Films with: Eck, Diana L.

Acting on faith women's new religious activism in America /

A documentary film that offers an intimate look at the lives and work of three American women - one Buddhist, one Hindu, and one Muslim - for whom faith, activism, and identity are deeply intertwined. The film shows these women at work, with their families, and at play. We hear them reflect on their experiences, and tell us in their own voices what kinds of identities they seek to build? for themselves and for their communities. Their stories help us to consider the compatibility of feminism and religion, and the tension of being a voice of critique without alienating one's community or inviting outside prejudice. Their strategies are simple yet surprising: Shamita Das Dasgupta uses strong female figures in Hindu myth to provide encouragement to battered women to leave abusive husbands; Laila Al-Marayati illustrates how the Muslim principle of 'zakat' served as the inspiration for the first free clinic in South Central Los Angeles; Mushim Ikeda-Nash integrates the uniquely relational experiences of women into the American Buddhist practice. This film offers insight into, and encourages dialogue on, the powerful streams of thought and action that are being created by women activists of different religious and cultural traditions here in the United States. It is a face-to-face encounter with the women who are pioneering this new religious activism.

DVD 12141

Church and state

Second in a ten-part series which addresses the emergence of worldviews that integrate scientific inquiry and spiritual insights while exploring the convergence of a wide range of religious traditions.This episode looks at the separation of church and state, which represents one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy. While some contend that the United States needs to return to its roots as a "Christian nation", others point out that the founding fathers crafted a system specifically designed to guard against any form of state-sanctioned religion. Participants include Boston University's Stephen Prothero; Diana Eck, of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University; Robert Bellah, of U.C. Berkeley; retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong ; Princeton University's Robert Wuthnow; and the Reverend Peter Gomes, of the Memorial Church of Harvard University.

DVD 7524

Pluralism in America

Dr. Eck considers the essential question facing American society to be how Americans of all faiths and beliefs can engage with one another to shape a country of positive pluralism. The great diversity of religious beliefs in the U.S. has become what she calls "Main Street phenomenon," and she addresses religious pluralism in terms of global, national, civic and theological issues.

DVD 6304