This is a very disturbing video documentary for the BBC program Panorama, by reporter John Sweeney. BBC reporter John Sweeney’s last investigation into the Church of Scientology resulted in an explosive confrontation with church officials. This time, in a Panorama Special, one of those officials has turned whistle blower to help him reveal the dark secrets of the church, which boasts Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its devotees.
From the bizarre prophecies of Charles Manson to the desperate paranoia of Jim Jones, cult leaders draw followers into worlds of power, obsession, and sometimes death. The dark and dangerous world of cults has long been a source of both fascination and fear. What attracts followers to cults and, more importantly, what makes them stay?
A HISTORY OF GOD examines the familiar images of deity as presented in the Bible and Koran and traces the evolution and interrelation of the various Christian, Jewish, and Islamic interpretations of the divine figure. Through balanced analysis of historic and holy texts and extensive use of ancient art and artifacts, we'll follow the long road to today's understanding of God and what the journey and the destination have to tell us about humanity and its never-ending search for meaning and comfort. From the time of Abraham to the present, this is a thought-provoking look at the God at the heart of the world's three great monotheistic religions.
Carlos Castaneda rose to fame after the publication of his book, The Teachings Of Don Juan. The book is based on his anthropological fieldwork in the Mexican desert in the Sixties with a Yaqui Indian shaman, whom he called Don Juan. The Teachings Of Don Juan was an instant success for Castaneda, persuading thousands of Americans to set off for Mexico in search of drugs, nirvana and enlightenment. Castaneda was dubbed the "grandfather of the New Age movement" by Time magazine and awarded a doctorate in anthropology from UCLA. But an investigative journalist claimed Castaneda had faked his fieldwork and that Don Juan was merely a figment of his imagination. This film investigates the controversy that surrounded Castaneda's book and explores the practices of today's Yaqui Indians.
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