To Air On Friday, 12/26/08 On PBS: The Documentary BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES

A very important film to see and share with others that will air this Friday

on PBS (in the Portland area, Channel 10 at 9pm):

BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES

December 26, 2008

BILL MOYERS JOURNAL presents the film BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES which explores the common threads that unify the world’s religious traditions. In BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES, religious leaders, politicians and luminaries in their fields give voice to the positive effects of spirituality and morality, focusing on commonalities spanning all faiths. While the negative — even violent — side of religion is widely reported, director Peter Bisanz documents the hope for positive change and healing universal to so many.

Peter Bisanz has been one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders who collaborate to formulate a positive vision for the world and put forward innovative strategies to translate that vision into action. Peter was also named a member of the WEF's Council of 100 Leaders. This group is specifically charged with bridging the growing divide between the Muslim world and the West.

Among the thinkers and leaders interviewed for BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES are the Dalai Lama, Ahmed Nazi, the Prime Minister of Egypt, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, religious scholar Karen Armstrong, Chief Rabbi David of the International Jewish Committee for Interrelgious Relations and dozens more. BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES Web site. (You have to be patient to wait for the site to load.) You can also hear more from these thinkers, and many others by watching our series BILL MOYERS ON FAITH & REASON and exploring additional highlights from BILL MOYERS JOURNAL and The Moyers Digital Archive.
More: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/12262008/profile.html

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Entropy Films is proud to present Beyond Our Differences, a documentary film conceived and directed by Peter Bisanz that explores the positive role of faith in the world today and the fundamental unity of the worlds religions.

What are the fundamental issues facing our world today?

Where do world leaders and the biggest thinkers of our time in politics, religion, culture, arts and scienceweigh in on these issues?

How do these leaders apply their own experiences with faith and morality when forming constructive solutions for the world's most distressing and calamitous problems?

In what context do faith and religion play principal roles in inspiring our collective peoples toward a more peaceful and compassionate humanity?

These are the critical questions that Beyond Our Differences is striving to answer.

With all of the problems facing the world today -- war, poverty, weapons, environmental degradation, starvation, overpopulation and severe desperation among millions -- people are longing for meaning. Many find answers in religion or spirituality, but as a result faith and religion are often hijacked by those seeking to enhance their own power at the expense of others, often all in the name of God.

With this dichotomy in mind, we call upon key religious leaders, politicians, and luminaries in their fields to tackle the toughest and most complex issues in the modern age, and we ask what inspires them to affect positive change. We hope that by sharing their personal experiences, each person will provide a unique perspective on how to support and strengthen compassionate and non-violent activism when resolving difficult disputes.

Beyond Our Differences provides a tapestry of distinct voices and viewpoints regarding spirituality, woven with one universal expression of hope. By providing such a variety of experiences in such an accessible format, we hope that individual viewers will understand this unified message of hope and will become empowered through their own expressions of faith to impact positive change in their lives and the lives of others.
More: http://www.beyondourdifferences.com/about.html

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"The film portrays experiences that provide a new perspective on how non-violent activism and compassion can be effectively used in resolving even the most difficult disputes. The film also gives hope by exploring past and present religious-inspired movements that have resulted in positive change, in addition to documenting the work of great leaders such as Gandhi, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama."
More: http://globalpeace.bside.com/2008/films/one_globalpeace2008;jsessionid=CB9923DF1707F32FA095432CF516F55C