Brief Summary
This National Geographic video explores the concept of God across various religions and cultures, questioning whether there's a universal understanding of the Divine or if it's fundamentally different for each faith. The journey spans from India's Hindu traditions with millions of gods to the monotheistic roots potentially found at Stonehenge, and further into the historical disruption of Akhenaten in Egypt. The video also investigates how the belief in a single God spread from Jerusalem, touches on Islamic views of the Divine, and Navajo rituals where a deity inhabits a human. Finally, it examines the neurological aspects of religious experiences, seeking physical manifestations of God within the brain, and concludes with the idea that there may be a bit of the Divine in all of us.
- Explores diverse religious perspectives on God.
- Investigates historical shifts in monotheism.
- Examines neurological responses to spiritual experiences.
- Considers the personal and universal aspects of the Divine.
The Birth of the Blues and the Quest for God
The video starts in the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues, where the spirit of music evokes a sense of connection to something greater, described by some as a religious experience. The narrator reflects on different ways people connect to God, from Moses seeing God in a bush to Buddha's enlightenment and Muhammad's experience of Allah. This leads to the central question: Is there a universal concept of God shared by all religions, or is God fundamentally different for people of different faiths? The narrator sets out to discover who God is and how believers around the world perceive the Divine, exploring how the identity of God has changed over millennia.
Hinduism: Exploring Millions of Gods in India
In India, the narrator explores Hinduism, a religion with millions of gods. In Varanasi, historian Binda Paranjpe explains that shrines and deities are found at every corner. Each family typically has a family deity passed down through generations, or individuals may choose a personal god or goddess in times of distress, promising lifelong worship in return for help. The narrator is interested in how statues become vessels for divine beings and how Hindus connect with their gods.
Prayer Ritual to Lolita
Binda takes the narrator to a prayer ritual dedicated to the goddess Lolita, a 16-year-old virgin goddess created to kill a demon, embodying the highest form of energy. Devotees invoke the goddess by chanting her 1,000 names, each syllable believed to reach her, as she is considered to be in the form of speech and rhythm. For her devotees, Lolita exists in the rhythmic energy of their chanting, a Divine energy that powers their lives.
The Single Divine Energy Behind Many Gods
The narrator understands what God means to Hindus. Binda explains that behind all the gods, there is a single Divine energy called Brahman, a pure energy form without name or gender. This concept is compared to the Western monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, where there is one God with few energies. The narrator appreciates how believers find gods that suit their beliefs, like a spiritual fingerprint, unlike the monotheism of the West.
Stonehenge: Tracing the Roots of Monotheism
The video shifts to Stonehenge in Britain, a 5,000-year-old monument, to explore the origins of monotheism. The culture that built Stonehenge depended on plentiful crops, suggesting a focus on the Sun as a single source of energy. Archaeologists Vince Gaffney and Paul Garwood are studying a c-shaped enclosure called Durrington Walls, built around 4,500 years ago, aligned to face the Rising Sun on the midwinter's day. Radar reveals an older monument buried underneath, also c-shaped but facing Beacon Hill.
Shift Towards Sun Worship
The hidden rocks are massive, forming part of a c-shaped Monument facing Beacon Hill. Vince and Paul think the original Monument may be older than Stonehenge. After Stonehenge was built, the old stones at Durrington Walls were demolished, and a new Mound was made to face the same direction as Stonehenge, toward the rising midwinter Sun. The creation of Stonehenge and the new architecture suggested a shift towards greater emphasis on the Sun as the main focus of worship.
Akhenaten: The First Monotheist
The video moves to Egypt, more than a thousand years after Stonehenge, where an Egyptian man, Akhenaten, also decided to worship the Sun. His idea was considered so dangerous that his memory was nearly wiped from the Earth. Egyptologist Salma Ikram helps the narrator find traces of Akhenaten at the Cairo Museum. Akhenaten believed there were too many gods and not enough focus on him, so he closed most temples and declared the sun god Aton as Egypt's only God, to be worshiped through him.
The Fall of Akhenaten's Monotheism
Akhenaten's monotheistic faith did not last. After his death, the old priesthood struck back, hacking away at his images and name. Akhenaten's son, Tutankhaten, later Tutankhamun, took the throne at age nine and, under the influence of the old priests, reverted to the traditional religion, erasing Akhenaten's monotheistic religion and attempting to erase him from history. The narrator views Akhenaten's sarcophagus, smashed to pieces, reflecting on his failed attempt to change the world.
Jerusalem: The Birthplace of the One God
The video shifts to Jerusalem, where half the people on the planet can trace their God. Jewish philosopher Yoram Hazony explains how the belief in a single all-powerful deity took root there around 3,000 years ago. In the Old City of Jerusalem, Yoram describes how ancient shops once sold idols representing various gods, each catering to different human wants and needs, some demanding bloodshed. Abraham questioned this system, seeking one set of rules and laws for all human beings.
Abraham's Monotheistic Revolution
Yoram explains that the center of the religious world is in Jerusalem, where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac. Surrounded by idolators sacrificing their children, Abraham initially thought he was following God's command but was stopped, signifying that God does not want child sacrifice. This event led to the building of the Jewish temple and the establishment of Jerusalem as the holiest place in the world for Judaism and Christianity. The single Jewish god is an invisible force that gives order to the physical and moral world, with no representation because he's not a local power.
The Enduring Invisible God
Despite the destruction of the temple, the belief in the one invisible God persisted. The God of Abraham is one you can commune with without temples or idols. For Jews, Christians, and Muslims, this invisible God is always with them. The narrator notes the amazing proximity of three great faiths worshiping the same God, who has survived calamities and religious violence.
Islam: Connecting with the Divine
The narrator returns to Cairo to understand who God is to Muslims, who believe in the same God as Jews and Christians. Historian Ahmed El-Rabbat takes the narrator to the Al-Hussein Mosque, where Muslims believe one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, the call to prayer, is a manifestation of God. Prayer is seen as a meeting with God, ending with "as-salamu alaykum," like saying goodbye after a conversation.
The Muslim Call to Prayer
To understand how to speak to a God with no human form, Ahmed arranges a meeting with Imam Al-Amir. The Imam explains that God is beyond imagination, different from anything humans can conceive. The Muslim call to prayer originated from a vision one of Muhammad's companions had in his sleep, which Muhammad then turned into a ritual. The Muezzin, who makes the call to prayer, is chosen through auditions based on the quality of their voice.
Experiencing God Through Beauty
Mosques are designed to be filled with beautiful sounds and images, which many Muslims see as a manifestation of God. Islam sees God in all things that are beautiful. Because God has no physical form, he can be experienced anywhere with any of the senses, but these experiences are only aspects of the Divine. God is always more than we can imagine. Across many faiths, people have emulated the Divine in the beauty of their temples and glimpsed God in the Splendor of nature.
Navajo Ritual: God in Human Form
The video shifts to Shiprock, New Mexico, in the heart of the Navajo Nation, to witness a sacred ceremony where a God and a human become one. The Peterson family shares the ceremony that allows their youngest daughter, Mason, to pass from girlhood to Womanhood. By the end of the 4-day ritual, one of the Navajo deities will be living inside her. The core of the ceremony is the making of a giant corn cake in honor of the Sun.
The Kinaaldá Ceremony
Mason's sister, Kayla, explains that the ritual, called the Kinaaldá ceremony, originates from Changing Woman. The story begins when First Woman and First Man care for a baby instructed by the holy people. Within 12 days, she grew from an infant to a 12-year-old girl. To grow into a woman, Mason must connect with the Divine Spirit of Changing Woman, who the Navajo believe inhabits the landscape. Each day, she runs toward the Rising Sun.
Prayers and Blessings for Mason
The ceremony involves prayers and blessings for Mason, pushing positive energy into the corn cake to ensure her life is strong and complete. As the corn cake bakes overnight, Mason begins the final night of her Kinaaldá, where she will be joined with the spirit of Changing Woman. The family stays in the Hogan until dawn, while the Navajo medicine man sings sacred songs to give her strength and help her change into Womanhood.
The Spirit of Changing Woman
At dawn, Mason makes the final and longest run of her Kinaaldá. The spirit of the Navajo deity has moved inside Mason, making her a holy person. The blessed corn cake can only be eaten once it's been blessed by Mason. In the Kinaaldá, Navajo girls have a personal experience of the Changing Woman, a spirit that infuses the entire Navajo landscape.
Neurotheology: Finding God in the Brain
The video explores whether God can move inside us and whether we can discover what God is by looking inside our minds. In Philadelphia, the narrator meets neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg, who studies what happens in our brains during religious experiences, in a field called neurotheology. Newberg explains that substantial differences can be seen in the brains of religious or spiritual people when they pray or meditate on God. The narrator is interested in finding out if there is any manifestation of God within their brain.
Brain Scan Meditation
The process begins with an injection of radioactive dye to measure blood flow in the brain. After a baseline scan, the narrator attempts to meditate on the Divine. After meditating for about 11 or 12 minutes, the narrator undergoes a 3D scan to see whether their brain has changed. The scan shows increased activity in the frontal lobes during meditation, similar to nuns in prayer and Buddhist monks in meditation.
The God Spot in the Brain
The narrator compares their brain activity to that of a nun in prayer and a Buddhist monk meditating, finding similarities in frontal lobe activation. An atheist who meditated on God was unable to activate their frontal lobes, suggesting that belief and personal importance are key. The brain is complex, with the whole brain involved in experiencing the Divine, changing the way we think and feel about the world. Experiencing God changes us on the inside.
Lakewood Church: A Personal Experience with God
The video visits Lakewood Church in Houston to see how 10,000 Christians can have a meaningful personal experience with God. Pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen share their philosophy of practical, encouraging sermons. Joel prays for the service, asking that every person would feel God's presence, power, encouragement, hope, and inspiration.
Faith and Personal Connection
Joel Osteen preaches about connecting to God and stirring up the power within. He defines God as a father and Creator who gives purpose and Destiny. He encourages people to talk to God throughout the day, like a friend, and to get God out of their Sunday morning box. Victoria Osteen emphasizes that the life of God lives within us as a spiritual power.
The God in Me
The narrator reflects on the experience, noting the personal connection each worshiper has with God. God is many things to many people: warm light, sweet music, an inner voice, a friend. The narrator concludes that there's a bit of the Divine in all of us. The God in me is who I really am at my core, the best version of me, who I strive to be, who I was made to be.
