Synopsis: Honor your elders. Especially those who brought you into the world. And honour those who brought them into the world and those who brought them into the world and so on… Confucious believed that it is within the family that individuals learn how to live well and become good members of the wider community. Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Synopsis: Along with Confucianism, “Daoism” (sometimes called “Taoism“) is one of the two great indigenous philosophical traditions of China. Daoist ideas fermented among master teachers who had a holistic view of life. These daoshi (Daoist masters) did not compartmentalize practices by which they sought to influence the forces of reality, increase their longevity, have interaction with realities not apparent to our normal way of seeing things, and order life morally and by rulership. They offered insights we might call philosophical aphorisms. The following six minute excerpt introduces the teachings of Lao Tzu.
Synopsis: Most religions have a single creation story. Hinduism has many. This is because for Hindus there is no single creation, but periodic cycles of creation. The universe we live in is one of innumerable universes.
Synopsis: This five minute short, from Simple Islam summarizes the Islamic concept of Jihad, an Arabic word which means “to strive, or struggle in the way of God.” In Islam there are two types of Jihad termed the lesser jihad, represented by a lower case j, and the greater Jihad, represented with a capital J. The lesser jihad is the fight in self-defense of those who seek to harm a Muslim or prevent them from practicing their faith. This was a temporary edict which dates back to the founding of the Islamic faith, when Muslims experienced savage oppression. This jihad was only to be carried out to defend against aggression until peace was restored. The second, or “Greater Jihad” is defined as “the struggle within” to resist one’s evil inclinations. It is the moral struggle to become a better person and develop a closer relationship with God.
Synopsis: Islam is the world’s second largest religion. A 2012 Pew Research Center study estimates Islam has 1.6 billion adherents, making up over 23% of the world population. This four minute short, from Simple Islam discusses the basic tenets of the Koran, summarizing the Five Pillars of Faith that all Muslims are required to adhere to. These include (1) the declaration of faith in God; (2) prayer and service toward those who are in need; (3) fasting to experience the hardships of those who are less fortunate; (4) charity (Muslims must donate 2.5% of their earnings towards charitable causes); and the Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca.
Synopsis: In Natural Theology, the theologian William Paley pointed out that if you found a watch on a heath you’d naturally assume it had a designer. Paley argued, that in a similar way, the human eye, a brilliant piece of biological machinery, must have also had a designer. But does this prove the existence of a Divine Watchmaker?
Every motion was caused by something else. But how, or who, first caused the universe to come into existence? Gillian Anderson summarizes Thomas Aquinas’ theory of the Prime Mover.
Synopsis: This animated short, narrated by Gillian Anderson, summarizes the commonly accepted scientific hypothesis that the Universe came into being through a sudden explosion of energy. According to the Big Bang theory, the expansion of the observable universe began with the explosion of a single particle at a definite point in time. This startling idea first appeared in scientific form in 1931, in a paper by Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest.
Is it possible to persuade people to change their beliefs by force? John Locke thought not. People might say they believe in your God to save themselves from torture or being burnt at the stake, but you won’t change their actual beliefs that way. Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Camden Civil Rights Project 