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13 Episodes 2007 - 2007
Episode 1
In this episode, we venture into the Siberian wilderness to meet Jesus. Sergei Torop proclaimed himself to be "Vissarion," the son of God, in 1989. He now rules over a large swath of the Siberian mountains, commanding a flock of thousands. His followers are engineers, scientists, artists, and other intellectuals from all over Europe. They have chosen to join him in an agrarian-style community, living on strict vegan diets-and on prayer. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 2
In an ordinary building in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, something extraordinary is happening. Men and women begin dropping to the floor, writhing, and speaking in tongues. Christian believers all, they have come here in search of healing. Welcome to the headquarters of Global Awakening Ministries, where pastor Randy Clark claims that secular society and mainline churches have denied North Americans the power of the supernatural. Clark is part of a Christian Evangelical healing movement that urges followers to trust in God's power to cure disease and enact everyday miracles. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 3
Throughout the Islamic world, growing numbers of women are demanding education and equal opportunities-a stance that sometimes places them in conflict with their societies. In this episode, we look at the experiences of Muslim women in Turkey, where the traditional headscarf has become a symbol of the country's struggle between the forces of secularism and religion. In Israel, activists are fighting to stop honor killings in the country's Muslim communities. And in Toronto, a developer has created an entire Muslim suburb in an effort to merge traditional Islam with contemporary Canadian society. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 4
Religious and political conflicts have long been intertwined. In this episode, religious activists in Kosovo, Jordan, and the ancient city of Bethlehem are trying to bridge the divide between warring faiths-and to lay the foundation for peace. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 5
Ethiopia has maintained its Christian identity for more than sixteen centuries. With neighboring Somalia dominated by Islamic militants, Ethiopia has also become a key ally in the West's battle to contain al Qaeda. Father Mariam Taye, a high priest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, offers viewers a rare glimpse of a Christianity that is still practiced much as it was nearly 2,000 years ago. Christian faith serves as a lifeline for the impoverished people of rural Ethiopia. We also examine the religious roots of Ethiopia's ongoing conflict with Somalia. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 6
The very nature of Jewish identity is changing in the 21st century. In Israel, only a fifth of the population is religiously observant, but Orthodox Jews wield significant cultural and political power. In North America, many Jews have embraced a secular, humanistic form of Judaism, with nearly half marrying outside the faith. We meet a New York fashion designer who is bringing Jewish symbolism to a new audience, with provocative clothes influenced by Torah scrolls and ritual garments. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 7
Demoralized and in decline, the Catholic Church in North America faces growing challenges. In this episode, we meet some of those who are working, in different ways, to ensure its future. Father Paul McNeil, a rural parish priest is coping with the stresses created by a shortage of clergy. Father Randy Hendricks, a Toronto priest reflects on the struggle with celibacy and loneliness. And Monica Kilburn-Smith, a Calgary chaplain, has risked excommunication by challenging the Vatican's stand against the ordination of women. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 8
In fast-paced modern India, some traditions still hold fast. Though the country's notorious caste system was officially abolished half a century ago, discrimination remains widespread. We meet Hema, a leader of Delhi's sewage workers' union. Despite having a master's degree and successful career, Hema is considered an "untouchable" because she is a Dalit, a member of India's lowest social caste. The Dalits make up one-fifth of the country's population. They are forbidden from marrying into upper caste families or even going to the same religious temples. We watch Hema's struggle to rise above her assigned status, at great personal cost. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 9
When contemporary social morés regarding marriage and divorce collide with religious traditions, the results can be messy. We encounter happy polygamist families in Utah, a Hindu matchmaker in Canada, and Israeli women who are challenging the notoriously restrictive Orthodox Jewish divorce laws upheld by their country's powerful and all-male rabbinic courts. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 10
This episode travels deep into China's Gobi Desert. We profile Chinese Islamic leaders and find out how they try to maintain a delicate political balancing act-reassuring the Chinese government while maintaining a thriving community. We also discover an exotic and unusual hybrid of Islam and Chinese Daoist culture, merged with the socialism of the past-the option for women, including mothers and daughters, to become Chinese Islamic clergywomen is one aspect of this phenomenon. Chinese authorities have accused some Muslim groups of terror attacks and advocating a separation from China, which deeply worries Chinese Muslims. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 11
High in the mountains of northern Thailand, Meeh Neh and her fellow spirit women of the Akha hill tribe struggle to preserve their religion and culture. The Thai government, allied with missionaries of the Chinese Baptist Church, is determined to move the Akha out of their ancestral homes into the valley below-thereby separating them from their old ways, including their traditional faith. This means spiritual death for the tribe. As their link with the past dwindles, many Akha are reduced to begging and prostitution. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 12
One in four South Africans is HIV-positive. Most are unable to find work and are trapped in a spiral of poverty and despair. Reverend Sephopo J. Sephopo's Methodist church in Soweto has become a beacon of hope for the desperately needy. Rev. Sephopo has enlisted volunteers from his congregation to create small businesses that give HIV sufferers the chance to earn a living. Meanwhile, his wife, Martha, fights for the safety and rights of underprivileged children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)
Episode 13
The fate of Jerusalem's Temple Mount, a site holy both to Jews and Muslims, is at the very heart of the Middle East conflict-perhaps the world's most important unresolved religious dispute. A billion Muslims will not rest until the site is under Islamic sovereignty. For Jews in Israel and around the world, however, it is part of their historic capital, never to be surrendered. Can anything short of divine intervention settle the issue? In this final episode of Twist of Faith, we hear from voices on both sides of the debate. We also meet leading Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates who, in the face of bitterness and mistrust, call for reconciliation and mutual respect. Part of the series Twist of Faith. (22 minutes)