User Reviews

Special thanks for producing the program that presents your quest to find out how most religions describe "life after death", what different civilizations thought about the act of "creation", "devil" and other big questions of mankind. You have excitingly discussed topics from the perspective of different sciences and different religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, ....), direction that fewer researcher really has (If we don't count fanatic researches that redirect the truth and do not have holistic approach) and especially in order to have authenticated result. Unfortunately absence of "Baha'i faith" and its practical visions those are related to puberty period of human civilization is obvious and questionable. Religion must conform to science and reason, otherwise, it is superstition and in return, the present scientific view is not always correct, neither is truth only limited to what science can explain. It is less than one month that I have found this special series but as you are using reasoning powers to understand the truths ,it is really attractive to me and I am impatiently waiting for releasing next season of this series including baha'i opinions included.

I usually don't write stuff on IMDb but i felt like this series is going a little unnoticed so here goes:

I just finished the first episode and it was amazing! First i should tell that I'm a Muslim and i've been looking for something like this in a really long time. A documentary about religions and different aspects of them, without taking any side on what's right or wrong, just informing people about what's going on with people of other nations.

Once again Morgan Freeman plays the role of the narrator astonishingly. We see him travel around the world and become familiar with different beliefs and cultures. It doesn't matter if you're a Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian or even a non-believer, this series takes you on an epic journey to see other cultures and history of the world. Definitely a must see and a masterpiece.

First off I do not review many shows because usually people understand and get the gist from other review, synopsis, and summaries. Unfortunately it appears that people are getting a lot of misconceptions about this show. This is an amazing in depth look at major aspects that we think about today from all religions around the world including some that do not exist anymore, but that have some of it's rituals and teachings still around. This is also a hands on experience with Morgan Freeman as he travels everywhere there is or has been a major or sometimes minor religion that impacts the way we think of these certain issues today. The title of an episode pretty much sums up what they will be going in depth to find out about. I was skeptical before watching this for the first time thinking they were just going to tell the story of the Judaeo- Christian God story and nothing more, but I was so pleasantly surprised when watching this. Every time when talking with a new religion they don't just go off the book in which it is taught by but by some of the highest elders and priests associated with that religion and get the real information of what they believe in the topic being covered. I honestly cannot think of a better way this could have been done and if you watch this with an open mind you will be blown away at how well it is done. I am sure we all know parts some religions and what they believe but do you know what they truly believe about the afterlife, creation, why evil exists, what they think about miracles, and much more? From Christian, Judaism, Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, and many many more we learn what their true beliefs on each topic is from a non-biased investigator and the ones that devote their life to the teachings. If you are interested in true factual understanding from religious and scientific aspects of the biggest topics that plague our minds since people began to think about what is out there then I would highly suggest checking this documentary series out whenever you can.

As not a very adherent strict-practicing Hindu, my interest was to know the fundamental evolution of the concept of God along with the evolution of humanity. The series brilliantly takes into considerations the various belief system followed by various religions on the planet. It was very interesting to see the inclusion of the beliefs of natives in various episodes. The series questions various fundamental questions an educated mind can think about. Obviously the series are not for the shut minded believers and may be offensive to them at one or other point, but for a cosmopolitan human being the series really throw light on the very existence of various Human faiths. Kudos for all associated with the series.

I liked the first installment of this series. Morgan Freeman's soothing and questioning voice lured me into an age-old pursuit: the big 'Q' regarding the big 'G''. MF touched on some of the bigger religion's views on an afterlife. When discussing God, the hereafter surely comes into play. Of course, this was just an intro into the whole God question and the myriad subtopics it conjures up. However, I like where it's headed and look forward to seeing more. It actually (quite refreshingly) gave my spiritual skepticism a light at the end of the tunnel to ponder, which in turn made me feel less skeptical and more spiritual. Likey.

Who doesn't like Morgan Freeman??? I had high hopes for this program, but I must say it fell a bit short. Main reason for this is the repetitiveness that the show has. The shows does touch on a few different religions that span the epochs, but really it concentrates on a very small few. If you're looking for a high level understanding of various religions and their dogma and beliefs about god, this will interest you. For those of you who might have wanted a much more detailed account of numerous religions and how they interpret god differently, you might be left wanting as I was.

The show covers a great deal of topics and different religions and belief systems, but it is quite repetitive. The overall message is very positive and the overall tone is unbiased, but many of the shows repeat the same exact themes and knowledge.

Not as preach. not as system. only as source of answers. as support for questions. as axis of diversity who becomes, episode by episode, the basic piece defining us. for many reasons, Morgan Freeman is the best guest of this expedition around the cultures, civilizations, religions, personal stories, adventures and questions. because the purpoise is not to demonstrate or to justify. only , to show. the essence of humanity. the links between people. the way to translate presence of God in every day life. so, a serie. a real usefull one. for discover the world. for define tolerance. and for see God near you. from special perspective.

I could give 10 stars, but In my opinion the lack or the extreme avoid to the islamic visions towards the topics, specially in the first season, was one of the factors that made me give only 7 stars to this amazing work, if we could only give some extra time to know what real islam visions are we would realize that the logical reasoning that it has it outstanding, this reasoning only few people (well enlightened muslims) can be conscious of its strong reliability to science.You gave some serious time to islam in the episode of who is god and the evidence of god and the arguments were amazing. So you should considerate giving more time to islam because it's a key to every question.

To be clear. I do not practice religon in anyway, nor do i condem it, if you are religious and that is helping you in living a better and happier life, then I'm HAPPY for you, you found something in your life that gives you comfort and makes life a little easier :)

That's what a want for all humans on this planet.

Look, set aside race, religon, jobs, economi, borders etc etc. IT IS HARD BEING A HUMAN BEING, it really really is. Where ever you grow-up or end up.

Look, I try being a good person, i'm not racist, or sexist, If I see something wrong or someone being treated wrong in front of my eyes I intervene, I treat everyone the same until proven otherwise, I have no anger in my heart. I get angry sometimes, I party and hang out with my friends, go to work every day, working generally sucks, but I do it anyway,

seeing people happy is a great feeling, seeing people sad or worse is very very unpleasant.

I did not learn this in a book. I learned it by interacting with all kinds of people through out my life, and just a being part of this world.

Morgan Freeman, is openminded, kind, and respectful in all his encounters with people from all walks of life. WHEN you act this whey torwards people you can ask the heavy questions, the sensitive questions, and get true and honest answer in return.

THE REASON for this is because the question is comming from the right place. And Morgon Freeman does this BRILLIANTLY, he is informed and insightful, and conveys his questions as a true getlemen and a class act all the way.

This is a really interesting documentary on the human condition and our ways of dealing with Prelife - Life - Living - Death - The Afterlife.

To be honest, I don't care what happens after I die. It does not scare me nor does it please me. It is what it is, and it happens when it happens, and I'm OK with that.

Rated it 9/10

I loved the idea behind the documentary, but it feels too light. Even if I love M. Freeman, maybe it's not the best option for unscripted shows. Seeing how he travels by a private jet (and heavily damaging the environment while doing so) doesn't help to empatize with the story.

Maybe a remake with more background investigation will be promising.

In episode about apocalypse , which I liked but for Islam They said " for a tiny groups" in islam...they think blah blah blah and they show ISIS Which was a good part BUT They also had to talk about what's written in Quran or what's prophet said , even me as Muslim i was curious and wanted to see more , so much more than seeing what a tiny group of terrorists think....? plus not having anything about islam in first episode " afterlife" i feel they didn't really bother to search more.

Morgan Freeman's series is a wonderful attempt to capture religion in an entertaining way. The topic is very complex, and yet Freeman manages to reach the viewer with his storytelling. Each episode has a focus, with everything following an overall concept. I have rarely had such an accessible intellectual conversation.

What a wonderful presentation. I am strongly atheist yet have a keen interest in religion from an analytical point of view to help me better understand people. While I appreciate this did not go into the depth some might like, I also appreciate that was not the purpose of this documentary, rather to look at the compliments and contrasts of what people believe about religion. Assuming that was the purpose of this documentary, it achieved it superbly with compassion, logic and style. Well done to all involved and thank you. I can't wait till Season 2 is released on Netflix!

I am an atheist and I do not believe in the existence of God. Spirituality is about finding the greatness within yourself. If there is any god in this world; it is your mother and father.

And introspection leads to abundance of knowledge. I found this series brilliant. It does not get preachy and it gives subtle hints towards superstitious beliefs. Morgan freeman has a soothing voice and he is brilliant in every episode. I love the ending quote in every episode

I absolutely LOVE this show & look forward to it every week. I literally get chills watching every episode & c'mon let's face it, NO ONE is better at Narrating than Morgan Freeman. Thanks to National Geographic for this unprecedented program. Bravo!!!!

Not much detailed observation on any religion that this TV series covered, except Christianity, which is too cleverly skipped all the bad deeds of Abrahamic religions, anyway I had a good time watching this, after few Episodes, the topic gets a bit repetitive and felt like lost from its track. Btw Morgan Freeman, try to relate yourself more with your ancestor's land The Africas, never forget your blood-related ancestral homeland Africa, people should never forget their roots no matter how much they succeed in their life.

The images, the dialogues, the experts, the search for knowledge, the richness of each place, everything in this series was carefully thought and very well depicted. Morgan Freeman gave his special touch. I wish it continues and I congratulate every one who were involved. All the episodes opened my mind and my soul, and i'm wishing visit each place.

I love this Dokumentary so much. Definitely worth watching. Thank you, keep it up with this amazing work.

I love Morgan Freeman, and actually thought he was an atheist or at least agnostic.... I wanted to watch this to learn more about all types of religion. I thought it was going to be an un-biased approach to religion, in a fair and open way....

"There are billions of us on this plant. It's hard to believe we all came from Adam and Eve... but WE DID"!

I mean... where is any EVIDENCE to back it up? Firstly it's scientifically impossible for this to have been the case, as we would all be inbred. This fact wasn't explored at all. Neither was evolution. The "scientific experiments" were not controlled, and therefore proved nothing. There wasn't a scrap of actual evidence in the programme. But somehow Morgan told the story as though he had proof - just because writings thousands of years old said so- If that's the case, maybe Harry Potter will be the next coming of Jesus in 1000 years time?

I'm happy to listen to religious beliefs.. but not if they are described as fact.

We have many religions in our world, most are not complete and any that started after the resurrection have the possibility of being influenced by the evil one. What you are showing us is that different religions can be helpful in seeing the truth. When we read Genesis 1:1 in English the actions words are beginning, God, Created, heaven and earth; however, if we go to the original Hebrew the order is create, God, Heaven and earth.The original Hebrew for Genesis 1:1, (In the?) beginning create God (the?) heavens (and the?) earth.

Also the word God use is the Hebrew word E-lo-him which is plural form or can mean greatness.

Here is another view of what happened leading up to Katrina

Second, I do not know what President Bush believes when it comes to his faith. There wasn't much press on the Bush administrations faith advisors. However, they seemed to be more interested in man's thoughts than G-d's Word. Below are things I have thought about concerning the US and Israel and what is happening today.

Words of man:

In the beginning of President Bush's first term as president, the policy with Israel was a continuation of the Clinton policy which was a hands off approach. Then in 2002 the Bush administration came up with the "Road Map to Peace" (RMP). This RMP was to bring peace to the Mid East and Israel. During this time there were many sources saying that Bush felt he was being lead by G-d to do just that.

One of the better known reports was from a meeting in 2003, where Nabil Shaath, Palestinian foreign minister, said, "President Bush said to all of us, 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did, and then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq . . ." And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East. And by God I'm gonna do it."

In short, the RMP was a "Land for Peace" deal. Israel returns land that was taken in 1967 and the Arabs will not attack Israel. As we know today, this first step did not bring peace. Gaza is the most talked about area turned over to the Palestinians (there were other areas turned over by Israel in an effort to have peace) on August 23, 2005 the last Israeli settler left Gaza and since then thousands of rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israel.

August 23, 2005, 5:00 PM: Tropical depression number 12 was identified by the National Hurricane Center (23.2 North and 75.5 West) just north of the eastern side of Cuba. August 24, 2005, 11:00 AM: This tropical depression became a named storm "Katrina". August 24 2005, 5:00PM: Katrina became a hurricane. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave the Gulf Coast. Katrina then hit the Gulf coast and New Orleans which was protected by a levee system and flood walls that failed. There have been many investigations into the failure of the levee system and flood walls. Because of legal liability there are many differences of opinion in what was the cause. But the one cause that seems to have more validity than others is the use of sub standard materials during construction and when making repairs. One thing that sticks in my mind is how hugh and strong this storm became in such a short distance.

Highlights: First president Bush was saying that he was on a mission from G-d and that he was going to bring peace to Israel. Next the last Israeli left Gaza on August 23. Katrina began its journey to the Gulf Coast the same day. The failure of the levee system and flood walls made this the most costly of all hurricanes. A cost which we continue to pay for today in reconstruction, higher fuel cost, etc. This also was the beginning of America's downward slide.

Words from G-d

Thousands of years ago G-d spoke through the Prophet Ezekiel saying:

(From the Tanakh "New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text" A portion of Ezekiel 13)

"The word of the Lord came to me: O mortal, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy; say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD! Thus said the Lord GOD: Woe to the degenerate prophets, who follow their own fancy, without having had a vision! Your prophets, O Israel, have been like jackals among ruins. You did not enter the breaches and repair the walls for the House of Israel, that they might stand up in battle in the day of the LORD. They prophesied falsehood and lying divination; they said, "Declares the LORD," when the LORD did not send them, and then they waited for their word to be fulfilled. It was false visions you prophesied and lying divination you uttered, saying. "Declares the LORD," when I had not spoken.

Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: Because you speak falsehood and prophesy lies, assuredly, I will deal with you--declares the Lord GOD. My hand will be against the prophets who prophesy falsehood and utter lying divination. They shall not remain in the assembly of My people, they shall not be inscribed in the lists of the House of Israel, and they shall not come back to the land of Israel. Thus shall you know that I am the Lord GOD.

Inasmuch as they have misled My people, saying "it is well" when nothing is well, daubing with plaster the flimsy wall which "the people" were building. say to those daubers of plaster It shall collapse; a driving rain shall descend--and you, O great hailstones, shall fall--and a hurricane wind shall rend it. Then, when the wall collapses, you will be asked, "What became of the plaster you daubed on?"

Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: In My fury I will let loose hurricane winds; in My anger a driving rain shall descend, and great hailstones in destructive fury. I will throw down the wall that you daubed with plaster, and I will raze it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed; I am the LORD. And when I have spent My fury upon the wall and upon those who daubed it with plaster, I will say to you : Gone is the wall and gone are its daubers, the prophets of Israel who prophesy about Jerusalem and see a vision of well-being for her when there is no wellbeing--declares the Lord GOD."

What does all this mean? There are many theories about why Katrina hit the U.S. We know that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed and much has been written about this. But from the text above "Words of man" and "Words from G-d", things are more detailed. We know that the day the Israelis left Gaza is the day that Katrina began to form. We know that G-d stated that false prophets who say they have heard from G-d and promise Israel peace when there is not peace will experience H-s wrath. I believe that we in the US have been given a picture of the power and promises of G-d and will experience more of G-d's wrath if our leaders do not have their hearts changed by the G-d of Israel.

Now we have the US involved in the division of Jerusalem. They will not say this but this is what they want to happen. Our present administration does not seem to know or fear the G-d of Israel. After hearing several of Obama's faith advisors I am sadden by their self importance and lack of a connection with the G-d of Israel.

We in the US must pray for wisdom in dealing with our leaders and continue to pray for their hearts to be changed. We also need to continue to pray for Israel and their leaders and that they hear from G-d and become the David of our time.

May the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov bless us all.

An interesting follow up to Katrina is that everyone was predicting that 2006 would be an equal or worst hurricane season than 2005 (gave all the same reasons as why Katrina happened). At the beginning of the hurricane season, Israel was attacked by Hamas and Hezbollah. President Bush came out in full support of Israel.

Not one hurricane touched the United States during the 2006 hurricane season.