"Around the World in 80 Faiths"...

In case you missed last night's re-showing of the first episode in
this documentary series, you can watch it online [FREE] for a while
on BBC TV catchup:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ggfcn
This edition includes some remarkable scenes of a Church of England
priest stripping off and dancing naked in a full moon "urban
witchcraft" ritual. He also apologises for the terrible persecution
that Christianity inflicted on real and alleged witches in the Middle
Ages.

This first edition of the series is called "Australasia and the
Pacific Ring of Fire" [see below for detailed content]. Be warned
that it includes some tragic, unpleasant scenes of Christian
aboriginal women "smoking babies" in a ritual that has become
seriously disconnected from any sacred meaning.

General Intro to the Series
---------------------------
One year, six continents, 80 rituals - smoking babies, naked men
festivals, cargo cults and serpent-handling. From Taoism in China to
a Voodoo mass in West Africa, Pete Owen Jones presents the definitive
guide [a bit of an exagggeration!] to faith on earth.

The big six world religions are only part of the story. Faith is
belief in the sacred, and it is expressed in a rich diversity of
rituals, in denominations, sects, cults, tribal faiths and new
religious movements. Pete's mission is to witness and take part in
rites rarely filmed before, to take the religious pulse of the planet
and to understand the depth of humanity's fascination with the
divine. As an Anglican priest, Pete will be confronting cultures that
will challenge his values and prejudices - he will be surprised, even
offended, but also enlightened.

The series has given rise to a book of the same name...
"Around the World in 80 Faiths" by Rev. Peter Owen Jones
http://www.Amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1846075068/sunflowerheal-21

EPISODES & BOOK CONTENT DETAILS
-------------------------------

Episode One: Australasia and the Pacific Ring of Fire
-----------------------------------------------------
Pete travels to Australasia to find out how tribal faiths have
survived into the 21st century. He goes into the Australian outback
in search of the meaning of Aboriginal Dreaming, to Indonesia for the
elaborate funeral of a woman who died 20 years ago, to Sydney to
witness the survival of ancient persecuted faiths like the Iraqi
Mandeans and witchcraft, and to the remote volcanic islands of
Vanuatu in the Pacific ring of fire to unravel the mystery of the
cargo cult.

Faith 1: Islam and Spirit Worship - a sword-stabbing ritual performed
by the Bugis of Sulawesi.
Faith 2: Christianity and Ancestor worship - a funeral rite performed
by the Tana Toraja people of Sulawesi and reflects on their
relationship with the dead.
Faith 3: Catholic Carabao festival - the Carabao festival of Pulilan,
Bulacan, Philippines in honour of the town's patron saint, San Isidro
Labrador.
Faith 4: Catholic fertility festival: the pagan fertility ritual now
held in reverence to three Catholic saints help in Obando,
Philippines and reflects on the cross-fertilization between
Catholicism and animism.
Faith 5: Aboriginal Dreaming - the Indigenous Australian people, the
Aborigines and witnesses a baby smoking ritual that is part of their
Dreamtime.
Faith 6: a regular baptism service inspired by John the Baptist and
performed by the persecuted Mandaeans of Iraq in a park in Sydney,
Australia.
Faith 7: Urban witchcraft: a group of witches who have established
their coven within Sydney, Australia.
Faith 8: Indigenous Kastom: practitioners of the tribal faith of
Kastomism on the South Pacific island of Tanna, Vanuatu.
Faith 9: John Frum cult - 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: the religion of Unity and their
prophet, Fred from Tanna.

Episode Two: The Far East
-------------------------
Faith 11: Japanese Shinto: the cleansing, Shinto fire festival of
Shingu, Wakayama, Japan.
Faith 12: Buddhism, The Naked Man festival - the Buddhist fertility
festival at Okayama, Japan.
Faith 13: Hindu street shrine - a busy, popular Hindu shrine in
downtown Bangkok used by Buddhist worshippers.
Faith 14: Theravada Buddhism - a monk of Theravada Buddhism,
describing its importance in Thailand.
Faith 15: Confucianism - Confucianism religion within communist
China.
Faith 16: Chinese Taoism - solitary Taoist monk on Mount Hua, China
about Taoism.
Faith 17: The rise of Pentecostalism in South Korea, the Yoido Full
Gospel Church in Seoul recognized by the Guinness Book of World
Records as having the world's largest congregation.
Faith 18: Korean Shamanism - a shaman in rural South Korea and
reflects on the possible revival of Korean shamanism.
Faith 19: Cao Dai - the headquarters of the recently created religion
of Cao Dai at Tay Ninh, Vietnam.
Faith 20: Mother Goddess - a ceremony celebrating the Vietnamese
spirit religion of the Mother Goddess.

Episode Three: Africa
---------------------
Faith 21: Voodoo - Mamywata: Benin fishermen in Cotonou perform
ritual to serpent goddess Mamywata.
Faith 22: Voodoo - the fetish market in Cotonou, Benin to see various
dead animal parts. Practitioners claim to 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 25: Zulu Sangomas: a Zulu Sangoma in Johannesburg, South Africa
to contact the spirit of the ancestors.
Faith 26: Twelfth Apostolic Church: Witnesses an outdoor prayer
meeting in Hillsboro, Johannesburg, South Africa, where rituals
involving healing and protection through the intercession of the Holy
Spirit are key.
Faith 27: Afrikaner Calvinism: a prayer meeting at home in Groot
Marico, South Africa where worshippers believe the world will end by
2020.
Faith 28: Rastafari: a community of Jamaicans, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
who believe Haile Selassie I is their messiah and that they are now
in Zion.
Faith 29: Ethiopian Islam: a tearoom beside a mosque in Negash,
Tigray, Ethiopia to chew khat.
Faith 30: Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity: Witnesses a church service
for the feast of St Michael at the Church of Mikael Imba, Tigray,
Ethiopia.

Episode Four: The Middle East
-----------------------------
Faith 31: African Hebrew Israelites: a prayer meeting at the Village
of Peace, Dimona, Israel.
Faith 32: Christianity: Walks the Via Dolorosa on Good Friday, Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel.
Faith 33: Judaism: celebrations at Jerusalem Great Synagogue, ultra-
orthodox district of Jerusalem, Israel.
Faith 34: Sunni Islam: Discusses the tenets of the Sunni faith at the
Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria.
Faith 35: Sufism: whirling dervishes in a house beside a 14th century
mosque in Aleppo, Syria.
Faith 36: Alevi: a cem ritual in a cemevi in a suburb of Istanbul,
Turkey.
Faith 37: Yazidi: the Yazidi New Year celebrations in a village near
Mosul Iraq and at the current Yazidi leader.
Faith 38: Samaritan: Attends the Samaritan Passover celebrations on
Mount Gerizim, near Nablus, West Bank.
Faith 39: Baha'i: the Festival of Ridván at the Shrine of the Báb,
Haifa, Israel.

Episode Five: North America
---------------------------
Mormonism
Snake handling

Episode Six: India
------------------
Hinduism
Hindu Deities
Navaratri
Diwali
Tibetan Buddhism
Sikhism
Jainism
Zoroastrianism

Episode Seven: Latin America
----------------------------
Roman Catholic Church
Pentecostalism
Candomblé

Episode Eight: Europe
---------------------
Christianity
Shamanism
Buddhism in Kalmykia
Damanhur