0000 : 00:00:00:00 00:00:00:08
0001 : 10:00:06:16 10:00:09:15
<So far>
<I haven't given much thought to God.>
0002 : 10:00:10:03 10:00:15:00
<The only time I had anything>
<to do with religion was Christmas.>
0003 : 10:00:15:05 10:00:18:04
<I mean, why would I be>
<interested in God?>
0004 : 10:00:22:18 10:00:27:19
<But it's different now that>
<I'm the father of two little children.>
0005 : 10:00:27:24 10:00:30:23
<I have to decide>
<what faith to raise them in>
0006 : 10:00:31:02 10:00:36:07
<or whether to raise them in any at all,>
<and that's not an easy decision.>
0007 : 10:00:43:09 10:00:46:05
<My dad's Protestant>
<and believes in angels.>
0008 : 10:00:46:23 10:00:49:06
And that's the angel...
0009 : 10:00:50:18 10:00:53:15
I'm building the whole picture
around it.
0010 : 10:00:53:19 10:00:56:04
No one's ever done an angel like that.
0011 : 10:00:56:12 10:00:59:20
<My mom's Jewish,>
<which makes me Jewish, too.>
0012 : 10:00:59:24 10:01:04:21
<But my upbringing wasn't religious.>
<What mom believes in is good food.>
0013 : 10:01:05:21 10:01:08:08
You want to have some more of this?
0014 : 10:01:09:09 10:01:13:00
<My sister's a shaman>
<who believes in Nature and thinks>
0015 : 10:01:13:04 10:01:16:10
<my kids are spiritually impoverished.>
0016 : 10:01:16:19 10:01:21:07
You don't practice anything
that you could be offering them.
0017 : 10:01:22:07 10:01:26:03
<This is my aunt from Switzerland,>
<a devout Protestant.>
0018 : 10:01:26:07 10:01:29:20
<She sees religion>
<as very important for children.>
0019 : 10:01:30:04 10:01:32:13
Do you pray with your children?
0020 : 10:01:32:22 10:01:34:22
No...
No.
0021 : 10:01:36:12 10:01:41:12
<My father-in-law is Muslim, but>
<some aspects of his faith baffle him.>
0022 : 10:01:41:22 10:01:47:21
I can't explain why Islamic teachings
say Christians can't go to paradise.
0023 : 10:01:48:23 10:01:52:04
<This is my mother-in-law,>
<an Old Catholic.>
0024 : 10:01:52:11 10:01:55:10
<I'm not quite sure what that is,>
<but I know>
0025 : 10:01:55:19 10:01:58:14
<she worries about her grandchildren.>
0026 : 10:01:58:24 10:02:00:14
They're little heathens.
0027 : 10:02:01:07 10:02:03:18
<My Jewish mom has a different view.>
0028 : 10:02:04:02 10:02:05:23
Your son's Muslim, anyway.
0029 : 10:02:07:16 10:02:09:22
<So what are my children, then?>
0030 : 10:02:10:11 10:02:13:08
<Muslim, Protestant, Catholic?>
0031 : 10:02:13:24 10:02:16:17
<Jewish, or in fact, little heathens?>
0032 : 10:02:17:00 10:02:18:20
<Or none of the above?>
0033 : 10:02:19:02 10:02:22:08
<Do you have to look for God,>
<or does he reveal himself?>
0034 : 10:02:23:09 10:02:26:19
<Does God influence>
<what job or partner we choose?>
0035 : 10:02:27:05 10:02:28:21
<Does God even exist?>
0036 : 10:02:29:07 10:02:32:07
<Why do I flinch>
<when I think about God?>
0037 : 10:02:33:02 10:02:37:22
<Will my kids have a more fulfilled life>
<with or without religion?>
0038 : 10:02:38:07 10:02:42:10
<I want to see if I can find answers>
<to these questions.>
0039 : 10:02:46:11 10:02:49:05
AGAINST DISBELIEF
0040 : 10:02:51:10 10:02:57:12
WHAT FAITH FOR MY CHILD?
0041 : 10:03:07:12 10:03:12:07
<In religious matters,>
<my Swiss aunt supports majority rule.>
0042 : 10:03:12:11 10:03:16:13
Since your children
are growing up in a country
0043 : 10:03:16:17 10:03:21:24
where Christianity
is actually the prevailing religion...
0044 : 10:03:22:03 10:03:25:24
or at least widespread,
I'd choose Christianity.
0045 : 10:03:26:03 10:03:28:18
Not because I'm Christian myself.
0046 : 10:03:28:22 10:03:33:10
But simply because they're growing up
here in this society.
0047 : 10:03:34:04 10:03:35:22
<Maybe my aunt is right.>
0048 : 10:03:36:01 10:03:39:18
<Christianity might be>
<an acceptable compromise.>
0049 : 10:03:39:24 10:03:44:16
<I'm not predestined to pass on my faith,>
<nor is my Muslim wife.>
0050 : 10:03:45:07 10:03:49:05
<In Islam, religion is passed on>
<from father to child,>
0051 : 10:03:49:09 10:03:52:04
<in Judaism, from mother to child.>
0052 : 10:03:52:09 10:03:55:07
<Maybe I should just>
<have my kids baptized?>
0053 : 10:03:55:11 10:04:00:18
<I consult Father Lipke of>
<the Catholic Re-entry Office in Munich.>
0054 : 10:04:03:17 10:04:07:09
Children can tell
if their parents do something
0055 : 10:04:07:22 10:04:10:14
and don't really identify with it.
0056 : 10:04:11:23 10:04:15:03
So parents shouldn't do that,
but instead
0057 : 10:04:15:11 10:04:19:16
they should choose a path
they themselves think is right.
0058 : 10:04:19:20 10:04:23:14
Otherwise,
sure, you can have a child baptized...
0059 : 10:04:24:03 10:04:29:15
... but it wouldn't really grow up in
and feel at home in the Christian faith.
0060 : 10:04:31:01 10:04:32:18
<I was afraid of that.>
0061 : 10:04:32:22 10:04:36:10
<I have to become a believer>
<for my kids to believe.>
0062 : 10:04:36:19 10:04:38:12
<Isn't there an easier way?>
0063 : 10:04:38:17 10:04:42:08
<What do we have>
<denominational daycare centers for?>
0064 : 10:04:42:12 10:04:46:17
<Trained staff ought to be much better>
<at teaching faith>
0065 : 10:04:46:21 10:04:50:03
<than a clueless nonbeliever>
<like myself.>
0066 : 10:04:52:01 10:04:54:10
Is tomorrow morning still the Sabbath?
0067 : 10:04:54:23 10:04:56:17
No, no!
-Yes, it is!
0068 : 10:04:58:12 10:05:03:17
<I watch as kids celebrate Sabbath>
<at a Jewish daycare center and wonder:>
0069 : 10:05:03:21 10:05:08:04
<What good are these rituals>
<to kids who can't even talk yet?>
0070 : 10:05:08:12 10:05:11:13
<Do the kids even grasp>
<what's going on?>
0071 : 10:05:11:22 10:05:15:01
We have kids from the age of two to five.
0072 : 10:05:15:05 10:05:19:17
And at that age the kids mostly
think pretty much like we do.
0073 : 10:05:19:21 10:05:23:03
They accept whatever adults teach them.
0074 : 10:05:23:12 10:05:29:03
That changes when kids start
getting philosophical and start thinking
0075 : 10:05:29:12 10:05:32:22
about evolution,
which we don't cover here.
0076 : 10:05:33:01 10:05:35:00
Teacher,
Jewish Nursery School
0077 : 10:05:35:05 10:05:39:02
We observe the Sabbath because
God worked for six days.
0078 : 10:05:39:06 10:05:43:20
He created the world and humans.
They learn that until they're six.
0079 : 10:05:44:19 10:05:47:15
Later, when they have science in school,
0080 : 10:05:48:00 10:05:53:00
they start asking questions
and saying, "I don't believe in God."
0081 : 10:05:54:12 10:05:58:05
And then what?
-Luckily, that's not my age group!
0082 : 10:06:02:14 10:06:04:12
<That's exactly my problem.>
0083 : 10:06:04:16 10:06:07:23
<What if my kids>
<question the story of creation>
0084 : 10:06:08:02 10:06:11:23
<and start examining>
<Darwin's theory of evolution?>
0085 : 10:06:12:02 10:06:14:09
<I'll need convincing answers.>
0086 : 10:06:17:07 10:06:22:08
<How do educators who officially>
<don't believe in God solve that?>
0087 : 10:06:24:08 10:06:26:17
<In a humanistic daycare center,>
0088 : 10:06:26:22 10:06:30:17
<I ask why they think>
<kids shouldn't believe in God.>
0089 : 10:06:30:22 10:06:32:19
Teacher,
Humanistic Nursery School
0090 : 10:06:33:02 10:06:36:16
We teach the kids
faith in their own abilities.
0091 : 10:06:37:03 10:06:39:18
We help kids
believe in themselves
0092 : 10:06:40:10 10:06:43:10
rather than in something supernatural
0093 : 10:06:43:14 10:06:46:04
that doesn't actually exist.
0094 : 10:06:48:15 10:06:53:12
To them, God isn't tangible.
He's not there for them in an emergency.
0095 : 10:06:53:23 10:06:58:02
Kids need something tangible...
-But they can pray.
0096 : 10:06:58:21 10:07:03:01
When a child falls down,
I'm not sure if praying helps.
0097 : 10:07:05:03 10:07:09:21
<So children should believe in themselves>
<and not trust in God.>
0098 : 10:07:10:00 10:07:14:12
<That's not how they see it>
<at this Protestant daycare center,>
0099 : 10:07:14:21 10:07:18:14
<where imparting Christian values>
<is a top priority.>
0100 : 10:07:18:18 10:07:22:16
<Why do children find>
<Bible stories so fascinating?>
0101 : 10:07:23:11 10:07:26:11
Kids love it
because of the gold lettering
0102 : 10:07:26:15 10:07:28:17
and the other shiny stuff.
0103 : 10:07:28:21 10:07:31:17
Teacher,
Protestant Nursery School
0104 : 10:07:31:23 10:07:34:10
And they like the story
0105 : 10:07:34:14 10:07:37:19
because it has
a lot of striking pictures.
0106 : 10:07:38:06 10:07:43:03
There was a time when I doubted God,
when I doubted everything.
0107 : 10:07:43:12 10:07:47:04
That only changed
when I had a child of my own.
0108 : 10:07:47:11 10:07:51:03
That's when I thought,
"There is something."
0109 : 10:07:51:07 10:07:55:10
Children help you become a believer,
in my experience.
0110 : 10:07:55:16 10:07:59:04
My child was the best teacher
I had in my life.
0111 : 10:08:03:22 10:08:08:21
<Can't my children find faith>
<without me pre-conditioning them?>
0112 : 10:08:09:11 10:08:12:02
<My aunt has her doubts about that.>
0113 : 10:08:16:02 10:08:19:09
If you bring them up
without any guidelines
0114 : 10:08:19:13 10:08:23:13
and just tell them,
"Choose when you're grown up"...
0115 : 10:08:23:17 10:08:27:10
Well, what's there to choose
if you have no idea?
0116 : 10:08:28:05 10:08:32:01
<My Old Catholic mother-in-law>
<also has definite ideas>
0117 : 10:08:32:05 10:08:34:18
<about my kids' religious upbringing.>
0118 : 10:08:35:00 10:08:38:15
They should definitely
be brought up very openly
0119 : 10:08:38:24 10:08:43:19
and be allowed to choose if they want
to take religious instruction.
0120 : 10:08:44:02 10:08:46:22
But frankly, I'd have a problem with it
0121 : 10:08:47:01 10:08:50:19
if they opted for
Catholic religious instruction.
0122 : 10:08:50:23 10:08:54:21
I'd prefer if they took religion
with the Protestants.
0123 : 10:08:58:00 10:09:03:05
That overly pious attitude
that some Catholics have just isn't...
0124 : 10:09:05:09 10:09:06:23
... my thing.
0125 : 10:09:26:20 10:09:32:02
I was in church today and lit a candle.
What do you think of that?
0126 : 10:09:32:06 10:09:36:03
Well, you never know...
Better safe than sorry.
0127 : 10:09:37:02 10:09:41:11
That reminds me of my aunt,
who didn't believe in anything,
0128 : 10:09:41:15 10:09:44:12
but placed a stone
at the cemetery, anyway.
0129 : 10:09:44:16 10:09:48:13
When Jews go to the cemetery,
they lay stones on the graves.
0130 : 10:09:49:06 10:09:51:08
When I asked her why,
she said:
0131 : 10:09:51:12 10:09:55:00
"You never know.
Maybe there's something to it."
0132 : 10:09:58:16 10:10:03:05
<Ambivalence in regard to religion>
<seems to run in my family.>
0133 : 10:10:03:09 10:10:07:24
<God didn't feature in my childhood.>
<No one seemed to miss him.>
0134 : 10:10:08:03 10:10:09:20
<Except for my sister.>
0135 : 10:10:11:18 10:10:15:14
<She's gotten over>
<her early religious deprivation>
0136 : 10:10:15:18 10:10:18:21
<and now holds shamanistic seminars.>
0137 : 10:10:21:21 10:10:27:04
<When she took her first spiritual steps>
<in her teens, we laughed at her.>
0138 : 10:10:27:08 10:10:30:23
<For her,>
<finding her faith was a real struggle.>
0139 : 10:10:31:05 10:10:32:22
<She thinks she knows>
0140 : 10:10:33:01 10:10:36:10
<how I can do a better job>
<with my own children.>
0141 : 10:10:38:22 10:10:44:09
If you spend 20 years searching,
they won't have any direction at all.
0142 : 10:10:44:23 10:10:48:10
But if you say,
all directions are okay,
0143 : 10:10:48:14 10:10:53:13
so I'll just choose the one
I want to know more about, for example,
0144 : 10:10:54:16 10:10:58:12
at least you're giving them
the chance to have <one>.
0145 : 10:11:01:08 10:11:04:24
If you keep asking:
"What should I do?"
0146 : 10:11:05:03 10:11:08:19
they'll have nothing in the end,
just like us.
0147 : 10:11:08:23 10:11:13:24
Then they'll have the same questions
and nothing to pass on to their kids.
0148 : 10:11:14:03 10:11:16:05
Is that so bad?
0149 : 10:11:16:11 10:11:20:05
Not if your kids have a predisposition
like I do.
0150 : 10:11:20:10 10:11:23:24
But it would have been
a real help for me.
0151 : 10:11:24:03 10:11:27:23
Let's say things would have been
much easier for me.
0152 : 10:11:28:02 10:11:32:06
Rather, it would be easier
if I had something to draw on now.
0153 : 10:11:39:00 10:11:45:05
<I didn't realize how my sister suffered>
<under my family's areligious upbringing.>
0154 : 10:11:48:00 10:11:53:08
<But what happens if a whole country>
<grows up without religious instruction?>
0155 : 10:11:59:12 10:12:02:15
<In Chemnitz,>
<formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt,>
0156 : 10:12:02:19 10:12:06:09
<anything smacking of religion>
<was suspect during the GDR era.>
0157 : 10:12:11:00 10:12:16:14
<I'm visiting Irish pastor Barry Sloan>
<in his Methodist parish church.>
0158 : 10:12:17:04 10:12:22:02
<The Evangelical Methodist Church>
<has its roots in England.>
0159 : 10:12:23:04 10:12:29:05
<I ask Barry Sloan what happens to kids>
<raised in an anti-religious environment.>
0160 : 10:12:29:14 10:12:34:09
When I started out here 10 years ago,
a little girl came to the service.
0161 : 10:12:34:17 10:12:38:10
She sat down in front
and looked at that picture.
0162 : 10:12:38:14 10:12:39:24
Methodist Pastor
0163 : 10:12:40:08 10:12:42:09
I was up at the pulpit
0164 : 10:12:43:10 10:12:46:21
and heard her ask her neighbor:
"Who is that?"
0165 : 10:12:47:22 10:12:50:01
"And what is he carrying?"
0166 : 10:12:51:14 10:12:54:10
"And what is he wearing
on his head?"
0167 : 10:12:54:14 10:12:57:02
"And why?
What's a cross? And why?"
0168 : 10:12:57:06 10:13:01:07
What a culture shock for me,
coming from Northern Ireland,
0169 : 10:13:01:11 10:13:07:09
where every child has heard of Jesus,
and knows the basics of Christian faith.
0170 : 10:13:08:00 10:13:11:14
And here was this child,
about 10 or 11 years old,
0171 : 10:13:11:18 10:13:16:01
who knew nothing about
the Christian faith or about Jesus.
0172 : 10:13:17:18 10:13:20:12
<That is astonishing, indeed.>
0173 : 10:13:20:16 10:13:24:10
<Apparently, religion can be learned>
<and unlearned, too.>
0174 : 10:13:25:05 10:13:27:10
<But is that really so bad?>
0175 : 10:13:28:22 10:13:31:05
<Certainly it's a shame if kids>
0176 : 10:13:31:09 10:13:35:01
<have no clue of the Christian>
<cultural history of Europe.>
0177 : 10:13:35:08 10:13:39:02
<But is that reason enough>
<to raise them religiously?>
0178 : 10:13:40:16 10:13:42:17
Why do children need God?
0179 : 10:13:48:12 10:13:51:15
For the same reason
that we all need God.
0180 : 10:13:52:17 10:13:54:20
Children are no different.
0181 : 10:13:55:08 10:13:59:12
Life with God is much more beautiful
than life without God.
0182 : 10:13:59:16 10:14:04:00
God is with the children,
even if they don't know it yet.
0183 : 10:14:04:09 10:14:06:21
Living with God...
0184 : 10:14:07:04 10:14:09:20
... is an enrichment, it really is.
0185 : 10:14:09:24 10:14:14:15
It provides us with strength for today
and hope for tomorrow.
0186 : 10:14:16:14 10:14:18:11
It gives life meaning.
0187 : 10:14:22:07 10:14:24:10
<"God gives life meaning.">
0188 : 10:14:25:07 10:14:28:14
<That sounds nice,>
<but it's pretty vague.>
0189 : 10:14:29:16 10:14:32:00
<On the other hand,>
<people like Barry Sloan>
0190 : 10:14:32:04 10:14:36:02
<seem so secure in their faith>
<that I'm a bit jealous.>
0191 : 10:14:36:21 10:14:39:08
<There must be something to it.>
0192 : 10:14:41:10 10:14:45:00
<In Erlangen,>
<I talk to a group of young Baptists.>
0193 : 10:14:45:04 10:14:48:17
<Baptists are also>
<a Protestant denomination.>
0194 : 10:14:48:22 10:14:51:20
<They're only baptized as adults.>
0195 : 10:14:52:03 10:14:57:00
<They say children aren't mature enough>
<to make a decision on faith.>
0196 : 10:14:57:08 10:14:59:04
Our statement of faith
0197 : 10:14:59:08 10:15:02:19
is that Jesus died
for each and every one of us.
0198 : 10:15:03:07 10:15:09:03
I haven't been a believer for very long,
but to see how quickly he changes you...
0199 : 10:15:10:15 10:15:14:21
It's just amazing,
how he changed me, my environment.
0200 : 10:15:15:06 10:15:19:05
How I treat others...
all that changed within months.
0201 : 10:15:19:09 10:15:21:15
I never could've done it alone.
0202 : 10:15:34:18 10:15:37:23
<These young people seem>
<so steeped in their faith. >
0203 : 10:15:38:02 10:15:39:19
<I'm impressed...>
0204 : 10:15:39:23 10:15:42:10
<... but also slightly irritated.>
0205 : 10:15:43:04 10:15:45:18
<How did they become>
<so absorbed in God?>
0206 : 10:15:46:08 10:15:49:06
<Don't they ever doubt their God?>
0207 : 10:15:49:22 10:15:55:01
If something didn't work out and
you're mad at God, it's okay to say so.
0208 : 10:15:55:09 10:15:59:07
You can tell him,
"Great, look what you've done!"
0209 : 10:15:59:11 10:16:03:12
You're still with God,
even if you're mad and have doubts.
0210 : 10:16:03:16 10:16:05:14
But you don't abandon him.
0211 : 10:16:05:22 10:16:09:08
Some say: "There is no God.
Too many bad things happen."
0212 : 10:16:09:12 10:16:11:24
For me it's the exact opposite.
0213 : 10:16:12:11 10:16:15:23
If this is the extent of it,
these awful things,
0214 : 10:16:16:02 10:16:20:10
I'd have given up long ago,
and without my faith I'd be dead.
0215 : 10:16:20:23 10:16:23:10
Not that I'd have killed myself,
0216 : 10:16:23:14 10:16:26:22
but I would've been driven to despair
by it all.
0217 : 10:16:30:18 10:16:35:00
<Not everyone is as staunch in their faith>
<as these Baptists.>
0218 : 10:16:35:07 10:16:38:21
<What happens when doubts>
<gain the upper hand?>
0219 : 10:16:42:05 10:16:47:18
<I speak with Pastor Lenz, who tells me>
<about his personal crisis of faith.>
0220 : 10:16:49:23 10:16:54:11
When I first started out as a pastor,
I was full of enthusiasm.
0221 : 10:16:54:20 10:16:58:07
But I had a serious crisis
after two or three years.
0222 : 10:16:58:11 10:16:59:22
Protestant Pastor
0223 : 10:17:00:01 10:17:02:11
My marriage fell apart,
0224 : 10:17:03:06 10:17:06:16
which really shattered me
and my whole world.
0225 : 10:17:06:20 10:17:09:15
Fear and sadness for our children...
0226 : 10:17:10:08 10:17:13:18
... for my marriage,
my credibility as pastor.
0227 : 10:17:14:07 10:17:17:03
I had real problems here,
within the Church,
0228 : 10:17:18:21 10:17:22:22
to the extent that they wanted
a psychological assessment
0229 : 10:17:23:01 10:17:26:09
to verify that
I was still able do my job.
0230 : 10:17:26:13 10:17:28:07
I was on the verge of...
0231 : 10:17:28:12 10:17:32:09
To be honest,
I was even having suicidal thoughts.
0232 : 10:17:32:16 10:17:35:17
It was really bad,
and I remember one time
0233 : 10:17:36:01 10:17:40:06
I didn't pray silently,
but shouted, "God, where are you?"
0234 : 10:17:40:10 10:17:44:14
And God was like a gray horizon
I hurled this question at,
0235 : 10:17:44:18 10:17:46:11
but I felt nothing.
0236 : 10:17:47:20 10:17:52:12
Later, after I made it through
that crisis, one thing became clear:
0237 : 10:17:52:16 10:17:55:01
The Christian sign of the cross...
0238 : 10:17:55:05 10:18:00:18
It's an ancient religious symbol
that existed long before the Christians.
0239 : 10:18:01:01 10:18:06:09
It connects the horizontal and vertical,
heaven and earth, and so on.
0240 : 10:18:06:15 10:18:08:15
But the Christians added one key thing
at the center of the cross:
0241 : 10:18:10:13 10:18:14:06
the helpless, dying Christ
asking the question,
0242 : 10:18:15:16 10:18:18:23
"My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?"
0243 : 10:18:25:17 10:18:29:13
Before that, I needed
something tangible to have faith.
0244 : 10:18:29:17 10:18:35:11
But that was the key that made me see
faith is the foundation my life rests on.
0245 : 10:18:35:18 10:18:41:10
I suddenly recognized a deep trust
that didn't result from my actions.
0246 : 10:18:41:19 10:18:45:13
The cross in the Church
isn't a symbol of death.
0247 : 10:18:46:00 10:18:51:13
It tells us that helplessness
and questions are integral to our faith,
0248 : 10:18:52:15 10:18:55:24
and that we must expose ourselves
0249 : 10:18:56:10 10:19:00:21
before we can truly experience God
in the Christian sense.
0250 : 10:19:03:22 10:19:09:08
<So Christians and other believers>
<go through crises in their lives, too.>
0251 : 10:19:10:06 10:19:14:22
<But if a crisis of faith>
<can even lead to thoughts of suicide,>
0252 : 10:19:15:01 10:19:20:17
<isn't it better for my children to trust>
<only in themselves from the start?>
0253 : 10:19:23:12 10:19:28:09
<I visit Frank Fughs, who spent>
<eight years in a Trappist monastery.>
0254 : 10:19:28:13 10:19:33:14
<The Catholic Order is known for>
<strict rules and its vow of silence.>
0255 : 10:19:35:13 10:19:39:04
<Fughs left the monastery>
<after a deep crisis of faith.>
0256 : 10:19:39:08 10:19:44:19
<Now he's found his way back to God,>
<and follows his own spiritual path.>
0257 : 10:19:46:09 10:19:49:22
<His fraternal community>
<seeks closeness to God>
0258 : 10:19:50:01 10:19:52:08
<through prayer and community service.>
0259 : 10:20:00:03 10:20:04:06
<I ask brother Frank if living with God>
<makes it easier to cope with life.>
0260 : 10:20:04:14 10:20:06:06
It's all in your head.
0261 : 10:20:06:10 10:20:07:22
Former Trappist monk
0262 : 10:20:08:01 10:20:12:14
A CEO may think he's in control,
then he has a heart attack.
0263 : 10:20:12:18 10:20:15:00
So what does
"in control" mean?
0264 : 10:20:16:01 10:20:18:22
Or I may realize
I'm not in control at all.
0265 : 10:20:19:03 10:20:22:21
A religious or spiritual path
can help you admit
0266 : 10:20:23:00 10:20:25:17
that you're not in control at all.
0267 : 10:20:26:11 10:20:31:18
And that's something, to recognize
that you're not in control at all.
0268 : 10:20:40:14 10:20:43:06
How could I doubt God?
Impossible.
0269 : 10:20:43:16 10:20:47:12
Those doubts
have to do with certain conceptions,
0270 : 10:20:47:16 10:20:51:03
which is what
so many people struggle with.
0271 : 10:20:51:07 10:20:53:19
They imagine God as a person.
0272 : 10:20:53:23 10:20:58:21
That’s an utterly absurd conception,
intellectually, of God.
0273 : 10:20:59:00 10:21:02:24
There can be no doubt in God
if there is no image of God.
0274 : 10:21:06:09 10:21:11:03
<If I understand Frank correctly,>
<God cannot be seen as a person.>
0275 : 10:21:11:07 10:21:13:03
<God created the world,>
0276 : 10:21:13:07 10:21:17:01
<but we can't hold him responsible>
<for our actions.>
0277 : 10:21:17:05 10:21:21:03
<Whether we do good or bad deeds>
<is entirely up to us.>
0278 : 10:21:22:09 10:21:25:16
<Can you only find God>
<through religion?>
0279 : 10:21:26:02 10:21:31:00
Everyone meditates or prays.
Anyone can do it, and we all know how.
0280 : 10:21:31:04 10:21:34:03
It's something
everyone has experience in.
0281 : 10:21:34:09 10:21:39:14
Religious people portray it
as a special experience, but I disagree.
0282 : 10:21:39:18 10:21:42:20
We all experience God,
or the greater whole.
0283 : 10:21:42:24 10:21:45:24
We couldn't live otherwise.
Impossible.
0284 : 10:21:51:16 10:21:54:20
<Brother Frank has given me a new idea:>
0285 : 10:21:57:02 10:22:03:10
<meditation as a way to experience God,>
<irrespective of religion or denomination.>
0286 : 10:22:03:14 10:22:05:01
<That's it!>
0287 : 10:22:07:10 10:22:11:15
<I decide to visit>
<our sound technician's yoga teacher.>
0288 : 10:22:11:22 10:22:15:18
<With his help,>
<I'll try to encounter God, in silence>
0289 : 10:22:15:22 10:22:18:08
<and without religious trappings.>
0290 : 10:22:19:05 10:22:21:23
First we inhale deeply...
0291 : 10:22:24:15 10:22:26:16
... and exhale deeply.
0292 : 10:22:28:22 10:22:31:04
I found God through yoga.
0293 : 10:22:31:12 10:22:36:13
I was brought up in the Christian faith,
but lost it over the years.
0294 : 10:22:36:22 10:22:39:14
And through yoga,
I found my way back
0295 : 10:22:39:22 10:22:42:03
to a new concept of the divine...
0296 : 10:22:42:07 10:22:44:01
Yoga Teacher
0297 : 10:22:44:05 10:22:47:12
... and to an experience
of what God can be.
0298 : 10:22:48:01 10:22:49:16
It was fascinating.
0299 : 10:22:50:02 10:22:52:12
It's not about
believing in something,
0300 : 10:22:52:16 10:22:56:09
about some notion in your mind
you believe or don't.
0301 : 10:22:56:13 10:23:00:11
It's about a clear experience,
about certainty...
0302 : 10:23:00:21 10:23:03:09
... that God or this power exists.
0303 : 10:23:03:20 10:23:07:04
If your thoughts carry you away,
realize it,
0304 : 10:23:07:22 10:23:10:13
and return to the beauty of being.
0305 : 10:23:11:22 10:23:16:00
You can't explain it.
It happens quietly, it just happens.
0306 : 10:23:16:04 10:23:20:17
I close my eyes, inhale up the spine,
exhale down the spine...
0307 : 10:23:20:24 10:23:26:08
And I keep doing that and sit there
for half an hour, an hour, two hours...
0308 : 10:23:27:04 10:23:28:19
And then it happens.
0309 : 10:23:29:10 10:23:34:19
Inhale again, centering your awareness
in the inner eye on your forehead.
0310 : 10:23:37:23 10:23:39:23
And release yourself into
0311 : 10:23:40:02 10:23:43:12
the boundless expanse
of your consciousness.
0312 : 10:23:43:23 10:23:48:20
This proof of God is bound to
your own action, your own consciousness.
0313 : 10:23:48:24 10:23:51:21
You have to make that shift happen.
0314 : 10:23:52:00 10:23:55:20
If you don't...
you'll never know if the force exists.
0315 : 10:23:55:24 10:23:58:10
No one else can do that for you.
0316 : 10:23:58:17 10:24:00:16
<The yoga teacher is right:>
0317 : 10:24:00:20 10:24:04:18
<I have to attempt that shift>
<in my consciousness.>
0318 : 10:24:06:06 10:24:08:19
When we feel the tranquility...
0319 : 10:24:09:02 10:24:12:09
... then the blessing of meditation
begins.
0320 : 10:24:12:13 10:24:17:04
Some people don't feel it at all
because they're too muddled.
0321 : 10:24:19:04 10:24:23:00
<To be honest,>
<I didn't feel any consciousness shift>
0322 : 10:24:23:04 10:24:25:21
<the first time I tried meditating.>
0323 : 10:24:26:00 10:24:27:22
<I'm simply too muddled.>
0324 : 10:24:28:01 10:24:33:03
<Ten minutes of tranquility>
<without thinking about daily problems...>
0325 : 10:24:33:07 10:24:35:22
<I just can't manage that right now.>
0326 : 10:24:44:19 10:24:47:12
<But I'm not going to give up so easily.>
0327 : 10:24:47:16 10:24:51:11
<Hopefully, my kids>
<aren't as scatterbrained as I am.>
0328 : 10:24:52:03 10:24:55:01
<Maybe meditation will work for them.>
0329 : 10:24:55:18 10:25:00:21
<And everywhere I look, I seem to see>
<places offering yoga for kids.>
0330 : 10:25:02:11 10:25:06:00
<Meditation is>
<a central element of Buddhism.>
0331 : 10:25:06:18 10:25:11:01
<No wonder it's one of>
<the most rapidly expanding communities>
0332 : 10:25:11:06 10:25:13:20
<in the fast-paced Western world.>
0333 : 10:25:13:24 10:25:16:03
<At the Buddhist Center in Berlin,>
0334 : 10:25:16:07 10:25:21:18
<I hope to learn more about meditation >
<and its relation to enlightenment.>
0335 : 10:25:36:02 10:25:39:12
Buddha means
living in accordance with Dharma.
0336 : 10:25:43:11 10:25:44:24
Dharma.
0337 : 10:25:47:00 10:25:49:05
Once we understand Dharma,
0338 : 10:25:49:09 10:25:51:09
then Buddha can see us.
0339 : 10:25:54:01 10:25:59:04
By understanding Dharma,
we can perceive and recognize Buddha.
0340 : 10:26:00:10 10:26:02:17
<But what exactly is Dharma?>
0341 : 10:26:04:02 10:26:07:24
Dharma is a practice and a technique,
not a belief.
0342 : 10:26:08:03 10:26:10:13
It has nothing to do with faith.
0343 : 10:26:11:01 10:26:12:16
BUDDHIST TEACHER
0344 : 10:26:12:20 10:26:15:09
By practicing Dharma,
you reach a state
0345 : 10:26:15:13 10:26:18:04
where you feel
yourself progressing.
0346 : 10:26:19:00 10:26:21:08
Everything we experience...
0347 : 10:26:21:14 10:26:26:15
... happens to us as a result
of our positive and negative karma.
0348 : 10:26:27:18 10:26:30:05
Anything good that happens to us
0349 : 10:26:31:10 10:26:35:24
is a consequence of our virtuous actions
in former lives...
0350 : 10:26:36:22 10:26:39:01
... our positive karma.
0351 : 10:26:39:05 10:26:43:09
But some being must control it, right?
-Try to imagine that.
0352 : 10:26:43:13 10:26:46:18
Someone controlling six billion people?
-Well...
0353 : 10:26:47:01 10:26:49:18
There must be.
-No one has to be in control.
0354 : 10:26:50:01 10:26:53:01
We only think there must be
someone pulling the strings
0355 : 10:26:53:05 10:26:54:18
when we can't explain things.
0356 : 10:26:54:22 10:26:56:16
If we can, we don't ask.
0357 : 10:26:56:20 10:27:00:00
We think,
"Hey, I don't get how this works,
0358 : 10:27:00:04 10:27:03:06
so there must be some force,
some power."
0359 : 10:27:03:10 10:27:05:01
And there is a power.
0360 : 10:27:05:05 10:27:08:12
It's called karma,
and it makes the world go round.
0361 : 10:27:08:16 10:27:13:07
We bring our character traits along
from our former lives.
0362 : 10:27:13:19 10:27:18:19
And if you never sowed the seeds
for a trait, you can't harvest it now.
0363 : 10:27:18:23 10:27:22:15
That's something you see in children.
-Yes.
0364 : 10:27:22:24 10:27:25:23
There's this inborn empathy
with others
0365 : 10:27:26:02 10:27:29:07
you have as a child,
deep down inside you.
0366 : 10:27:29:11 10:27:31:15
I remember that very clearly.
0367 : 10:27:32:02 10:27:33:17
And I think...
0368 : 10:27:34:09 10:27:37:17
... that was the case with <you>,
in particular.
0369 : 10:27:37:21 10:27:42:08
'Cause other kids are cruel
and tear the wings off beetles.
0370 : 10:27:42:12 10:27:45:06
I think I was a nasty little brute, too.
0371 : 10:27:45:10 10:27:48:03
Empathy isn't characteristic
of all kids,
0372 : 10:27:48:07 10:27:51:03
you brought it with you
from another life.
0373 : 10:27:51:07 10:27:56:10
Plenty of children are so awful
only a reform school can handle them.
0374 : 10:27:56:19 10:27:59:01
I think religion in general
0375 : 10:27:59:05 10:28:02:07
is an excellent way
of educating children.
0376 : 10:28:02:11 10:28:05:04
You see that
in Tibetan monasteries,
0377 : 10:28:05:08 10:28:07:23
where little boys are raised by men.
0378 : 10:28:08:15 10:28:11:15
We tend to think only women
can raise kids,
0379 : 10:28:11:19 10:28:14:10
but that proves that
it's not true.
0380 : 10:28:14:14 10:28:18:04
So I think
religion can work very well that way.
0381 : 10:28:18:13 10:28:20:13
REFUGE
0382 : 10:28:20:21 10:28:25:24
<Buddhist doctrine does not prohibit>
<belonging to another confession.>
0383 : 10:28:26:19 10:28:31:16
<So someone could be both a Buddhist>
<and a Muslim, for instance.>
0384 : 10:28:33:14 10:28:36:07
<My father-in-law explains that prayer>
0385 : 10:28:36:11 10:28:40:06
<is absolutely imperative>
<for devout Muslims.>
0386 : 10:28:40:15 10:28:44:22
<They have to pray facing Mecca>
<at five set times each day.>
0387 : 10:28:49:03 10:28:54:18
<Our kids' religious affiliation isn't>
that <important to their grandfather,>
0388 : 10:28:54:22 10:28:59:15
<but I know our Muslim relatives>
<would love to see them convert.>
0389 : 10:29:00:00 10:29:03:14
<So if we want the kids to become Muslim,>
<what do we do?>
0390 : 10:29:03:18 10:29:07:00
There are six basic teachings in Islam.
0391 : 10:29:07:08 10:29:09:03
If you believe in them,
0392 : 10:29:09:07 10:29:11:12
you're automatically Muslim.
0393 : 10:29:11:16 10:29:13:22
Press Officer
Sehitlik Mosque, Berlin
0394 : 10:29:14:01 10:29:16:18
There's no official membership,
0395 : 10:29:17:00 10:29:19:14
it's just between you and God.
0396 : 10:29:19:18 10:29:22:17
No one can be excluded
from the faith, either,
0397 : 10:29:23:02 10:29:26:00
because there's nothing in writing.
0398 : 10:29:26:10 10:29:29:13
To officially declare yourself a Muslim,
0399 : 10:29:29:20 10:29:33:09
you just have to testify to it
before witnesses.
0400 : 10:29:33:13 10:29:36:20
Then you're a brother or sister
in the faith
0401 : 10:29:38:00 10:29:39:21
and the bond is there.
0402 : 10:29:42:06 10:29:44:18
His cell's ringing during prayer.
0403 : 10:29:52:02 10:29:55:17
<So to become a Muslim,>
<you just have to say you are.>
0404 : 10:29:55:21 10:29:59:04
<You don't have to undergo>
<an elaborate ritual.>
0405 : 10:29:59:20 10:30:03:04
<What about young Muslims>
<in Western Europe?>
0406 : 10:30:03:08 10:30:06:17
<How do they find>
<their spiritual identity?>
0407 : 10:30:06:21 10:30:09:18
Many young people,
and I was one of them,
0408 : 10:30:09:22 10:30:14:09
start searching for their identity
in their teenage years.
0409 : 10:30:15:07 10:30:20:16
It involves a lot of soul-searching
and asking a lot of questions.
0410 : 10:30:20:20 10:30:24:21
Often you're almost forced to,
because a lot of teachers
0411 : 10:30:25:04 10:30:27:19
have you pegged as a Muslim anyway.
0412 : 10:30:27:23 10:30:33:04
You might not feel that way, but if
you're constantly confronted with it,
0413 : 10:30:33:08 10:30:35:10
you start to wonder, yourself.
0414 : 10:30:35:18 10:30:37:18
That was how it was with me.
0415 : 10:30:37:22 10:30:40:22
It could easily have ended
in frustration.
0416 : 10:30:41:01 10:30:43:14
That happens to a lot of young people.
0417 : 10:30:43:18 10:30:48:21
Many have no answer to that question
and no real interest in exploring it
0418 : 10:30:49:00 10:30:52:20
because they're lazy
or want nothing to do with religion.
0419 : 10:30:52:24 10:30:56:07
Yet they're often quick to say,
"I'm a Muslim."
0420 : 10:30:56:11 10:31:00:14
But it's just out of pure frustration,
not real piety.
0421 : 10:31:01:10 10:31:04:22
<Islam is a religion>
<that was "imported" to Europe.>
0422 : 10:31:05:04 10:31:10:09
<But so was Christianity, right?>
<What beliefs existed here before that?>
0423 : 10:31:11:23 10:31:15:21
<I ask the high priest>
<of the Germanic neopagan group GGG,>
0424 : 10:31:16:00 10:31:18:09
<who goes by the title "Allsherjargode.">
0425 : 10:31:18:21 10:31:21:11
<We meet in a special spot in the woods>
0426 : 10:31:21:15 10:31:24:20
<where the "heathens">
<celebrate their rituals.>
0427 : 10:31:25:03 10:31:29:09
"Heathens" was a term meaning
those who worship "on the heath."
0428 : 10:31:29:13 10:31:30:13
Pagan High Priest
0429 : 10:31:30:17 10:31:33:11
The Goths coined it
in the fourth century
0430 : 10:31:33:15 10:31:36:14
to refer to those
adhering to nature worship.
0431 : 10:31:38:01 10:31:41:15
We don't see humans
as above the rest of creation,
0432 : 10:31:41:19 10:31:44:01
and that affects our actions.
0433 : 10:31:44:05 10:31:46:09
If you think you rule the Earth,
0434 : 10:31:46:13 10:31:49:24
draining swamps and damming up rivers
is no big deal.
0435 : 10:31:50:03 10:31:52:09
We heathens wouldn't do that.
0436 : 10:31:52:13 10:31:57:04
We believe we're part of Nature,
a greater whole which is divine.
0437 : 10:31:57:20 10:32:01:09
<Sounds like>
<a very environment-friendly religion.>
0438 : 10:32:01:13 10:32:04:24
<So what's>
<specifically "Germanic" about it?>
0439 : 10:32:07:01 10:32:10:19
Christianity pictures hell as an inferno
because
0440 : 10:32:10:23 10:32:15:13
it developed in the Orient,
where heat is the main problem.
0441 : 10:32:15:22 10:32:19:21
Germanic mythology conceives of hell
as a watery hell.
0442 : 10:32:20:00 10:32:24:02
In the cold North,
fire sounded more like heaven than hell.
0443 : 10:32:24:06 10:32:28:00
"Great, I'll die and go to hell,
and be warm at last."
0444 : 10:32:28:04 10:32:31:16
A cold, damp hell is much scarier
in this climate.
0445 : 10:32:31:20 10:32:34:07
<So there's something to be said for>
0446 : 10:32:34:11 10:32:37:21
<choosing a religion>
<rooted in the region.>
0447 : 10:32:38:24 10:32:42:00
<But though I'm intrigued by neopaganism,>
0448 : 10:32:42:04 10:32:45:19
<our area lacks>
<a community of practicing heathens.>
0449 : 10:32:45:23 10:32:51:05
<I could start one for me and my kids,>
<I guess, but I just don't have the time.>
0450 : 10:32:53:23 10:32:57:07
<But luckily,>
<there's a Hindu temple nearby.>
0451 : 10:32:57:23 10:33:01:01
<The priest tells me that>
<the Hindu faith>
0452 : 10:33:01:09 10:33:04:18
<has no universal doctrine or creed.>
<I like that.>
0453 : 10:33:05:12 10:33:08:06
<But most Hindus share the belief in>
0454 : 10:33:08:14 10:33:11:23
<an eternal cycle>
<of life, death and rebirth.>
0455 : 10:33:15:13 10:33:19:10
<Religious teachers, or gurus,>
<often play a key role>
0456 : 10:33:19:19 10:33:22:11
<when it comes to personal faith.>
0457 : 10:33:22:18 10:33:24:21
<So could my kids become Hindu?>
0458 : 10:33:25:04 10:33:29:01
Anyone can convert to Hinduism.
-No, that's not true.
0459 : 10:33:31:22 10:33:34:10
You have to be born into the faith.
0460 : 10:33:34:14 10:33:36:19
You can't just convert.
0461 : 10:33:37:06 10:33:39:16
You can't.
That's impossible.
0462 : 10:33:42:16 10:33:45:21
<It seems that opinions>
<differ among Hindus>
0463 : 10:33:46:00 10:33:48:14
<about the options open to my kids.>
0464 : 10:33:49:08 10:33:50:19
THERE IS NO GOD
0465 : 10:33:50:23 10:33:53:19
<So how about the opposite of religion?>
0466 : 10:33:54:03 10:33:58:12
<I speak to some atheists,>
<who don't believe in any kind of god.>
0467 : 10:33:59:10 10:34:02:20
<A group of them>
<is touring Germany in this bus>
0468 : 10:34:03:03 10:34:05:18
<to explain why we don't need God.>
0469 : 10:34:06:02 10:34:09:11
<Every place the bus stops,>
<like here in Regensburg,>
0470 : 10:34:09:15 10:34:12:19
<believers try to>
<convince them otherwise.>
0471 : 10:34:12:23 10:34:14:23
THERE IS
(ALMOST CERTAINLY) NO GOD
0472 : 10:34:15:05 10:34:18:05
Do you believe in evolution?
-I'm a scientist.
0473 : 10:34:18:09 10:34:20:04
A scientist.
-And I think
0474 : 10:34:20:08 10:34:25:06
there's a lot of evidence for evolution,
but also a lot against it.
0475 : 10:34:25:13 10:34:28:11
People reject the concept of evolution
0476 : 10:34:28:15 10:34:32:20
because such a complex process
is supposedly inconceivable.
0477 : 10:34:32:24 10:34:36:10
But that God exists,
the most complex being of all,
0478 : 10:34:36:14 10:34:38:04
that's conceivable.
0479 : 10:34:38:12 10:34:41:02
To my mind, that's a contradiction.
0480 : 10:34:41:06 10:34:43:03
A huge one, even.
-Exactly.
0481 : 10:34:43:10 10:34:45:07
There you are.
-Thank you.
0482 : 10:34:45:21 10:34:48:18
Hello, Miss?
May I give you something?
0483 : 10:34:48:22 10:34:50:17
And what is it? No.
-No?
0484 : 10:34:50:21 10:34:53:10
No, thanks.
-If I do something wrong,
0485 : 10:34:53:16 10:34:57:23
I have to take responsibility
and answer to my own conscience.
0486 : 10:34:58:02 10:35:01:04
The idea of someone being
nailed to a cross
0487 : 10:35:01:08 10:35:03:12
so <my >sins will be forgiven...
0488 : 10:35:04:02 10:35:06:14
To me that's absolutely horrific.
0489 : 10:35:06:18 10:35:08:09
We're all sinners.
0490 : 10:35:08:17 10:35:11:14
Sinners in thought.
Thoughts can be sin.
0491 : 10:35:11:18 10:35:15:04
That's going a bit far.
-I know that for a fact.
0492 : 10:35:15:08 10:35:17:10
I've sinned in thought before.
0493 : 10:35:17:17 10:35:20:21
And I went to Jesus
and he forgave me.
0494 : 10:35:21:03 10:35:23:13
Catholics have a "reset button."
0495 : 10:35:23:17 10:35:25:06
Bus Campaign Organizer
0496 : 10:35:25:10 10:35:28:16
Just go to confession
and your slate is clean.
0497 : 10:35:28:20 10:35:30:16
I don't have it so easy.
0498 : 10:35:30:23 10:35:35:04
I know that whatever I do,
I have to answer for it to myself,
0499 : 10:35:35:08 10:35:38:01
to the people I know,
and to society.
0500 : 10:35:57:11 10:36:01:00
The sentence "There is no God"
is a statement
0501 : 10:36:01:15 10:36:03:21
with a dogmatic claim to truth
0502 : 10:36:04:00 10:36:06:24
that we atheists can't substantiate.
0503 : 10:36:07:03 10:36:10:10
We can't prove that God doesn't exist,
0504 : 10:36:10:18 10:36:13:22
just as the theists
can't prove that he does.
0505 : 10:36:14:01 10:36:18:11
So in a sense, as Woody Allen said,
we're the "loyal opposition."
0506 : 10:36:18:15 10:36:22:20
And the "new atheists,"
a term that appeared a few years ago,
0507 : 10:36:22:24 10:36:25:19
could be called
the "disloyal opposition."
0508 : 10:36:25:23 10:36:29:03
They see no need
to even debate with believers.
0509 : 10:36:31:05 10:36:35:19
<So "new atheists" feel no need>
<for debate with the other side.>
0510 : 10:36:35:23 10:36:38:01
<The feeling is not mutual.>
0511 : 10:36:39:08 10:36:43:15
<A group of true believers follow>
<the atheists in their own bus,>
0512 : 10:36:44:10 10:36:48:20
<determined not to let the non-believers>
<have the field to themselves.>
0513 : 10:36:49:03 10:36:53:09
The Christian message
is very much alive, but the problem is
0514 : 10:36:53:18 10:36:56:23
that we don't always
live accordingly.
0515 : 10:36:57:02 10:36:59:01
Press Officer
"Know God" Tour
0516 : 10:36:59:13 10:37:02:20
I think it's important
to ask ourselves why,
0517 : 10:37:02:24 10:37:07:16
to pass on the message of freedom
and answer people's questions.
0518 : 10:37:07:20 10:37:09:24
God will take care of the rest.
0519 : 10:37:10:11 10:37:13:17
All they have to offer
are circular arguments.
0520 : 10:37:13:21 10:37:15:08
Press Officer,
Bus Campaign
0521 : 10:37:15:12 10:37:20:18
"God exists because the Bible says so.
The Bible is God's word, so it's right."
0522 : 10:37:20:22 10:37:25:14
It's a self-referential system,
making objective debate impossible.
0523 : 10:37:25:22 10:37:27:11
GOD LOVES CHEMNITZ
0524 : 10:37:30:19 10:37:32:07
HAPPY WITHOUT GOD
0525 : 10:37:39:10 10:37:41:09
THERE IS NO GOD
0526 : 10:37:41:18 10:37:44:03
AND WHAT IF HE DOES EXIST?
KNOW GOD
0527 : 10:37:46:07 10:37:50:14
The Bible says those who turn to
Jesus Christ will be saved.
0528 : 10:37:50:18 10:37:53:05
The others won't.
-That's what it says.
0529 : 10:37:53:15 10:37:58:14
Atheists believe everyone will be saved.
-Don't they believe no one needs saving?
0530 : 10:37:59:16 10:38:01:12
Religious faith is a belief.
0531 : 10:38:01:16 10:38:06:05
It shouldn't be sold as absolute truth,
especially not to children.
0532 : 10:38:06:24 10:38:10:18
<But what's so great>
<about not believing in God?>
0533 : 10:38:11:24 10:38:15:17
<Even the atheists find it hard>
<to answer that one.>
0534 : 10:38:15:21 10:38:20:01
Certainly Socialism,
which defines itself as atheist,
0535 : 10:38:20:05 10:38:23:11
hasn't exactly helped atheism's image,
0536 : 10:38:23:15 10:38:26:22
due to the terror
perpetrated in its name.
0537 : 10:38:31:02 10:38:33:15
<I'm looking for you>
0538 : 10:38:34:17 10:38:38:14
<It was interesting to accompany>
<the buses for a while.>
0539 : 10:38:38:18 10:38:42:22
<But I still haven't found>
<the right faith for me and my kids.>
0540 : 10:38:43:01 10:38:47:02
<I've spoken to Jesuits, Protestants,>
<Catholics, Jews,>
0541 : 10:38:47:10 10:38:49:10
<to Muslims and Buddhists,>
0542 : 10:38:49:19 10:38:51:14
<heathens and Hindus,>
0543 : 10:38:51:21 10:38:54:03
<Methodists and atheists,>
0544 : 10:38:54:10 10:38:56:21
<Shamans... and yoga teachers.>
0545 : 10:38:58:22 10:39:02:19
<The more you think about God>
<and try to understand him,>
0546 : 10:39:02:23 10:39:04:22
<the harder it seems to get.>
0547 : 10:39:05:02 10:39:08:07
<I'm exhausted>
<and just about ready to give up.>
0548 : 10:39:09:20 10:39:13:23
<Then I get an invitation>
<to my cousin's wedding in Israel.>
0549 : 10:39:14:02 10:39:17:19
<Of course my Mom, who's Jewish,>
<comes along, too.>
0550 : 10:39:30:17 10:39:34:19
<Looking at this barren land,>
<who would guess how sacred it is?>
0551 : 10:39:34:23 10:39:37:01
<Jews, Christians and Muslims>
0552 : 10:39:37:05 10:39:40:09
<trace the roots of their faiths>
<to this area.>
0553 : 10:39:40:18 10:39:42:21
<That can't be a coincidence.>
0554 : 10:39:44:12 10:39:46:15
<According to the New Testament,>
0555 : 10:39:46:19 10:39:50:19
<Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan>
<by John the Baptist.>
0556 : 10:39:50:23 10:39:53:22
<Devout pilgrims>
<from all over the world>
0557 : 10:39:54:01 10:39:57:19
<flock to the baptismal center>
<at the purported site.>
0558 : 10:39:57:24 10:40:02:10
<Like this New Apostolic Church group>
<from the Dominican Republic,>
0559 : 10:40:02:17 10:40:05:24
<who came here>
<for a baptism ceremony.>
0560 : 10:40:07:02 10:40:10:16
Do you renounce the devil?
-We renounce him.
0561 : 10:40:10:20 10:40:13:17
And all his works?
-We renounce them.
0562 : 10:40:15:10 10:40:18:01
Do you believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
0563 : 10:40:18:05 10:40:20:21
maker of heaven and earth?
-We do.
0564 : 10:40:21:09 10:40:23:16
Dear Parents and Godparents,
0565 : 10:40:24:19 10:40:30:01
you have come today to present Rebecca
for the sacrament of baptism,
0566 : 10:40:30:05 10:40:34:00
that through the Holy Ghost
she may be given new life
0567 : 10:40:34:04 10:40:36:12
arising from the love of God.
0568 : 10:40:42:16 10:40:46:08
Rebecca, I baptize thee
in the name of the Father...
0569 : 10:40:48:00 10:40:49:17
... the Son...
0570 : 10:40:50:13 10:40:52:11
... and the Holy Ghost.
0571 : 10:40:57:14 10:41:03:00
<I doubt my wife could be convinced>
<to have our children baptized like that.>
0572 : 10:41:03:04 10:41:06:06
<But I can check out>
<the nearby souvenir shop>
0573 : 10:41:06:14 10:41:09:09
<for gifts to bring them>
<from my trip.>
0574 : 10:41:24:12 10:41:28:17
<Prophets have never had it easy,>
<especially on home soil.>
0575 : 10:41:29:03 10:41:33:04
<Visionaries are often dismissed as nuts.>
<Who knows?>
0576 : 10:41:33:08 10:41:36:14
<If Jesus came back today,>
<he might well smoke>
0577 : 10:41:36:18 10:41:40:14
<and have to put up with>
<all sorts of tedious questions, too.>
0578 : 10:41:41:12 10:41:44:07
Any questions, or can I go?
-You're the Messiah?
0579 : 10:41:44:11 10:41:47:12
Where's your kippah?
-Who says I need one?
0580 : 10:41:47:16 10:41:51:06
Did Moses say anything about kippahs?
Or Abraham?
0581 : 10:41:51:10 10:41:57:06
The rabbis only declared 1500 years ago
that piety demands it, but it doesn't.
0582 : 10:41:57:13 10:41:59:20
So help your country.
-How?
0583 : 10:41:59:24 10:42:05:09
Nothing good ever happens here.
-Because people ignore the true Messiah.
0584 : 10:42:07:00 10:42:11:00
<The so-called Jerusalem syndrome>
<is a mental disorder>
0585 : 10:42:11:04 10:42:16:12
<that afflicts about 100 visitors>
<and residents of Jerusalem each year.>
0586 : 10:42:16:16 10:42:19:16
<Sufferers usually develop>
<the delusion that>
0587 : 10:42:19:20 10:42:23:23
<they are an important religious figure>
<from the Bible.>
0588 : 10:42:24:20 10:42:29:05
<Could religious instruction>
<cause psychoses in children?>
0589 : 10:42:29:09 10:42:32:24
<I ask Dr. Moshe Kalian,>
<the city's District Psychiatrist>
0590 : 10:42:33:16 10:42:37:13
<and the leading expert>
<on Jerusalem syndrome.>
0591 : 10:43:10:18 10:43:15:00
<I visit the Wailing Wall,>
<the holiest site in Judaism today,>
0592 : 10:43:15:04 10:43:18:00
<during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.>
0593 : 10:43:18:04 10:43:23:12
<Judaism is not a proselytizing faith,>
<but in theory anyone can become Jewish.>
0594 : 10:43:23:16 10:43:27:04
<However, converting>
<is a long, drawn-out process.>
0595 : 10:43:27:08 10:43:30:06
<It's easier if your mother is Jewish.>
0596 : 10:43:30:20 10:43:33:16
<Then you're accepted into the faith>
<automatically.>
0597 : 10:43:35:01 10:43:37:06
We are standing in the place
0598 : 10:43:37:11 10:43:40:18
that Jews all over the world
turn to in prayer.
0599 : 10:43:40:22 10:43:43:19
We pray to God
and ask that He protect
0600 : 10:43:44:03 10:43:48:02
the children of Israel
from war and other tribulations,
0601 : 10:43:48:06 10:43:52:11
that the children of Israel
study Torah and be God fearing,
0602 : 10:43:52:15 10:43:55:00
that we may have the privilege
0603 : 10:43:55:04 10:43:58:09
to get close to the Holy One,
blessed be He,
0604 : 10:43:58:14 10:44:02:11
to know that this is the purpose
and with God's help,
0605 : 10:44:02:15 10:44:06:24
we will achieve
"complete redemption in our own days"
0606 : 10:44:07:05 10:44:09:02
within this year.
Amen.
0607 : 10:44:11:07 10:44:16:24
<I know my family in Israel would approve>
<if I raised my kids in the Jewish faith.>
0608 : 10:44:17:20 10:44:21:08
<When would I have to>
<make a final decision?>
0609 : 10:44:21:16 10:44:24:23
You don't have to decide
when the baby is born.
0610 : 10:44:25:02 10:44:26:08
Rabbi
0611 : 10:44:26:12 10:44:29:13
Children up to
the age of two or three
0612 : 10:44:30:01 10:44:33:23
aren't aware of the fact
that they're "converting,"
0613 : 10:44:34:02 10:44:36:09
so it's not really a problem.
0614 : 10:44:36:13 10:44:41:10
But I strongly recommend
having boys circumcised right away
0615 : 10:44:41:14 10:44:44:10
so it doesn't become an issue later.
0616 : 10:44:44:22 10:44:49:10
I've had 11- and 12-year-old boys here
who weren't circumcised
0617 : 10:44:49:14 10:44:51:24
and wanted to have a bar mitzvah.
0618 : 10:44:52:03 10:44:57:03
Some actually decided to have it done,
but that's really asking a lot.
0619 : 10:45:00:10 10:45:02:19
<So if I want to go the Jewish route,>
0620 : 10:45:02:23 10:45:05:17
<I definitely shouldn't wait too long.>
0621 : 10:45:05:21 10:45:09:17
<But we'd face the circumcision issue>
<with Islam, too.>
0622 : 10:45:12:01 10:45:14:10
<Before I make a final decision,>
0623 : 10:45:14:14 10:45:19:18
<I want to talk to my mother about>
<her ambivalent attitude toward religion.>
0624 : 10:45:20:16 10:45:24:17
<On the way to the cemetery>
<to visit my grandmother's grave,>
0625 : 10:45:24:21 10:45:27:01
<I bring the subject up again.>
0626 : 10:45:27:05 10:45:30:02
I'd never say I'm Jewish
of my own accord.
0627 : 10:45:30:06 10:45:32:03
I'm not really anything.
0628 : 10:45:32:07 10:45:36:04
I only care about Judaism
because it's under attack
0629 : 10:45:36:14 10:45:41:22
and six million people were killed
solely because they were Jewish.
0630 : 10:45:42:01 10:45:43:21
That's what it's about.
0631 : 10:45:44:00 10:45:45:20
If that hadn't happened,
0632 : 10:45:45:24 10:45:50:19
I wouldn't be telling you I'm Jewish now
and it wouldn't matter to me.
0633 : 10:45:50:23 10:45:53:15
But being Jewish does matter to me...
0634 : 10:45:53:19 10:45:56:15
... because it's why
I ended up in a camp.
0635 : 10:45:56:19 10:46:00:02
How can a concentration camp survivor
believe in God?
0636 : 10:46:00:06 10:46:02:07
I already told you, I don't.
0637 : 10:46:02:18 10:46:06:02
I don't believe in God,
I believe in the community
0638 : 10:46:06:06 10:46:09:03
forced to suffer
for believing in that God.
0639 : 10:46:09:10 10:46:13:10
And do I belong to that community?
-That's for you to decide.
0640 : 10:46:13:14 10:46:15:11
I can't tell you that.
0641 : 10:46:19:06 10:46:22:06
Marc?
Look, there you can see it already.
0642 : 10:46:22:10 10:46:24:20
What's up there?
-The cemetery.
0643 : 10:46:24:24 10:46:27:18
Your grandma's buried here somewhere.
0644 : 10:46:27:22 10:46:31:16
It's so huge.
You have to know exactly where to go.
0645 : 10:46:31:21 10:46:33:21
It's alphabetic, isn't it?
0646 : 10:46:34:00 10:46:37:02
Otherwise you'd never find it.
Look at those...
0647 : 10:46:37:06 10:46:39:19
What do you need that for, I ask you?
0648 : 10:46:40:04 10:46:44:09
Did you see? Section 13 is over there.
-Right, 13 and 11.
0649 : 10:46:44:15 10:46:47:02
You saw that?
-Yes, Section 11.
0650 : 10:46:48:06 10:46:50:11
You're sure 11 is there?
-Yes.
0651 : 10:46:50:16 10:46:52:14
So we'll go there, then.
0652 : 10:46:58:17 10:47:02:20
I have a horror of anything
to do with religion.
0653 : 10:47:02:24 10:47:05:14
I associate it with oppression...
0654 : 10:47:05:18 10:47:07:15
... feelings of guilt...
0655 : 10:47:10:05 10:47:12:12
... not love and kindness.
0656 : 10:47:18:07 10:47:22:03
Where are you going now?
-There's a funeral going on.
0657 : 10:47:22:13 10:47:24:07
I don't want to walk past.
0658 : 10:47:26:15 10:47:30:11
We need to go left, then right,
left and right again.
0659 : 10:47:38:09 10:47:42:13
Do you remember anything at all?
-All I remember is...
0660 : 10:47:43:02 10:47:46:12
... staring down at
this vast burial ground.
0661 : 10:47:52:05 10:47:54:17
So, have you found it?
0662 : 10:48:08:09 10:48:11:01
<My mother finally found the grave.>
0663 : 10:48:11:05 10:48:16:09
<We paid our respects to my grandmother>
<and then we flew back to Germany.>
0664 : 10:48:16:22 10:48:20:05
<Our cemetery visit>
<raised new questions for me.>
0665 : 10:48:20:09 10:48:23:15
<How do interfaith families deal with>
0666 : 10:48:23:21 10:48:25:22
<the death of a family member?>
0667 : 10:48:26:01 10:48:28:14
<What issues need to be considered?>
0668 : 10:48:28:18 10:48:30:19
<I meet with Volkan Coskun,>
0669 : 10:48:31:09 10:48:36:12
<head of the "Death and Faith" department>
<at a big funeral home in Berlin.>
0670 : 10:48:36:16 10:48:39:05
We're all shaped by our culture.
0671 : 10:48:39:14 10:48:44:05
Some bury their dead, others
practice cremation or burial at sea
0672 : 10:48:44:09 10:48:47:07
because that's what
their culture calls for.
0673 : 10:48:47:11 10:48:50:05
That's ingrained in us
from early on.
0674 : 10:48:50:09 10:48:52:02
Director,
"Faith and Death"
0675 : 10:48:52:06 10:48:54:20
So of course
the deceased's relatives
0676 : 10:48:54:24 10:48:58:21
want things handled
as they are in their own culture.
0677 : 10:48:59:00 10:49:03:14
It seems natural to them,
like brushing your teeth before bed.
0678 : 10:49:03:22 10:49:07:09
Yes.
-Most tensions in multicultural families
0679 : 10:49:07:20 10:49:11:21
aren't about one person wanting this
and another that.
0680 : 10:49:12:04 10:49:16:14
They arise because one group
can't pass on its traditions.
0681 : 10:49:17:17 10:49:20:03
<I ask Volkan Coskun for his opinion.>
0682 : 10:49:20:07 10:49:25:03
<Does he think I ought to bring up>
<my children in a specific faith?>
0683 : 10:49:25:17 10:49:29:09
In interfaith marriages
where both partners agree
0684 : 10:49:29:17 10:49:33:18
and convey that, the kids can
decide for themselves one day
0685 : 10:49:33:22 10:49:36:22
if they want to be
Christian or Muslim or Jewish.
0686 : 10:49:37:01 10:49:38:16
And why not?
0687 : 10:49:39:19 10:49:44:08
What good is forcing someone
to be Christian or to be Jewish?
0688 : 10:49:44:12 10:49:47:24
That's not what religious faith
is all about.
0689 : 10:49:48:14 10:49:51:12
But how can you prove
that God exists?
0690 : 10:49:51:16 10:49:55:12
I don't have to.
How can you prove that you're loved?
0691 : 10:50:05:16 10:50:08:11
<It's that time of year again:>
<Christmas.>
0692 : 10:50:09:01 10:50:12:04
<Our religious patchwork family>
<comes together>
0693 : 10:50:12:12 10:50:17:15
<to celebrate the Christian holiday,>
<as if >the <one God really existed.>
0694 : 10:50:18:19 10:50:20:14
<Anyway, for the kids,>
0695 : 10:50:20:18 10:50:24:15
<I won't delude myself,>
<the presents are the main thing.>
0696 : 10:50:25:10 10:50:27:09
<What religion for my kids?>
0697 : 10:50:28:02 10:50:29:18
<I still don't know.>
0698 : 10:50:30:09 10:50:33:22
<I met a lot of people>
<who firmly believe in God,>
0699 : 10:50:34:01 10:50:37:00
<and I understand that>
<better than I did.>
0700 : 10:50:37:04 10:50:39:24
<But I guess I'll remain a non-believer,>
0701 : 10:50:40:03 10:50:42:22
<for I have yet to encounter God myself.>
0702 : 10:50:43:04 10:50:47:05
<But if my children do develop>
<an interest in God one day,>
0703 : 10:50:47:09 10:50:49:01
<they have my support.>
0704 : 10:50:49:16 10:50:55:07
<I'll accompany them to synagogues,>
<churches, mosques and encounter groups,>
0705 : 10:50:55:11 10:50:58:18
<bite my tongue and>
<refrain from caustic remarks.>
0706 : 10:50:59:01 10:51:02:15
<And who says parents>
<can't learn from their children?>
0707 : 10:51:02:19 10:51:08:08
<If my kids do "get religion" some day,>
<maybe they can help me get it, too.>
0708 : 10:51:56:22 10:52:00:00
SUBTITLES
BABELFISCH TRANSLATIONS
0709 : 10:52:00:04 10:52:02:02
<Why are you Methodist?>
0710 : 10:52:05:11 10:52:07:19
<My wife was Methodist...>
0711 : --:--:--:-- --:--:--:--
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