Documentaries on Religion, Spirituality and Cults
Documentaries on religion, religious traditionalism, religious cults, spiritual awakening, hallucinative plants, and atheism.
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- DirectorRick RayStarsThe Dalai LamaTenzin BagdroBob DoleHow do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet. Part biography, part philosophy, part adventure and part politics, "10 Questions for The Dalai Lama" conveys more than history and more than answers - it opens a window into the heart of an inspiring man. If you had only one hour, what would you ask?
- DirectorGus HolwerdaStarsAyaan Hirsi AliWoody AllenRichard DawkinsRenowned scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss cross the globe as they speak publicly about the importance of science and reason in the modern world.
- DirectorRichard MeechStarsGuillermo ArévaloGabor MatéDennis J. McKennaOn a quest for spiritual awakening and healing, a naturopathic doctor and an accountant join others in the Amazon to drink a hallucinogenic brew called ayahuasca or 'Vine of the Soul'. Their dramatic encounters with the sacred medicine offer new insights into the nature of faith and self-healing through a heightened state of consciousness.
- DirectorGeorge RatliffStarsAria AdlooAshley AdlooAmy AllredEach Halloween, youth members of Trinity Church, Texas construct a 'Hell House'; a modern-day fire-and-brimstone sermon, presented in the form of a haunted house, seen by over 10,000 visitors each year.
- DirectorMitch SchultzStarsJoe RoganRalph AbrahamJoel BakstAn investigation into the long-obscured mystery of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a molecule found in nearly every living organism and considered the most potent psychedelic on Earth.
- DirectorTim WolochatiukStarsTed BiggsStephan JonesVernon GosneyCult leader Jim Jones leads his followers to a mass-suicide.
- DirectorKevin MillerStarsKevin MillerJonathan PhelpsMargie PhelpsIf God is our pure, all-loving creator, can he really turn his back on sinners and allow them to suffer for eternity in hell? Where did this vision of hell come from? Is it possible we've got hell wrong? Or are recent challenges to the traditional view merely an attempt to avoid the inevitable? "Hellbound?" is a feature-length documentary that seeks to discover why we are so bound to the idea of hell and what our views on hell reveal about how we perceive God, justice, the Bible and, ultimately, ourselves.
- DirectorOliver HockenhullStarsLesley EwenDennis J. McKennaDavid HealyA stylish, in depth look at the renaissance in psychedelic drug research in light of current scientific, medical and cultural knowledge.
- DirectorRobert H. GardnerStarsMohammad Al-AsadSheila S. BlairJonathan M. BloomIn our post-9/11 world, a greater understanding across cultures is more important than ever before, yet the purpose of this program is not simply to provide political or historical context. Rather it is to explore and celebrate the great richness of Islamic art and architecture throughout the world to peer into extraordinary palaces and mosques, decorated with exquisite gardens, ceramics and paintings, to watch the play of light and space, and to sense the sheen of delicate textiles, of gold and silver work, and of rock crystal and precious gems.
- DirectorKevin SimStarsTom HollandSeyyed Hossein NasrPatricia CroneTom Holland is searching for the birth place of Islam. Needless to say it's not where we usually believe it is.
- DirectorOmar Al-QattanMichael SchwarzTells the story of the seventh century prophet who changed world history in 23 years, and continues to shapes the lives of more than 1.2 billion people. The film takes viewers not only to ancient Middle Eastern sites where Muhammad's story unfolds, but into the homes, mosques and workplaces of some of America's estimated seven million Muslim to discover the many ways in which they follow Muhammad's example.
- DirectorRobert H. GardnerStarsEsin AtilBen KingsleyMichael SellsIslam: Empire of Faith is a documentary series, made in 2000, that details the history of Islam, from the birth of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad to the Ottoman Empire. The first episode deals with the life of Muhammad, the second with the early Caliphates, Crusades, and Mongol invasion, and the third with the Ottoman Empire and Safavid dynasty.
- DirectorParvez SharmaStarsMuhsin HendricksA.K. HoosenMazenA documentary on gay, lesbian, and transgender Muslims across the Muslim and Western worlds.
- DirectorAndrew KukuraJenny PhillipsAnne Marie SteinStarsGrady BankheadRon CavanaughJonathan CrowleyEast meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison-the end of the line in Alabama's correctional system-is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days. The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates at Donaldson Correction Facility who enter into this arduous and intensive program.
- DirectorMicah SmithStarsRaheel RazaRaquel Evita SaraswatiJuliana TaimoorazySeveral Muslim women activists discuss their stories and the state of women's rights in Muslim-majority nations.
- DirectorTyler MeasomJennilyn MertenStarsBruce BarlowDeloy BatemanMichelle BenwardAn inside look at former FLDS teens who have become religious refugees in mainstream America.
- DirectorMohsen MakhmalbafStarsGhafour BarahouyiMaryam OzbakMohsen MakhmalbafDocumentary showing the life of children of the Afghan villages bordering Iran, and how their life and culture were affected by Taliban regime.
- StarsRichard DawkinsRicky GervaisIdeas about the soul and the afterlife, of sin and God's purpose have shaped human thinking for thousands of years. Religious rituals remain embedded in the major events of our lives. In this thought-provoking series, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins asks what happens if we leave religion behind. He explores what reason and science might offer to inspire and guide our lives in religion's place. Can science bring understanding in the face of death, help us tell right from wrong, or reveal the meaning of life?
- DirectorZohreh SoleimaniToday, there are over 800 young Afghan women imprisoned for so-called 'moral crimes.' These crimes include running away from unlawful forced marriages and domestic violence, or simply falling in love and marrying against a father's wishes. This is the story of one of these women. When Soheila was only five, she was given away in marriage to an old man in compensation for her older brother's crime: stealing his young third wife. When she ran away from the abusive marriage, her father had her arrested and imprisoned. Soheila is finally freed by an amnesty decreed by President Karzai. We meet her again in a safe house in Kabul where she is protected from the father and brother who threaten to kill her if she attempts to rejoin the father of her child. The father also demands that she kill her three year-old son to restore the family's honor.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- DirectorDrew HeriotStarsBob ProctorJoe VitaleJohn AssarafInterviews with self-proclaimed authors, philosophers and scientists, with an in-depth discussion of visualizing your goals. The audience is shown how they can learn and use 'The Secret' in their everyday lives.
- DirectorTom ShadyacStarsTom ShadyacDesmond TutuNoam ChomskyDirector Tom Shadyac speaks with intellectual and spiritual leaders about what's wrong with our world and how we can improve both it and the way we live in it.
- CreatorIsy MorgenszternThierry RagobertA documentary based on the groundbreaking 2001 book with the same name by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman.
- DirectorGary GlassmanStarsLiev SchreiberStockard ChanningGabriel BarkayA powerful partnership between science and scholarship breaks exciting new ground in investigating the origins of the ancient Israelites, their faith in a single, omnipotent God and the creation of the Bible.
- DirectorAntony ThomasStarsWill LymanCormac Murphy-O'ConnorPope FrancisFrom PBS and Frontline: Pope Benedict made history when he announced his resignation, becoming the first Pope to step down voluntarily in six hundred years. In his wake he left a bitterly divided Vatican mired in scandals. But is Benedict's successor, Pope Francis, taming the forces that helped destroy Benedict's papacy? Is he succeeding in lifting the Church out of crisis? Nearly a year in the making, this special FRONTLINE goes inside the Vatican - one of the world's most revered and mysterious institutions - to unravel the remarkable series of events that led to the resignation that shook the world. Through interviews with those at the very heart of what happened - cardinals, priests, convicted criminals, police, prosecutors and whistle-blowers - FRONTLINE gives a first-hand account of the final days of Benedict's papacy and the current battle to set the Church on a new path under Francis.