Around the World in 80 Faiths
Around the World in 80 Faiths titlecard
Genre	Religious,Documentary film,Adventure travel,television program
Directed by	Sian Salt Tom Sheahan Karen Selway Graham Johnston Rob Cowling Kevin Jarvis
Presented by	Pete Owen-Jones
Composers	James Atherton Johnny Clifford
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producer	Jean Claude Bragard
Producers	Sian Salt Tom Sheahan Karen Selway Graham Johnston Rob Cowling Kevin Jarvis
Production location	Worldwide
Editors	Steve Stevenson Ivan Probert Dave Reynolds James Marson
Camera setup	Graham Veevers & Self Shot by Directors
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	BBC Television
Original release
Network	BBC Two,BBC HD
Release	2 January (2009-01-02) – 20 February 2009 (2009-02-20)

Around the World in 80 Faiths is a British television series which was first broadcast by theBBC on 2 January 2009. The series was presented byAnglicanvicarPete Owen-Jones, who was researching the various faiths from around the world.^[1][2]

There was also a book planned to accompany the series, written by Owen-Jones and published byBBC Books, but the book is not published.^[3][4]

The series was presented in eight episodes with the last one airing on 20 February 2009:

Directed & Produced by Sian Salt, Camera Graham Veevers

• Faith 1: Islam andSpirit Worship: Attends a sword-stabbing ritual performed by theBugis people ofSulawesi,Indonesia.
• Faith 2: Christianity andAncestor worship – Attends afuneral rite performed by theTana Toraja people ofSulawesi,Indonesia and reflects on their relationship with the dead.
• Faith 3: Catholic Carabao festival: Visits the annual town festival ofPulilan, Bulacan,Philippines in honour of the town'spatron saint,San Isidro Labrador.Carabaos, the traditional beast of burden, are made to kneel by the church's doors in veneration of the saint.
• Faith 4: Catholic fertility ritual: Attends theObando Fertility Rites inObando, Bulacan,Philippines, a three-daypagan fertility festival now held to honourthree Catholic saints. Locals dance to pray for fertility, out of tradition for past successful dances, and just to be a part of the festival. A priest prays and preaches before directing a large dance insideObando Church. Peter reflects on the cross-fertilization betweenCatholicism andanimism and suggests that instead of the Catholics simply incorporating the dance into a prayer to the saints the festival may instead be a mutual coupling of fertility and creation.
• Faith 5:Aboriginal Dreaming: VisitsAlice Springs to meet with theIndigenous Australian people, theAborigines, to witness a baby smoking ritual. Peter accompanies a group of locals on a trip to find the bush used in the ritual. A baby is then held in a small sand pit containing smoldering leaves for a few seconds at a time. A local tells him that the ritual is done so that the baby will be healthy and strong. Peter hoped to witness some of the AboriginalDreaming rituals, however, a local tells him that baby smoking is not related toDreamtime. Peter reflects that the ritual seems to have lost its meaning as the locals are sparse in their explanation of the spiritual aspects of the event. The women of the group then remove their shirts and paint their chest and arms. With feathers in their hair, they dance around a fire. The women tell Peter they are Christian and do not know of the old Aboriginal religion.
• Faith 6: The IraqiMandaeans: Attends a regularbaptism service inspired byJohn the Baptist and performed by the persecutedMandaeans ofIraq in a park inSydney, Australia.
• Faith 7: Urbanwitchcraft: Visits a group ofwitches who have established theircoven, led by Tim Hartridge, withinSydney, Australia.
• Faith 8: IndigenousKastom: Meets practitioners of the tribal faith ofKastomism on theSouth Pacific island ofTanna,Vanuatu.
• Faith 9: John Frum cult – Meets practitioners of the new religion ofJohn Frum of Tanna, inspired by the American presence on the island after theWorld War II.
• Faith 10:Prophet Fred and Unity: Witnesses the religion of Unity and interviews their prophet, Fred fromTanna andKillian.

Directed, Filmed & Series Produced by Graham Johnston

• Faith 11: Japanese Shinto: Witnesses the cleansing,Shinto fire festival ofShingū, Wakayama, Japan.
• Faith 12: Buddhism,Hadaka Matsuri (The Naked Man festival) – Visits theBuddhist fertility festival atOkayama, Japan.
• Faith 13: Hindu street shrine – Visits a busy, popularHindu shrine in downtownBangkok used byBuddhist worshippers.
• Faith 14:Theravada Buddhism – Interviews a monk ofTheravada Buddhism, describing its importance inThailand.
• Faith 14 1/2: UnfilmedTibetan Buddhist festival in China, because Chinese officials issued the host & crew visas only after the completion of this religious festival, hinting at a long lastingstate animosity to religion.
• Faith 15: Confucianism – Looking at theConfucian religion withincommunist China.
• Faith 16: Chinese Taoism – Interviews a solitaryTaoist monk onMount Hua, China aboutTaoism.
• Faith 17: Korean Pentecostalism: Reflects on the rise ofPentecostalism inSouth Korea and visits theYoido Full Gospel Church inSeoul, recognized by theGuinness Book of World Records as having the world's largest congregation.
• Faith 18: Korean Shamanism – Visits ashaman in ruralSouth Korea and reflects on the possible revival ofKorean shamanism.
• Faith 19: Cao Dai – Visits the headquarters of the recently created religion ofCao Dai atTay Ninh,Vietnam.
• Faith 20: Mother Goddess – Attends a ceremony celebrating theVietnamese spirit religion of theMother goddess.

Directed, filmed & produced by Tom Sheahan

• Faith 21:Voodoo –Mamywata:Benin fishermen inCotonou perform ritual to serpent goddess Mamywata.
• Faith 22: Voodoo – Gris Gris: Visits thefetish market inCotonou,Benin to see various dead animal parts. Practitioners claim these heal common ailments.
• Faith 23: Voodoo – Church of Thron: Peter attends a Sunday service involvinganimal sacrifice inCotonou,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:ZuluSangomas: Visits aZuluSangoma inJohannesburg, South Africa to contact the spirit of the ancestors.
• Faith 26: Twelfth Apostolic Church: Witnesses an outdoorprayer meeting inHillbrow,Johannesburg, South Africa, where rituals involving healing and protection through the intercession of theHoly Spirit are key.
• Faith 27:Afrikaner Calvinism: Attends a prayer meeting at home inGroot Marico, South Africa where worshippers believe the world will end by 2020.
• Faith 28:Rastafari: Visits a community ofJamaicans, four hours drive fromAddis Ababa,Ethiopia who believeHaile Selassie I is their messiah and that they are now inZion.
• Faith 29:Ethiopian Islam: Visits a tearoom beside a mosque inNegash,Tigray,Ethiopia to chewkhat.
• Faith 30:Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity: Witnesses a church service for the feast ofSt Michael at the Church of Mikael Imba,Tigray,Ethiopia and is moved to tears by the warmth of human love he witnesses.

Directed, filmed & produced by Tom Sheahan

• Faith 31:African Hebrew Israelites: Participates in a prayer meeting at the Village of Peace,Dimona,Israel.
• Faith 32:Christianity: Walks theVia Dolorosa onGood Friday and visits theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre,Jerusalem.
• Faith 33:Judaism: WitnessesPurim celebrations at the JerusalemGreat Synagogue, and in the ultra-orthodox district of Me'a She'arim, Jerusalem, Israel.
• Faith 34:Sunni Islam: Discusses the tenets of the Sunni faith at theUmayyad Mosque,Damascus,Syria.
• Faith 35:Sufism: Witnesseswhirling dervishes in a house beside a 14th-centurymosque inAleppo, Syria.
• Faith 36:Alevi: Takes part in a cem ritual in acemevi in a suburb ofIstanbul,Turkey.
• Faith 37:Yazidi: Witnesses the Yazidi New Year celebrations in a village nearMosul,Iraq and atLalish meets the current Yazidi leader. Yazidis' gatherings are cautious and persecuted because they are labelled 'satanist' by neighbours.
• Faith 38:Samaritan: Attends the Samaritan Passover celebrations onMount Gerizim, nearNablus,West Bank.
• Faith 39:Baháʼí: Attends the Festival ofRidván at theShrine of the Báb,Haifa, Israel.

Directed & Produced by Karen Selway. Camera Graham Veevers

• Faith 40:Snake handling: Witnesses a prayer meeting involving holdingvenomous snakes at the Edwina Church of God in Jesus Christ's Name, Newport,Tennessee.
• Faith 41:Baptist preacher prodigy: Attends a prayer meeting conducted by 10-year-old minister Jared Sawyer Jr at the Greater Travelers' Rest Baptist Church,Decatur, Georgia.
• Faith 42:Evangelical revival: Witnesses a prayer meeting and a laying-on of hands at the Ignited Church,Lakeland, Florida.
• Faith 43:Spiritualism: Attends aséance at the CassadagaSpiritualist Camp,Cassadaga, Florida.
• Faith 44:Navajo sweat lodge: Joins members of the Navajo in asweat lodge in theArizona desert.
• Faith 45:Mormons: Discusses Mormon theology atthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church),Salt Lake City,Utah.
• Faith 46: Religious polygamists: Interviews religious polygamists in St George, Utah who have broken with the LDS church over its attitude topolygamy.
• Faith 47: All SaintsEpiscopalian Church: Witnesses asame-sex marriage ceremony at the All Saints Episcopalian Church,Pasadena, California.
• Faith 48:Summum: Visits theSummum Pyramid in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Faith 49:Burning Man festival: Attends the annual event inBlack Rock Desert, northernNevada.

Directed, filmed & series produced by Graham Johnston

• Faith 50:Tibetan Buddhism Witnesses a tara ritual at Kutsab Ternga monastery, nearJomsom,Mustang district,Nepal.
• Faith 51:Hinduism: Muktinath Walks through 108 waterspouts at the Stupa of Muktinath, near Jomsom, Mustang district, Nepal.
• Faith 52: Hindu/Buddhist: Child blessing. Attends a child blessing in a house inKathmandu, Nepal.
• Faith 53: Hinduism: TheDurga Puja festival. Witnesses the Durga Puja festival inCalcutta, India.
• Faith 54: HinduAghoris: Meets an aghori in Tarapith,West Bengal, India.
• Faith 55: TheBishnoi: Visits The Bishnoi and discusses their belief system inRajasthan, India
• Faith 56: TheNath Firewalkers: Witnesses Fire walking at Purnima in Rajasthan, India.
• Faith 57:Zoroastrianism: Attends aParsi wedding at the Parsi Fire Temple,Mumbai, India.
• Faith 58:Sikhism: Attends the 300th anniversary of the consecration of theGuru Granth Sahib at Nanded, Maharashtra, India.
• Faith 59:Jainism: Witnesses celebrations at the monolithic statue of LordGomateshwara,Shravanabelagola,Hassan district, India and here meets a Jain wandering nun, which proves to be a moving experience.
• Faith 60: HinduGorehabba ritual: Takes part in the Gorehabba ritual duringDiwali at Gummatapura, a village on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, southern India.

Directed & produced by Rob Cowling. Camera Graham Veevers

• Faith 61:Roman Catholicism in Mexico: AttendsMidnight Mass at the basilica ofOur Lady of Guadalupe,Mexico City, Mexico
• Faith 62:Santa Muerte,Folk Catholicism: Witnesses prayers toSanta Muerte (Spanish for Saint Death, which is a sacred figure and feminine skeletal folk saint),Barrio de Tepito, Mexico City. Also sees devotee of Santa Muerte being tattooed.

Peter Owen Jones then visitedBolivia, mentioning how the current president is the first native ethnic president of Bolivia.

• Faith 63:El Tio: Witnesses offerings toEl Tio figure, amine god atCerro Rico mine,Bolivia
• Faith 64:Pachamama: Witnesses llama sacrifice on hill aboveSampaya, Bolivia
• Faith 65: Roman Catholic Church: Automobile blessing outside the basilica of the Virgen de la Candelaria,Copacabana, Bolivia
• Faith 66:Pentecostalism: Cleansing and exorcism of prisoners at Benfica detention centre,Leopoldina,Rio de Janeiro, Brazil byAssemblies of God minister. Minister later exorcises Owen-Jones in attempt to stop him smoking.
• Faith 67:Candomblé: WitnessesSamba Day celebrations andorixa possession
• Faith 68:Templo da Boa Vontade (Temple of Goodwill): Meditation at a pyramid-shaped structure inBrasília.
• Faith 69:Valley of Dawn: Takes part in the Vale do Amanhecer ritual, a spirit reading, at location nearPlanaltina, Brazil which proves to be a nerve-racking experience.
• Faith 70:Santo Daime: Takes part inAyahuasca service where participants drink powerful substance that is said to induce a higher state of consciousness and reveal aspects of an individual's inner divine self. Location:Ceu do Mapia,Acre, Brazil

Directed, filmed and produced by Kevin Jarvis

• Faith 71:Norwegian Lutheran Church: Attends a Lutheran baptism atSussjavri,Lapland, northernNorway
• Faith 72:Sami shamanism: Witnesses a spiritual invocation of ancestors (Yoik) at Vesterama Sami Camp, Lapland, northern Norway
• Faith 73:Judaism in Lithuania: Attends Shabbat prayers and meal in Vilnius, Lithuania
• Faith 74:Christianity: Visits theHill of Crosses, 12 km north ofŠiauliai, northern Lithuania
• Faith 75:Russian Orthodox Church: Attends theFeast of the Epiphany andBaptism of Christ at theCathedral of Christ the Saviour, Kropotkinskaya Square,Moscow, Russia, and an ice hole on Zhivopisnaya Street where worshippers swim in the freezing water.
• Faith 76:Atheism in Russia: Attends an Atheist discussion meeting in Moscow.
• Faith 77:Hare Krishna: Witnesses Hare Krishna procession in Moscow.
• Faith 78:Buddhism in Kalmykia: Witnesses Kalmyk Buddhist meditation at theSyakyusn-Syume Temple inElista,Republic of Kalmykia, Russia. Also visits an apartment built above the temple intended for a visit by theDalai Lama.
• Faith 79:Benedictine monks: AttendsVespers at San Benedetto's Monastery,Subiaco, Italy.
• Faith 80:Damanhur: Visit to the Damanhur Community,Baldissero Canavese, nearTurin, Italy.

• Around the World in 80 Faiths atBBC Online
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• Around the World in 80 Faiths atIMDb

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• 2009 British television series debuts
• 2009 British television series endings

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