produced by Graham Johnston
Faith 11: Japanese Shinto: Witnesses the cleansing,
Shinto fire festival of
Shingū, Wakayama, Japan.
Faith 12: Buddhism,
Hadaka Matsuri (The Naked Man festival) – Visits the
Buddhist fertility festival at
Okayama, Japan.
Faith 13: Hindu street shrine – Visits a busy, popular
Hindu shrine in downtown
Bangkok used by
Buddhist worshippers.
Faith 14:
Theravada Buddhism – Interviews a monk of
Theravada Buddhism, describing its importance in
Thailand.
Faith 14 1/2: Unfilmed
Tibetan Buddhist festival in China, because Chinese officials issued the host & crew visas only after the completion of this religious festival, hinting at a long lasting
state animosity to religion.
Faith 22: Voodoo – Gris Gris: Visits the
fetish market in
Cotonou,
Benin to see various dead animal parts. Practitioners claim these heal common ailments.
Faith 23: Voodoo – Church of Thron: Peter attends a Sunday service involving
animal sacrifice in
Cotonou,
Benin.
Faith 24: San Trance Dance:
San Bushmen from near Ghanzi,
Botswana, perform a trance dance and reflect on modern encroachments on their religious practice.
Faith 26: Twelfth Apostolic Church: Witnesses an outdoor
prayer meeting in
Hillbrow,
Johannesburg, South Africa, where rituals involving healing and protection through the intercession of the
Holy Spirit are key.
Faith 27:
Afrikaner Calvinism: Attends a prayer meeting at home in
Groot Marico, South Africa where worshippers believe the world will end by 2020.
Faith 33:
Judaism: Witnesses
Purim celebrations at the Jerusalem
Great Synagogue, and in the ultra-orthodox district of Me'a She'arim, Jerusalem, Israel.
Faith 37:
Yazidi: Witnesses the Yazidi New Year celebrations in a village near
Mosul,
Iraq and at
Lalish meets the current Yazidi leader. Yazidis' gatherings are cautious and persecuted because they are labelled 'satanist' by neighbours.
Directed & Produced by Karen Selway. Camera Graham Veevers
Faith 40:
Snake handling: Witnesses a prayer meeting involving holding
venomous snakes at the Edwina Church of God in Jesus Christ's Name, Newport,
Tennessee.
Faith 41:
Baptist preacher prodigy: Attends a prayer meeting conducted by 10-year-old minister Jared Sawyer Jr at the Greater Travelers' Rest Baptist Church,
Decatur, Georgia.
Faith 42:
Evangelical revival: Witnesses a prayer meeting and a laying-on of hands at the Ignited Church,
Lakeland, Florida.
Faith 46: Religious polygamists: Interviews religious polygamists in St George, Utah who have broken with the LDS church over its attitude to
polygamy.
Faith 58:
Sikhism: Attends the 300th anniversary of the consecration of the
Guru Granth Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra, India.
Faith 59:
Jainism: Witnesses celebrations at the monolithic statue of Lord
Gomateshwara,
Shravanabelagola,
Hassan district, India and here meets a Jain wandering nun, which proves to be a moving experience.
Faith 60: Hindu
Gorehabba ritual: Takes part in the Gorehabba ritual during
Diwali at Gummatapura, a village on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, southern India.
Episode Seven: Latin America
Directed & produced by Rob Cowling. Camera Graham Veevers
Faith 62:
Santa Muerte,
Folk Catholicism: Witnesses prayers to
Santa Muerte (Spanish for Saint Death, which is a sacred figure and feminine skeletal folk saint),
Barrio de Tepito, Mexico City. Also sees devotee of Santa Muerte being tattooed.
Peter Owen Jones then visited
Bolivia, mentioning how the current president is the first native ethnic president of Bolivia.
Faith 64:
Pachamama: Witnesses llama sacrifice on hill above
Sampaya, Bolivia
Faith 65: Roman Catholic Church: Automobile blessing outside the basilica of the Virgen de la Candelaria,
Copacabana, Bolivia
Faith 66:
Pentecostalism: Cleansing and exorcism of prisoners at Benfica detention centre,
Leopoldina,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by
Assemblies of God minister. Minister later exorcises Owen-Jones in attempt to stop him smoking.
Faith 69:
Valley of Dawn: Takes part in the Vale do Amanhecer ritual, a spirit reading, at location near
Planaltina, Brazil which proves to be a nerve-racking experience.
Faith 70:
Santo Daime: Takes part in
Ayahuasca service where participants drink powerful substance that is said to induce a higher state of consciousness and reveal aspects of an individual's inner divine self. Location:
Ceu do Mapia,
State of Acre, Brazil