1 00:00:03,833 --> 00:00:08,132 Morgan Freeman: My home is here in Mississippi. 2 00:00:08,133 --> 00:00:10,566 I've lived in many other places. 3 00:00:10,567 --> 00:00:14,865 New York, la, San Francisco, Chicago, 4 00:00:14,866 --> 00:00:19,032 but this place defines me. 5 00:00:19,033 --> 00:00:21,965 June-bug. 6 00:00:21,966 --> 00:00:25,099 Got him when he was four and a half months old, 7 00:00:25,100 --> 00:00:29,533 undernourished, but he had attitude. 8 00:00:29,534 --> 00:00:33,900 Got a great walking gait. 9 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:38,065 It's the smell of grass in the spring, 10 00:00:38,066 --> 00:00:41,467 the sound of birds. 11 00:00:42,167 --> 00:00:45,166 I just know I'm home. 12 00:00:45,167 --> 00:00:49,432 My parents lived right here on this land and 13 00:00:49,433 --> 00:00:52,699 you can't understand me without understanding where 14 00:00:52,700 --> 00:00:56,667 I was created. 15 00:00:57,066 --> 00:01:01,099 Every religion has a creation story, 16 00:01:01,100 --> 00:01:06,266 so, what do those stories tell us about who we are and 17 00:01:06,267 --> 00:01:09,233 where we came from? 18 00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:14,633 I'm setting out to discover where we began... 19 00:01:14,634 --> 00:01:17,332 Jodi magness: Jerusalem is conceived of as Eden, 20 00:01:17,333 --> 00:01:19,366 as paradise. 21 00:01:19,367 --> 00:01:22,232 Morgan Freeman: To unearth civilization's oldest roots... 22 00:01:22,233 --> 00:01:24,032 Man: This is the Mayan part. 23 00:01:24,033 --> 00:01:26,633 Richard Hansen: This is the Maya Genesis story. 24 00:01:26,634 --> 00:01:29,599 Morgan Freeman: To locate the Genesis of religion itself... 25 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,900 Amy bogaard: People are literally living with ancestors. 26 00:01:33,833 --> 00:01:37,499 Morgan Freeman: And I'll go back to the dawn of time... 27 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:40,166 Benda paranjape: Hindus do not believe in one creation. 28 00:01:40,167 --> 00:01:43,099 They say that these are cycles of creation. 29 00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:46,132 Morgan Freeman: To discover if science and religion, 30 00:01:46,133 --> 00:01:48,699 can co-exist. 31 00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:51,399 Monsignor sorondo: The big bang is not creation because 32 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,700 we don't know what was before the big bang. 33 00:02:04,767 --> 00:02:08,932 Morgan Freeman: There are billions of us on this planet. 34 00:02:08,933 --> 00:02:11,199 It's hard to believe we all came from one man 35 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,232 E 36 00:02:14,233 --> 00:02:17,467 but we did. 37 00:02:18,433 --> 00:02:21,166 Who were they? 38 00:02:21,167 --> 00:02:25,634 When and where did they live? 39 00:02:27,167 --> 00:02:30,166 Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions trace us 40 00:02:30,167 --> 00:02:34,032 all back to Adam and Eve. 41 00:02:34,033 --> 00:02:36,232 The book of Genesis says they came from a 42 00:02:36,233 --> 00:02:38,599 place called Eden, 43 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,399 near the tigris and euphrates rivers somewhere 44 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:46,366 in the ancient near east. 45 00:02:46,367 --> 00:02:49,499 No-one has yet found the location of the garden of Eden, 46 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:55,467 though many have tried, but why do we want to find it? 47 00:02:56,033 --> 00:02:58,566 Well, the reason is interesting. 48 00:02:58,567 --> 00:03:00,899 The garden of Eden doesn't just represent the beginning 49 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:05,099 of humanity, it is the beginning of our conversation 50 00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:10,533 with god and finding out when and where that took place 51 00:03:10,534 --> 00:03:14,500 would tell us an awful lot about who we are. 52 00:03:17,100 --> 00:03:21,367 So I'm off to Jerusalem. 53 00:03:28,700 --> 00:03:32,733 This is one of the oldest cities in the world. 54 00:03:32,734 --> 00:03:35,232 There's evidence of people living around here for more 55 00:03:35,233 --> 00:03:37,932 than 7,000 years. 56 00:03:37,933 --> 00:03:41,399 Today, it's the religious center of the Jewish world. 57 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,865 It was around here that Genesis was first written down, 58 00:03:44,866 --> 00:03:48,534 about 2,500 years ago. 59 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,432 Archaeologist Jodi magness is taking me to the church of the 60 00:03:53,433 --> 00:03:56,899 holy sepulcher, where there is a little known link 61 00:03:56,900 --> 00:03:58,766 to the garden of Eden. 62 00:03:58,767 --> 00:04:02,633 So this is it, this is the church of the holy sepulcher. 63 00:04:02,634 --> 00:04:05,266 Many christians believe this is the site where Jesus 64 00:04:05,267 --> 00:04:09,432 was crucified and buried, but another ancient tradition 65 00:04:09,433 --> 00:04:14,100 says it's also the burial place of Adam. 66 00:04:16,467 --> 00:04:18,865 Jodi magness: The area that we're walking into here 67 00:04:18,866 --> 00:04:21,799 is underneath the rock of golgotha, 68 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:24,932 which is the rocky outcrop on which christians believe 69 00:04:24,933 --> 00:04:28,933 Jesus was crucified. 70 00:04:29,534 --> 00:04:33,032 And this is called the chapel of Adam. 71 00:04:33,033 --> 00:04:36,533 There's a tradition which goes way back in christianity 72 00:04:36,534 --> 00:04:40,166 which connects this spot to Adam, the first man. 73 00:04:40,167 --> 00:04:43,899 When Jesus was crucified on top of the rock above us... 74 00:04:43,900 --> 00:04:45,533 Morgan Freeman: Mm-hmm, yeah? 75 00:04:45,534 --> 00:04:47,965 Jodi magness: His blood flowed down through a crack in 76 00:04:47,966 --> 00:04:50,599 the rock and Adam, the first man, 77 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:55,666 lay buried underneath and when Jesus' blood flowed onto Adam, 78 00:04:55,667 --> 00:04:59,166 Adam was then resurrected. 79 00:04:59,167 --> 00:05:01,865 Morgan Freeman: Almost 1,700 years ago, 80 00:05:01,866 --> 00:05:04,766 when Roman emperor constantine built the church, 81 00:05:04,767 --> 00:05:07,065 he also made a shrine around this crack in the 82 00:05:07,066 --> 00:05:10,965 rock of golgotha, the chapel of Adam. 83 00:05:10,966 --> 00:05:14,299 But doesn't this contradict that section of the Bible that 84 00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:17,432 says that the garden of Eden was located somewhere 85 00:05:17,433 --> 00:05:19,499 near the euphrates and the... 86 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:20,766 Jodi magness: Tigris. 87 00:05:20,767 --> 00:05:22,799 Morgan Freeman: Tigris? 88 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,232 Jodi magness: Well, the version of the story that 89 00:05:25,233 --> 00:05:27,699 ended up in the book of Genesis seems to place the 90 00:05:27,700 --> 00:05:30,232 garden of Eden somewhere in mesopotamia, 91 00:05:30,233 --> 00:05:32,466 which is the area of modern Iraq. 92 00:05:32,467 --> 00:05:34,865 Morgan Freeman: But how do think tradition... 93 00:05:34,866 --> 00:05:36,566 Jodi magness: Mm-hmm. 94 00:05:36,567 --> 00:05:39,865 Morgan Freeman: Of Adam gets to be here in Jerusalem? 95 00:05:39,866 --> 00:05:42,166 Jodi magness: Well, i think Adam probably does have 96 00:05:42,167 --> 00:05:44,166 a very special connection with Jerusalem. 97 00:05:44,167 --> 00:05:46,633 The garden of Eden, or paradise, 98 00:05:46,634 --> 00:05:49,332 becomes conceptualized as the spot where the presence 99 00:05:49,333 --> 00:05:51,065 of god dwells. 100 00:05:51,066 --> 00:05:53,366 In early judaism, in the time of Jesus, 101 00:05:53,367 --> 00:05:55,799 the presence of god dwelled in the temple, 102 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,633 on the temple mount, and hence Jerusalem was conceived 103 00:05:58,634 --> 00:06:01,266 of as Eden, as paradise. 104 00:06:01,267 --> 00:06:03,799 Morgan Freeman: So you are saying Eden could also 105 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:05,266 be a metaphor? 106 00:06:05,267 --> 00:06:07,399 Jodi magness: Right, well, yes, of course, 107 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,533 Adam was the first human and in Hebrew the word Adam, 108 00:06:10,534 --> 00:06:14,033 Adam just means man. 109 00:06:14,534 --> 00:06:16,065 Morgan Freeman: Hold up, hold up. 110 00:06:16,066 --> 00:06:20,999 You just said something now, the word just means man. 111 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,099 Jodi magness: Yes. 112 00:06:22,100 --> 00:06:23,766 Morgan Freeman: Adam... 113 00:06:23,767 --> 00:06:26,166 Jodi magness: Yes, also, the name Adam, 114 00:06:26,167 --> 00:06:29,733 if you take off the a and you just leave d-a-m, 115 00:06:29,734 --> 00:06:31,865 in Hebrew, dam, that means blood. 116 00:06:31,866 --> 00:06:35,132 Or if you add an a-h to the end, 117 00:06:35,133 --> 00:06:38,599 adamah, means land. 118 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:40,499 Morgan Freeman: Land itself into blood. 119 00:06:40,500 --> 00:06:41,965 Jodi magness: Yep. 120 00:06:41,966 --> 00:06:44,833 Morgan Freeman: Ok, all right. 121 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,899 Could the story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the 122 00:06:48,900 --> 00:06:52,932 garden also have metaphorical meanings? 123 00:06:52,933 --> 00:06:56,700 Adam and Eve lived in a land of plenty, 124 00:06:56,966 --> 00:07:01,432 but when they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, 125 00:07:01,433 --> 00:07:05,266 they were cast out and forced to work the land. 126 00:07:05,267 --> 00:07:10,734 In other words, they became the first farmers. 127 00:07:11,833 --> 00:07:14,166 I'm heading to a region where researchers are digging 128 00:07:14,167 --> 00:07:18,299 up some of humanity's oldest farming communities, 129 00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:21,534 in central Turkey. 130 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,965 I'm interested in finding out if the birth of farming 131 00:07:25,966 --> 00:07:30,299 and the birth of belief in god are connected. 132 00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:34,400 Could this have been Eden? 133 00:07:37,467 --> 00:07:39,366 Amy? 134 00:07:39,367 --> 00:07:42,065 Amy bogaard: Hello, come on over. 135 00:07:42,066 --> 00:07:44,733 Morgan Freeman: Archaeologist Amy bogaard has been digging 136 00:07:44,734 --> 00:07:50,166 with a team here at chatalhöyük for two decades. 137 00:07:50,167 --> 00:07:51,733 Amy bogaard: Welcome. 138 00:07:51,734 --> 00:07:53,566 Morgan Freeman: Thank you. 139 00:07:53,567 --> 00:07:59,567 So, chatalhöyük, 9,000 year old settlement. 140 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:05,433 9,000 years old. 141 00:08:05,634 --> 00:08:07,599 Amy bogaard: Amazing, isn't it? 142 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,999 So at its maximum extent, it's 13 hectares. 143 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,633 That would be like 20 football pitches, 144 00:08:14,634 --> 00:08:16,032 Morgan Freeman: Ok. 145 00:08:16,033 --> 00:08:17,733 Amy bogaard: In extent. 146 00:08:17,734 --> 00:08:19,899 Morgan Freeman: Mm-hmm, right, NFL football pitches 147 00:08:19,900 --> 00:08:21,366 or soccer pitches? 148 00:08:21,367 --> 00:08:24,966 Amy bogaard: I don't know, probably soccer. 149 00:08:25,567 --> 00:08:28,032 Morgan Freeman: Ok, but they're all pretty much 150 00:08:28,033 --> 00:08:31,865 the same size. 151 00:08:31,866 --> 00:08:34,366 Amy bogaard: Yeah, you can see that these houses are 152 00:08:34,367 --> 00:08:36,266 densely crowded together. 153 00:08:36,267 --> 00:08:38,232 There isn't much space between them. 154 00:08:38,233 --> 00:08:39,633 Morgan Freeman: There is no space between them. 155 00:08:39,634 --> 00:08:41,099 Amy bogaard: Yeah. 156 00:08:41,100 --> 00:08:42,865 Morgan Freeman: They had no windows or doors. 157 00:08:42,866 --> 00:08:44,332 Amy bogaard: Every house would have its own 158 00:08:44,333 --> 00:08:45,499 entrance from above. 159 00:08:45,500 --> 00:08:47,032 Morgan Freeman: It would? 160 00:08:47,033 --> 00:08:48,865 Amy bogaard: Yes. 161 00:08:48,866 --> 00:08:51,799 Morgan Freeman: Chatalhöyük was a city with no streets. 162 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:53,832 The people who lived here walked across town 163 00:08:53,833 --> 00:08:56,065 over the rooftops. 164 00:08:56,066 --> 00:08:59,499 Roofs were also where they worked. 165 00:08:59,500 --> 00:09:02,466 The people of chatalhöyük were some of the world's 166 00:09:02,467 --> 00:09:05,533 first city dwellers, 167 00:09:05,534 --> 00:09:08,266 but I want to know whether they were also some 168 00:09:08,267 --> 00:09:10,566 of the first believers. 169 00:09:10,567 --> 00:09:14,733 Did they think their world was created by a god? 170 00:09:14,734 --> 00:09:19,534 Amy takes me to a house that may hold the answers. 171 00:09:19,866 --> 00:09:24,666 What's the point of that, red rimmed hole that looks 172 00:09:24,667 --> 00:09:29,566 like a very definite, has a definite reason? 173 00:09:29,567 --> 00:09:31,865 Amy bogaard: It's a typical sort of feature 174 00:09:31,866 --> 00:09:34,566 that's found at chatal which is a niche for hiding 175 00:09:34,567 --> 00:09:36,666 things away, like the cash obsidian, you know, 176 00:09:36,667 --> 00:09:39,065 volcanic glass, 'cause it's a valued, you know, 177 00:09:39,066 --> 00:09:40,599 cutting material. 178 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:42,399 Morgan Freeman: You actually don't find it everywhere. 179 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,332 Amy bogaard: Right. 180 00:09:44,333 --> 00:09:46,733 Morgan Freeman: The most important hiding places 181 00:09:46,734 --> 00:09:49,099 archaeologists have found at chatalhöyük are 182 00:09:49,100 --> 00:09:50,899 beneath the sleeping areas. 183 00:09:50,900 --> 00:09:53,533 Ok, so what are those holes up there? 184 00:09:53,534 --> 00:09:55,199 Amy bogaard: Those are actually burial places, 185 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,199 those are burial pits, where... 186 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,299 Morgan Freeman: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait. 187 00:09:59,300 --> 00:10:01,032 A human being is not gonna fit in there. 188 00:10:01,033 --> 00:10:02,533 A baby, maybe. 189 00:10:02,534 --> 00:10:04,733 Amy bogaard: The way they can fit mature adults in pits 190 00:10:04,734 --> 00:10:08,132 like that is to bind them up very, very, very tightly 191 00:10:08,133 --> 00:10:10,699 in a flexed position and the holes are periodically 192 00:10:10,700 --> 00:10:14,166 reopened and new individuals added through the lifetime 193 00:10:14,167 --> 00:10:15,799 of the house. 194 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,533 Morgan Freeman: Wow. 195 00:10:17,534 --> 00:10:19,666 Amy bogaard: People are buried under the platforms 196 00:10:19,667 --> 00:10:22,699 so that people are literally living with ancestors. 197 00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:24,766 Morgan Freeman: It sounds like this has 198 00:10:24,767 --> 00:10:26,266 some religious content. 199 00:10:26,267 --> 00:10:28,899 Amy bogaard: I think you're right, 200 00:10:28,900 --> 00:10:31,633 and they start to raise questions about what you might 201 00:10:31,634 --> 00:10:35,633 call ritual practice, which seemed to have been crucial 202 00:10:35,634 --> 00:10:39,667 for life in this community. 203 00:10:39,966 --> 00:10:42,266 Morgan Freeman: Could these burials be evidence 204 00:10:42,267 --> 00:10:44,733 of belief in god? 205 00:10:44,734 --> 00:10:47,299 Anthropologist Harvey whitehouse is trying to get 206 00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:52,100 inside the heads of these early city dwellers. 207 00:10:54,033 --> 00:10:56,633 Harvey whitehouse: So this is a pretty authentic mock-up 208 00:10:56,634 --> 00:10:59,733 of what a typical kind of house in chatalhöyük 209 00:10:59,734 --> 00:11:01,132 would have looked like. 210 00:11:01,133 --> 00:11:03,099 These are the kinds of objects that we'd expect to 211 00:11:03,100 --> 00:11:05,566 find in one of those houses. 212 00:11:05,567 --> 00:11:08,332 Over here, we've got examples of wall art. 213 00:11:08,333 --> 00:11:10,766 You know, here we've got bull heads. 214 00:11:10,767 --> 00:11:14,299 We often find these inserted into the walls. 215 00:11:14,300 --> 00:11:16,599 In one case, I've seen them arranged almost like a sort of 216 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,832 protective shield around one of these clean spaces; 217 00:11:20,833 --> 00:11:22,666 and we know that these clean spaces were used 218 00:11:22,667 --> 00:11:24,432 for sleeping on. 219 00:11:24,433 --> 00:11:26,366 Morgan Freeman: So, Harvey, you're an anthropologist... 220 00:11:26,367 --> 00:11:28,032 Harvey whitehouse: Mm-hmm. 221 00:11:28,033 --> 00:11:32,232 Morgan Freeman: So you're more into what people are 222 00:11:32,233 --> 00:11:35,032 mentally into, right? 223 00:11:35,033 --> 00:11:38,299 Harvey whitehouse: Well, my imagination runs riot 224 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:41,132 in an environment like this because I've seen the 225 00:11:41,133 --> 00:11:42,999 kind of stuff that comes out of the walls and 226 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,033 that they've been taking out of the floors. 227 00:11:51,033 --> 00:11:53,399 We know that there were very interesting rituals 228 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,199 surrounding the burial of human remains, 229 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,932 but those objects would be periodically in 230 00:11:58,933 --> 00:12:00,932 many cases brought out. 231 00:12:00,933 --> 00:12:02,466 What they were doing with them, 232 00:12:02,467 --> 00:12:04,599 we don't really know, but in many cases they were 233 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,032 put back very carefully and replaced. 234 00:12:07,033 --> 00:12:10,232 It's almost as if this isn't just a domestic dwelling, 235 00:12:10,233 --> 00:12:14,066 this is like a kind of living temple. 236 00:12:14,433 --> 00:12:18,232 Morgan Freeman: You used that word, temple. 237 00:12:18,233 --> 00:12:19,666 Harvey whitehouse: Temple. 238 00:12:19,667 --> 00:12:23,799 Well, what is a temple, you know, if not a sort of, 239 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,865 an environment in which the ritual life of a 240 00:12:26,866 --> 00:12:28,599 community is conducted? 241 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:33,900 And I think that's what is going on in these houses. 242 00:12:34,700 --> 00:12:37,733 Morgan Freeman: Here in chatalhöyük, 243 00:12:37,734 --> 00:12:42,999 there were obviously all kinds of rituals, 244 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:48,766 particularly burial rituals, but no sign of an organized 245 00:12:48,767 --> 00:12:53,366 religion, so the question remains unanswered for me. 246 00:12:53,367 --> 00:12:59,633 Did religion allow man to live together, 247 00:12:59,634 --> 00:13:03,567 grow food? 248 00:13:04,433 --> 00:13:10,767 Or did civilization give rise to our belief in god? 249 00:13:10,966 --> 00:13:15,232 While in chatalhöyük, i heard about another excavation 250 00:13:15,233 --> 00:13:18,166 just a few hundred miles to the east that may hold 251 00:13:18,167 --> 00:13:20,166 the answer for me. 252 00:13:20,167 --> 00:13:23,633 It's an 11,000 year old site that lies between the tigris 253 00:13:23,634 --> 00:13:29,466 and euphrates rivers, the biblical location of Eden. 254 00:13:29,467 --> 00:13:31,432 Harvey whitehouse: Ok, we're now in enclosure d, 255 00:13:31,433 --> 00:13:34,533 the best preserved of the enclosures that we have here, 256 00:13:34,534 --> 00:13:37,266 so we've had radiocarbon data and they've come back 257 00:13:37,267 --> 00:13:41,533 as 9,400 bc, plus or minus. 258 00:13:41,534 --> 00:13:45,232 Morgan Freeman: It's called göbekli tepe and here I may 259 00:13:45,233 --> 00:13:48,232 find evidence of the very first moments humans 260 00:13:48,233 --> 00:13:52,133 worshipped the divine. 261 00:13:52,534 --> 00:13:56,932 Stone age architects built 20 monumental sectors 262 00:13:56,933 --> 00:14:01,066 here made from large t-shaped pillars. 263 00:14:02,033 --> 00:14:05,199 Archeologist Lee Clare leads the team trying 264 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:07,733 to decipher its mysteries. 265 00:14:07,734 --> 00:14:10,065 Lee Clare: The two central pillars stand in the middle of 266 00:14:10,066 --> 00:14:13,832 a round oval building and the wall surrounding it, 267 00:14:13,833 --> 00:14:16,899 at regular intervals we see smaller t pillars. 268 00:14:16,900 --> 00:14:18,733 Morgan Freeman: Fearsome animals were carved 269 00:14:18,734 --> 00:14:20,899 into some of the pillars, 270 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:25,666 but the stones' t shapes may represent the human form. 271 00:14:25,667 --> 00:14:29,832 They could be men or they could be gods. 272 00:14:29,833 --> 00:14:31,899 Lee Clare: If you look closely around the top, 273 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:34,865 the t is the head and then we have on the side, 274 00:14:34,866 --> 00:14:36,899 the broad side, the arm coming down. 275 00:14:36,900 --> 00:14:38,633 You can see a belt buckle here. 276 00:14:38,634 --> 00:14:40,599 They could be mythological ancestors. 277 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:43,999 Alternatively, they could be really the first deities, 278 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,366 first gods, that these people were possibly 279 00:14:46,367 --> 00:14:49,099 worshipping in this circular structure. 280 00:14:49,100 --> 00:14:52,065 Morgan Freeman: Lee and most archaeologists believe 281 00:14:52,066 --> 00:14:55,399 these stone circles were used for rituals, 282 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,965 but no-one appears to have actually lived here. 283 00:14:58,966 --> 00:15:02,799 The people of göbekli tepe were roaming hunter gatherers, 284 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:06,099 not settled farmers, so why did they build a permanent 285 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:09,232 place to worship tied to one spot? 286 00:15:09,233 --> 00:15:11,399 Lee Clare: It's one of the main questions we ask our self 287 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:13,599 at this site, so why did they come? 288 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,633 Now, the thing is, at this time the communities were 289 00:15:16,634 --> 00:15:19,599 growing larger and larger and there was more stress on 290 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,799 the local resources and because communities 291 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:26,467 were growing, there was obviously a risk of conflict. 292 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:29,633 People have problems keeping track of relationships, 293 00:15:29,634 --> 00:15:32,132 keeping track of networks. 294 00:15:32,133 --> 00:15:34,566 Morgan Freeman: The growing population meant that people 295 00:15:34,567 --> 00:15:37,266 who scarcely knew each other had to work together. 296 00:15:37,267 --> 00:15:41,299 That was a recipe for conflict. 297 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:45,734 [Grunting and thuds] 298 00:15:47,267 --> 00:15:50,865 The religious rituals at göbekli tepe may have eased 299 00:15:50,866 --> 00:15:53,166 those conflicts. 300 00:15:53,167 --> 00:15:56,599 Possibly for the first time in human history, 301 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,566 people from different groups came together around shared 302 00:15:59,567 --> 00:16:04,666 beliefs and, in those first formative moments of religion, 303 00:16:04,667 --> 00:16:08,633 they may have shared stories about where they all came from, 304 00:16:08,634 --> 00:16:11,666 stories that celebrated a shared past 305 00:16:11,667 --> 00:16:16,767 and drove them together to the future. 306 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:22,266 Göbekli tepe traces the birth of religious worship 307 00:16:22,267 --> 00:16:24,999 back more than 11,000 years, 308 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,232 long before there were muslims, christians, 309 00:16:28,233 --> 00:16:31,865 Jews, hindus, Buddhists. 310 00:16:31,866 --> 00:16:37,634 People came together to talk, eat, worship. 311 00:16:38,333 --> 00:16:41,666 It could be that the driving force behind our 312 00:16:41,667 --> 00:16:43,366 greatest achievement. 313 00:16:43,367 --> 00:16:48,200 Civilization, was god. 314 00:16:51,333 --> 00:16:56,099 But today, we no longer share one story of creation. 315 00:16:56,100 --> 00:16:59,232 We live in a global society made up of many different 316 00:16:59,233 --> 00:17:01,965 cultures and science has given us a new 317 00:17:01,966 --> 00:17:04,366 perspective on creation. 318 00:17:04,367 --> 00:17:06,766 It even claims to know the ultimate secret of 319 00:17:06,767 --> 00:17:08,965 our cosmic origins. 320 00:17:08,966 --> 00:17:13,066 Can science and religion agree on creation? 321 00:17:14,433 --> 00:17:17,166 Morgan Freeman: The story of our creation has 322 00:17:17,167 --> 00:17:19,366 puzzled me ever since I was a boy. 323 00:17:19,367 --> 00:17:21,132 It began right here, 324 00:17:21,133 --> 00:17:25,132 in a church in greenwood, Mississippi. 325 00:17:25,133 --> 00:17:29,699 ♪ ♪ 326 00:17:29,700 --> 00:17:35,634 ♪ [congregation members singing inaudibly] ♪ 327 00:17:45,534 --> 00:17:51,734 ♪ [congregation members singing inaudibly] ♪ 328 00:17:58,767 --> 00:18:02,599 Morgan Freeman: I was about their age when it happened. 329 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:04,932 I remember the minister reading from the 330 00:18:04,933 --> 00:18:06,366 book of Genesis. 331 00:18:06,367 --> 00:18:13,132 Minister: There are 807,361 words in the Bible. 332 00:18:13,133 --> 00:18:17,166 It doesn't take 807,000 words for me 333 00:18:17,167 --> 00:18:20,799 to believe the Bible. 334 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,965 It only takes ten words. 335 00:18:23,966 --> 00:18:26,199 "In the beginning, 336 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,199 [congregation exclaiming]. 337 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,865 God created." 338 00:18:31,866 --> 00:18:34,432 Are y'all gonna be with me? 339 00:18:34,433 --> 00:18:37,533 "The heavens and the earth." 340 00:18:37,534 --> 00:18:39,633 Morgan Freeman: But for me, 341 00:18:39,634 --> 00:18:42,965 this beginning was a profound puzzle. 342 00:18:42,966 --> 00:18:47,065 One moment there was nothing, the next everything. 343 00:18:47,066 --> 00:18:48,232 You're looking good. 344 00:18:48,233 --> 00:18:49,865 Man: Trying to make it. 345 00:18:49,866 --> 00:18:52,533 Morgan Freeman: If god created the universe, 346 00:18:52,534 --> 00:18:55,132 who was around to create god? 347 00:18:55,133 --> 00:18:57,699 When I got older, i heard scientists had found 348 00:18:57,700 --> 00:19:01,367 evidence of the big bang. 349 00:19:03,133 --> 00:19:07,299 According to that theory, the entire universe burst out 350 00:19:07,300 --> 00:19:12,199 of a single point in an instant of fiery creation; 351 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:16,865 and now that science knows so much about our cosmic origins, 352 00:19:16,866 --> 00:19:18,699 what place is there for religious belief 353 00:19:18,700 --> 00:19:21,399 in the beginning? 354 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,799 I want to know about the islamic story of creation, 355 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:29,300 so I'm going to Cairo... 356 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,266 One of the largest and oldest cities in the 357 00:19:34,267 --> 00:19:37,500 Muslim world. 358 00:19:38,433 --> 00:19:42,932 Islam has deep roots in science. 359 00:19:42,933 --> 00:19:45,633 Muslim astronomers were charting the heavens soon 360 00:19:45,634 --> 00:19:49,400 after the time of Mohammed. 361 00:19:49,966 --> 00:19:51,533 I hadn't noticed that before. 362 00:19:51,534 --> 00:19:52,999 What is it? 363 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:56,832 Ahmed ragab: This is the minaret of al-Hussein mosque. 364 00:19:56,833 --> 00:19:59,932 Morgan Freeman: Harvard historian of islam Ahmed ragab 365 00:19:59,933 --> 00:20:03,466 is taking me to one of Cairo's spiritual centers, 366 00:20:03,467 --> 00:20:07,132 the al-Hussein mosque. 367 00:20:07,133 --> 00:20:12,700 ♪ [Imam singing in foreign language]. ♪ 368 00:20:15,467 --> 00:20:19,399 Ahmed ragab: So they start by forming lines all facing mecca 369 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,032 and the lines are all closed. 370 00:20:22,033 --> 00:20:24,132 You shouldn't have any kind of gaps. 371 00:20:24,133 --> 00:20:25,399 Morgan Freeman: Space between? 372 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:26,899 Ahmed ragab: Yeah. 373 00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:28,432 Morgan Freeman: In other words, 374 00:20:28,433 --> 00:20:29,965 they just go toe to toe. 375 00:20:29,966 --> 00:20:31,499 Ahmed ragab: Mm-hmm. 376 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:33,199 Morgan Freeman: Right, right. 377 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,032 Muslims come here every day to give thanks to god 378 00:20:36,033 --> 00:20:38,700 for all that he creates. 379 00:20:40,734 --> 00:20:43,899 And afterwards, some head just around the corner 380 00:20:43,900 --> 00:20:48,133 to the two and a half century old El fishawy coffee shop. 381 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:54,600 Speak to me about the islamic concept of creation. 382 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:58,166 Ahmed ragab: In islam, the beginning of the story starts 383 00:20:58,167 --> 00:21:01,734 with this massive cloud of smoke, 384 00:21:04,734 --> 00:21:09,232 from which the heaven and earth are pulled from inside 385 00:21:09,233 --> 00:21:13,099 the smoke and then the earth after that gets formed into 386 00:21:13,100 --> 00:21:18,032 what it looks like before the beings are created. 387 00:21:18,033 --> 00:21:22,299 Morgan Freeman: Interestingly, that is very, cosmic. 388 00:21:22,300 --> 00:21:25,167 Ahmed ragab: Right. 389 00:21:25,567 --> 00:21:28,633 Morgan Freeman: You think right away about the clouds of 390 00:21:28,634 --> 00:21:31,599 dust in the cosmos that formed worlds. 391 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,865 Ahmed ragab: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, so this ideas about these 392 00:21:34,866 --> 00:21:38,766 massive clouds and things coming out of them is actually 393 00:21:38,767 --> 00:21:42,533 very powerful in a lot of mythological traditions around 394 00:21:42,534 --> 00:21:46,399 the world and it is part of this islamic 395 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,633 narrative of creation. 396 00:21:48,634 --> 00:21:52,032 Morgan Freeman: In islam, the moment of creation exists 397 00:21:52,033 --> 00:21:56,266 alongside the scientific view of earth's formation. 398 00:21:56,267 --> 00:21:58,399 The same is true for traditions much 399 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:02,833 older than islam. 400 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,065 Aboriginal people have lived in central Australia 401 00:22:10,066 --> 00:22:12,566 for tens of thousands of years. 402 00:22:12,567 --> 00:22:15,466 They've told the story of this land's creation for as 403 00:22:15,467 --> 00:22:18,199 long as anyone can remember. 404 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:19,566 Duane hamacher: Oh, this is beautiful. 405 00:22:19,567 --> 00:22:22,232 Warren Williams: My grandfather's family have been 406 00:22:22,233 --> 00:22:24,965 caretakers for this place and now it's gotten 407 00:22:24,966 --> 00:22:27,266 passed down to me. 408 00:22:27,267 --> 00:22:30,099 Morgan Freeman: Warren Williams and the arrernte 409 00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:32,899 people call this place home. 410 00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:34,399 Duane hamacher: This place is so big, 411 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:35,999 you'd have to see it from space. 412 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,699 You could probably see it on satellite image. 413 00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:39,399 Warren Williams: Well, yeah. 414 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,799 Morgan Freeman: Cultural astronomer Duane hamacher 415 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,065 tries to connect aboriginal creation stories 416 00:22:44,066 --> 00:22:45,965 to modern science. 417 00:22:45,966 --> 00:22:49,733 So Warren is taking him to where his ancestors say 418 00:22:49,734 --> 00:22:52,966 it all began, 419 00:22:53,167 --> 00:22:58,433 a bowl shaped basin called tnorala. 420 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:04,299 It's traditional for the arrernte to tell their 421 00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:06,965 creation story at night, 422 00:23:06,966 --> 00:23:09,132 when they can see their creators, 423 00:23:09,133 --> 00:23:10,832 the sky guards. 424 00:23:10,833 --> 00:23:12,965 Warren Williams: This sky tonight, 425 00:23:12,966 --> 00:23:14,666 it's gonna be really good tonight. 426 00:23:14,667 --> 00:23:17,767 Duane hamacher: Oh, they're all coming out now. 427 00:23:20,567 --> 00:23:23,267 Warren Williams: Wow. 428 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,199 Morgan Freeman: The story takes place in an era called 429 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:36,432 the dreaming, when the sky guards lived in the milky way. 430 00:23:36,433 --> 00:23:38,733 Warren Williams: The dreaming is a period of 431 00:23:38,734 --> 00:23:41,832 creation when everything was beginning, 432 00:23:41,833 --> 00:23:45,432 when the ladies were dancing at a ceremony and 433 00:23:45,433 --> 00:23:50,267 one of them had a little baby in her arms. 434 00:23:56,233 --> 00:23:58,499 So she put the baby in a Turner, 435 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:01,166 like a, it's a wooden cradle, but all 436 00:24:01,167 --> 00:24:03,699 that dancing started vibrating, 437 00:24:03,700 --> 00:24:07,633 shaking the milky way and the Turner fell out, 438 00:24:07,634 --> 00:24:10,932 and it fell to earth and created the crater 439 00:24:10,933 --> 00:24:14,467 that we see now. 440 00:24:19,033 --> 00:24:20,932 Duane hamacher: That's fascinating because, 441 00:24:20,933 --> 00:24:23,166 according to scientists, it was an asteroid or a 442 00:24:23,167 --> 00:24:25,666 comet that hit the ground and what it did, 443 00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:27,533 you know, a massive explosion, 444 00:24:27,534 --> 00:24:29,699 created this big meteorite crater. 445 00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:32,533 Morgan Freeman: Duane wants to know more about the Turner, 446 00:24:32,534 --> 00:24:35,299 or cradle, that Warren and his ancestors see as the 447 00:24:35,300 --> 00:24:37,999 cause of their creation. 448 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:39,466 Warren Williams: This one here. 449 00:24:39,467 --> 00:24:41,566 Duane hamacher: So you can see the milky way quite clearly 450 00:24:41,567 --> 00:24:44,766 and that looks like that Turner from the front falling 451 00:24:44,767 --> 00:24:46,266 out of the milky way. 452 00:24:46,267 --> 00:24:47,899 Warren Williams: Yeah. 453 00:24:47,900 --> 00:24:49,699 Duane hamacher: In western astronomy, 454 00:24:49,700 --> 00:24:51,466 we call that corona australis. 455 00:24:51,467 --> 00:24:53,499 That constellation means the Southern crown. 456 00:24:53,500 --> 00:24:55,799 But you're right, it looks exactly like a Turner falling 457 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:57,166 out the milky way. 458 00:24:57,167 --> 00:25:00,933 Warren Williams: It looks like an upturned cradle. 459 00:25:01,233 --> 00:25:03,799 Morgan Freeman: At daybreak, Duane asks Warren to show him 460 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,166 exactly where the star baby landed. 461 00:25:06,167 --> 00:25:07,633 Duane hamacher: Goes right through here? 462 00:25:07,634 --> 00:25:09,299 Warren Williams: Yeah. 463 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:11,132 Duane hamacher: Check it out. 464 00:25:11,133 --> 00:25:13,432 Morgan Freeman: It's right in the center of the meteor 465 00:25:13,433 --> 00:25:17,066 impact crater geologists called gosses bluff. 466 00:25:19,734 --> 00:25:21,266 Duane hamacher: So this is it? 467 00:25:21,267 --> 00:25:25,066 Warren Williams: Yeah, this is where it began. 468 00:25:26,066 --> 00:25:31,299 Well, the rocks fell down here to the ground and formed this 469 00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:34,032 and the first man got created, 470 00:25:34,033 --> 00:25:37,399 the first woman got created and, like, 471 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,733 now I'm here because of them. 472 00:25:40,734 --> 00:25:44,166 It started here, just fell from the sky at night, 473 00:25:44,167 --> 00:25:45,932 made all this. 474 00:25:45,933 --> 00:25:48,199 Duane hamacher: Science has never really considered some 475 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:50,332 of these old creation stories to have any validity, 476 00:25:50,333 --> 00:25:53,032 and what we're finding out is that the creation story 477 00:25:53,033 --> 00:25:55,032 from the aboriginal perspective and from the 478 00:25:55,033 --> 00:25:57,499 scientific perspective, here at tnorala, 479 00:25:57,500 --> 00:25:58,899 Warren Williams: Mmm. 480 00:25:58,900 --> 00:26:01,065 Duane hamacher: Are identical, they're exactly the same. 481 00:26:01,066 --> 00:26:03,166 Morgan Freeman: For the arrernte, 482 00:26:03,167 --> 00:26:06,432 life began here and tradition requires a greeting 483 00:26:06,433 --> 00:26:10,733 to the ancestors whenever you enter this sacred space. 484 00:26:10,734 --> 00:26:13,767 Warren Williams: Hey! 485 00:26:14,700 --> 00:26:20,433 [Foreign dialog]. 486 00:26:26,033 --> 00:26:28,332 Morgan Freeman: Science can live side by side with 487 00:26:28,333 --> 00:26:33,600 aboriginal and islamic accounts of our origins, 488 00:26:36,900 --> 00:26:39,366 now I'm curious about science and the 489 00:26:39,367 --> 00:26:43,433 judeo-Christian creation story. 490 00:26:44,467 --> 00:26:48,699 So I've come to Rome, where Michelangelo's breathtaking 491 00:26:48,700 --> 00:26:53,932 sistine chapel ceiling depicts the book of Genesis. 492 00:26:53,933 --> 00:26:58,600 In six days, god creates light, 493 00:26:58,900 --> 00:27:03,800 makes the sun and the moon and creates man. 494 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:13,999 I've come to speak with the pope's chief science 495 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:19,267 representative, monsignor Marcelo Sanchez sorondo. 496 00:27:19,667 --> 00:27:23,099 Now, you are the chancellor of the pontifical 497 00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:24,466 academy of sciences. 498 00:27:24,467 --> 00:27:26,366 Monsignor sorondo: Exactly. 499 00:27:26,367 --> 00:27:28,832 Morgan Freeman: When did that get started and why? 500 00:27:28,833 --> 00:27:30,999 Monsignor sorondo: In 1603. 501 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,032 Morgan Freeman: 1603? 502 00:27:33,033 --> 00:27:35,032 Monsignor sorondo: And three, yes, 503 00:27:35,033 --> 00:27:41,266 and the leader of the first generation was Galileo and the 504 00:27:41,267 --> 00:27:47,666 idea is to have a new academy to develop the 505 00:27:47,667 --> 00:27:49,965 scientific reason of things. 506 00:27:49,966 --> 00:27:52,599 Morgan Freeman: So we have the two different approaches 507 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:55,432 to the idea of creation. 508 00:27:55,433 --> 00:27:59,832 There is Genesis and then as the big bang. 509 00:27:59,833 --> 00:28:03,932 Monsignor sorondo: The big bang is not creation exactly 510 00:28:03,933 --> 00:28:09,534 because we don't know what was before the big bang. 511 00:28:10,667 --> 00:28:13,332 Morgan Freeman: My question exactly. 512 00:28:13,333 --> 00:28:15,299 Monsignor sorondo: And for this reason, 513 00:28:15,300 --> 00:28:20,132 creation is nothing to do with the big bang. 514 00:28:20,133 --> 00:28:26,666 The other thing is the idea of the Bible is not a 515 00:28:26,667 --> 00:28:29,266 scientific idea of creation. 516 00:28:29,267 --> 00:28:30,699 Morgan Freeman: In other words, 517 00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:32,232 science can't prove it or disprove it. 518 00:28:32,233 --> 00:28:34,299 Monsignor sorondo: Exactly. 519 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:36,533 We say in the Bible is the idea of creation, 520 00:28:36,534 --> 00:28:39,399 but in the geological sense of creation, 521 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:41,332 not the scientific... 522 00:28:41,333 --> 00:28:43,032 Morgan Freeman: Not in scientific. 523 00:28:43,033 --> 00:28:44,733 Monsignor sorondo: Sense of creation. 524 00:28:44,734 --> 00:28:46,766 Morgan Freeman: Thank you, thank you, indeed. 525 00:28:46,767 --> 00:28:49,432 The catholic church no longer sees the book of Genesis 526 00:28:49,433 --> 00:28:51,533 as the literal description of creation. 527 00:28:51,534 --> 00:28:54,366 In fact, the first scientist to propose the big bang, 528 00:28:54,367 --> 00:28:57,399 George lemaître, was a priest and a member of the 529 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,700 pontifical academy of science. 530 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:08,132 So how exactly does belief in god fit into modern cosmology? 531 00:29:08,133 --> 00:29:12,332 So this incredibly high vaulted ceiling, 532 00:29:12,333 --> 00:29:14,666 it's just like reaching for heaven. 533 00:29:14,667 --> 00:29:17,499 Father tanzella-nitti: Yes, in a certain sense. 534 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:21,032 This is a representation of heaven. 535 00:29:21,033 --> 00:29:22,799 Morgan Freeman: Oh! 536 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,199 Father tanzella-nitti: Of a theological heaven. 537 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,766 Morgan Freeman: I'm meeting with father giuseppe tanzella-nitti, 538 00:29:27,767 --> 00:29:30,666 a scientist at the Vatican observatory. 539 00:29:30,667 --> 00:29:33,065 I'm very, very fascinated by you. 540 00:29:33,066 --> 00:29:38,266 You are an astronomer and you are a holy man. 541 00:29:38,267 --> 00:29:42,166 Father tanzella-nitti: Yes, my field of study was radio 542 00:29:42,167 --> 00:29:47,899 galaxies, quasars, extra galactic objects and it was 543 00:29:47,900 --> 00:29:49,766 another kind of heaven. 544 00:29:49,767 --> 00:29:55,567 I remember that, when we take a galaxy spectra, 545 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:00,965 I used to pray during the waiting for the spectra and to 546 00:30:00,966 --> 00:30:04,099 say, "god, I thank you for this marvelous universe 547 00:30:04,100 --> 00:30:07,166 that you gave us." 548 00:30:07,167 --> 00:30:10,366 Morgan Freeman: There must have come at some point a 549 00:30:10,367 --> 00:30:16,199 question for you about the nature of creation. 550 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:21,633 We think that there's, like, a big schism between the 551 00:30:21,634 --> 00:30:25,633 biblical sense of creation and the other one is the 552 00:30:25,634 --> 00:30:29,533 scientific sense, the big bang, and it's all very different. 553 00:30:29,534 --> 00:30:32,132 Father tanzella-nitti: Creation from a theological 554 00:30:32,133 --> 00:30:36,299 point of view is perfectly compatible with the big bang, 555 00:30:36,300 --> 00:30:39,399 because you need always a first cause. 556 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,166 God the creator is outside space time. 557 00:30:44,167 --> 00:30:48,599 It's before any time, so the act of creation is an 558 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,865 everlasting act because creation is the way in which 559 00:30:52,866 --> 00:30:57,065 god continuously holds the universe. 560 00:30:57,066 --> 00:30:59,566 Morgan Freeman: For giuseppe and others like him, 561 00:30:59,567 --> 00:31:03,332 cosmology not only allows room for divine creation, 562 00:31:03,333 --> 00:31:07,166 it offers new ways to understand god as the master 563 00:31:07,167 --> 00:31:11,100 of space and time. 564 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,599 I like what father giuseppe 565 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:22,266 says about creation as a continuum, 566 00:31:22,267 --> 00:31:27,832 that it didn't begin and end with the big bang, 567 00:31:27,833 --> 00:31:31,999 that it is god's ongoing activity which 568 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,666 includes evolution. 569 00:31:34,667 --> 00:31:36,899 Think what he was saying is god does not 570 00:31:36,900 --> 00:31:39,032 exist outside space and time. 571 00:31:39,033 --> 00:31:43,833 God is space and time. 572 00:31:44,267 --> 00:31:48,199 The idea that creation is ongoing sounds like a new one, 573 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:52,066 but it's not. 574 00:31:52,367 --> 00:31:55,366 In the depths of the Guatemalan rainforest, 575 00:31:55,367 --> 00:31:58,899 lost cities reveal the endless creations of 576 00:31:58,900 --> 00:32:01,933 the ancient Maya. 577 00:32:08,467 --> 00:32:10,399 Morgan Freeman: What if there was not one moment 578 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:14,132 of creation, but many? 579 00:32:14,133 --> 00:32:16,566 I'm heading out to explore the remains of the 580 00:32:16,567 --> 00:32:19,032 ancient Mayan empire... 581 00:32:19,033 --> 00:32:20,566 Richard Hansen: There's a little swampy grounds 582 00:32:20,567 --> 00:32:22,399 where we're going. 583 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:24,499 Morgan Freeman: Where a new discovery sheds light 584 00:32:24,500 --> 00:32:28,033 on their Genesis story. 585 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,733 Few roads cut through the dense jungle of northern 586 00:32:37,734 --> 00:32:41,165 guateala today, but archaeologist Richard Hansen 587 00:32:41,166 --> 00:32:44,466 tells me that 2,000 years ago this was one of the 588 00:32:44,467 --> 00:32:46,933 great cities of the world. 589 00:32:46,934 --> 00:32:48,999 Richard Hansen: We like to think of Los Angeles and 590 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:50,933 New York as being a modern city, 591 00:32:50,934 --> 00:32:53,032 but these guys had the same perspective of their own cities. 592 00:32:53,033 --> 00:32:54,799 Morgan Freeman: Right. 593 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:56,165 They had water delivery systems, 594 00:32:56,166 --> 00:32:57,466 they had freeways... 595 00:32:57,467 --> 00:32:59,566 Richard Hansen: Oh yeah, very first freeway system 596 00:32:59,567 --> 00:33:02,233 in the world. 597 00:33:03,133 --> 00:33:07,265 Welcome to El mirador. 598 00:33:07,266 --> 00:33:09,466 This pyramid is one of the largest structures in the 599 00:33:09,467 --> 00:33:11,632 world in terms of volume. 600 00:33:11,633 --> 00:33:15,767 It's more than a half a mile long at the base. 601 00:33:22,934 --> 00:33:25,299 Morgan Freeman: At a site called El mirador, 602 00:33:25,300 --> 00:33:27,699 Richard found the remains of an ancient city the Maya 603 00:33:27,700 --> 00:33:31,666 knew as the snake kingdom. 604 00:33:31,667 --> 00:33:33,999 It's such a rich archaeological site, 605 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:38,265 he set up a permanent camp in the jungle to explore it. 606 00:33:38,266 --> 00:33:39,999 Richard Hansen: This is the laboratory. 607 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:41,332 This is our doctor. 608 00:33:41,333 --> 00:33:42,733 If you ever get in a problem, 609 00:33:42,734 --> 00:33:43,933 he can fix you right there. 610 00:33:43,934 --> 00:33:45,232 Morgan Freeman: Really? 611 00:33:45,233 --> 00:33:46,566 Richard Hansen: He's an outstanding doctor. 612 00:33:46,567 --> 00:33:48,699 Morgan Freeman: I got this. 613 00:33:48,700 --> 00:33:50,099 [Foreign dialogue]. 614 00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:51,366 Miguel: Miguel. 615 00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:52,466 Morgan Freeman: Miguel? 616 00:33:52,467 --> 00:33:53,566 Morgan. 617 00:33:53,567 --> 00:33:55,032 Miguel: Morgan Freeman, si. 618 00:33:55,033 --> 00:33:56,366 Man: Nice to meet you. 619 00:33:56,367 --> 00:33:58,733 Morgan Freeman: Yeah, it was nice to meet me, wasn't it? 620 00:33:58,734 --> 00:34:01,300 Man: It was, it was very nice to meet you. 621 00:34:03,867 --> 00:34:05,899 [Foreign dialogue]. 622 00:34:05,900 --> 00:34:07,299 Morgan Freeman: Set? 623 00:34:07,300 --> 00:34:10,499 Richard Hansen: Ok, let's do it. 624 00:34:10,500 --> 00:34:12,132 Morgan Freeman: Richard is taking me to see something 625 00:34:12,133 --> 00:34:16,532 he's only just uncovered. 626 00:34:16,533 --> 00:34:19,165 Richard Hansen: Ok, this is one of the most interesting 627 00:34:19,166 --> 00:34:21,032 excavations we have right now. 628 00:34:21,033 --> 00:34:23,599 Morgan Freeman: Oh my goodness! 629 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:26,099 Richard Hansen: This is art that was carved in stucco 630 00:34:26,100 --> 00:34:30,265 hundreds of years before Christ and it has incredible 631 00:34:30,266 --> 00:34:32,199 scenes showing the entire pantheon of 632 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,299 the Mayan religion. 633 00:34:34,300 --> 00:34:36,532 Morgan Freeman: So what we're talking about is, 634 00:34:36,533 --> 00:34:39,799 this is the actual story of creation here. 635 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:41,599 This is the Mayan Bible. 636 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,299 Richard Hansen: This is the Maya Genesis story with all 637 00:34:44,300 --> 00:34:46,566 the deities that are needed to tell the story. 638 00:34:46,567 --> 00:34:49,432 Morgan Freeman: Yeah, this is unbelievable. 639 00:34:49,433 --> 00:34:53,065 I mean, if you just think about the fact that it wasn't 640 00:34:53,066 --> 00:34:56,499 done in the 15th century or the 16th century. 641 00:34:56,500 --> 00:35:01,432 It was done 2,000 years ago at least. 642 00:35:01,433 --> 00:35:04,332 This is the oldest version of the Maya's sacred story of 643 00:35:04,333 --> 00:35:07,299 creation that's ever been found. 644 00:35:07,300 --> 00:35:12,033 The focus is on two swimmers carrying a severed head. 645 00:35:12,367 --> 00:35:14,499 Richard Hansen: It's this head right here that gave us 646 00:35:14,500 --> 00:35:16,899 the clue who this might be at the first place. 647 00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:19,199 We think this is hunahpu. 648 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:21,866 This is father of the hero twins that serves 649 00:35:21,867 --> 00:35:25,000 the whole process of creation. 650 00:35:34,033 --> 00:35:36,299 Priestess: Gracias a hau. 651 00:35:36,300 --> 00:35:41,300 Gracias al corazon del cielo. 652 00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:44,866 Gracias al corazon de la tierra, 653 00:35:44,867 --> 00:35:47,332 gracias al corazon del agua. 654 00:35:47,333 --> 00:35:49,666 Morgan Freeman: Fragments of this creation story 655 00:35:49,667 --> 00:35:52,599 survive even to this day in a religious ritual in 656 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,933 which I am privileged to take part. 657 00:35:55,934 --> 00:36:00,266 Ritual leader: Gracias, al corazon de fuego. 658 00:36:03,867 --> 00:36:06,432 Morgan Freeman: The ritual recalls the saga of the corn 659 00:36:06,433 --> 00:36:09,599 god being tricked into going down to the underworld, 660 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,867 where he's decapitated. 661 00:36:13,300 --> 00:36:16,232 His sons, known as the hero twins, 662 00:36:16,233 --> 00:36:19,766 set off to rescue him but they can only get to 663 00:36:19,767 --> 00:36:23,699 the underworld by being burned to ash. 664 00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:28,000 Richard Hansen: The ash represents the hero twins. 665 00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:30,999 She'll mix up the corn with the ashes and that goes 666 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:36,099 into the water. 667 00:36:36,100 --> 00:36:38,532 Morgan Freeman: As their ash sinks into the 668 00:36:38,533 --> 00:36:44,433 subterranean waters, the hero twins regenerate. 669 00:36:46,166 --> 00:36:50,099 They return to earth with the corn god's head and 670 00:36:50,100 --> 00:36:53,900 plant him in the ground. 671 00:36:57,767 --> 00:37:01,132 It is from this corn that the first Maya 672 00:37:01,133 --> 00:37:03,799 people are made. 673 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:07,332 Richard Hansen: Now the hero twins are in the river, 674 00:37:07,333 --> 00:37:11,399 so this is what they're gonna be serving and passing around. 675 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:13,933 In a sense, we all become a part of the hero twins' 676 00:37:13,934 --> 00:37:18,200 story by doing this. 677 00:37:28,266 --> 00:37:34,600 ♪ ♪ 678 00:37:40,967 --> 00:37:43,699 Morgan Freeman: We don't perform rituals to celebrate 679 00:37:43,700 --> 00:37:46,532 Adam and Eve, but the hero twins were crucial 680 00:37:46,533 --> 00:37:48,632 to Mayan culture. 681 00:37:48,633 --> 00:37:51,733 Their story of death and rebirth was tied to the growth 682 00:37:51,734 --> 00:37:55,632 of their staple crop, corn, an act of creation that 683 00:37:55,633 --> 00:37:59,867 the Maya depended on every year. 684 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,532 And, Richard tells me, their architecture also 685 00:38:07,533 --> 00:38:09,666 focused on creation. 686 00:38:09,667 --> 00:38:13,399 It mirrored a source of power they saw in the heavens. 687 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:17,065 To show me how, he takes me 40 miles away to 688 00:38:17,066 --> 00:38:21,233 the ruins of the city of tikal. 689 00:38:29,533 --> 00:38:33,032 ♪ ♪ 690 00:38:33,033 --> 00:38:36,999 The temples here are arranged in groups of three, 691 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,265 a triad. 692 00:38:40,266 --> 00:38:44,666 So Richard, now, I can sense here that there is 693 00:38:44,667 --> 00:38:47,566 a pattern, but something's missing. 694 00:38:47,567 --> 00:38:49,099 What am I missing? 695 00:38:49,100 --> 00:38:50,632 Richard Hansen: Well, there is a pattern, 696 00:38:50,633 --> 00:38:52,966 Morgan, this is a definite pattern here and 697 00:38:52,967 --> 00:38:54,733 it's consistent through centuries of time. 698 00:38:54,734 --> 00:38:56,666 There's one big building over here with 699 00:38:56,667 --> 00:38:58,399 the stairway facing inward, 700 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:00,366 another building over here with the stairway 701 00:39:00,367 --> 00:39:01,699 facing inward. 702 00:39:01,700 --> 00:39:03,132 Morgan Freeman: Ok, and a third one, what, what? 703 00:39:03,133 --> 00:39:05,799 Richard Hansen: The third one was right in front of us. 704 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:07,532 Morgan Freeman: Oh. 705 00:39:07,533 --> 00:39:09,432 Richard Hansen: There's the third structure. 706 00:39:09,433 --> 00:39:11,199 It's been dismantled, of course, it's gone now, 707 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,265 but the big building was right in front of us, 708 00:39:13,266 --> 00:39:15,733 it was as high or higher, 709 00:39:15,734 --> 00:39:18,632 which was built to make the triad, three stones. 710 00:39:18,633 --> 00:39:20,833 Morgan Freeman: Richard and other experts believe 711 00:39:20,834 --> 00:39:23,699 that this arrangement of stone temples is a deliberate 712 00:39:23,700 --> 00:39:28,032 echo of a triangle of stars in the constellation Orion. 713 00:39:28,033 --> 00:39:31,032 At the center of the three stars is a fiery nebula, 714 00:39:31,033 --> 00:39:34,532 a cosmic cloud of star creation. 715 00:39:34,533 --> 00:39:36,899 Richard Hansen: We know from contemporary Maya that 716 00:39:36,900 --> 00:39:38,599 there is a celestial heart. 717 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,232 The inside of... 718 00:39:40,233 --> 00:39:41,899 Morgan Freeman: A celestial... 719 00:39:41,900 --> 00:39:44,099 Richard Hansen: Orion, it's in the constellation of Orion. 720 00:39:44,100 --> 00:39:46,366 Morgan Freeman: Even today, when the Maya light a 721 00:39:46,367 --> 00:39:49,299 traditional fire, they begin by flagging three stones. 722 00:39:49,300 --> 00:39:52,432 A fire of creation emanates from their center, 723 00:39:52,433 --> 00:39:56,733 just as it does with the triad of stars in Orion. 724 00:39:56,734 --> 00:40:02,899 You're telling me that the Mayans got this triad, 725 00:40:02,900 --> 00:40:05,799 this manifestation of creation, 726 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,199 from the constellation Orion? 727 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:09,966 Richard Hansen: It looks like this is what they 728 00:40:09,967 --> 00:40:11,432 were looking at. 729 00:40:11,433 --> 00:40:14,766 We know that they were very aware of three primary stars, 730 00:40:14,767 --> 00:40:17,599 so the Maya were able to replicate that pattern with 731 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,332 these three stones in these three structures and 732 00:40:20,333 --> 00:40:23,666 that is replicated over and over and over again. 733 00:40:23,667 --> 00:40:26,032 They're tying us to the heavens. 734 00:40:26,033 --> 00:40:30,734 They're letting us see the creation symbolically. 735 00:40:36,166 --> 00:40:38,299 Morgan Freeman: Looking around here, 736 00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:41,766 I'm struck by the scale of what the Maya created. 737 00:40:41,767 --> 00:40:46,099 Huge cities, colossal pyramids. 738 00:40:46,100 --> 00:40:49,933 It was a civilization whose religion was focused on 739 00:40:49,934 --> 00:40:54,699 creation and the continued regeneration of creation. 740 00:40:54,700 --> 00:40:58,299 And yet it all crumbled. 741 00:40:58,300 --> 00:41:03,100 Everything the Maya created, collapsed. 742 00:41:10,967 --> 00:41:14,699 It strikes me that we don't spend enough time celebrating 743 00:41:14,700 --> 00:41:19,265 the paths our ancestors trod to get here, 744 00:41:19,266 --> 00:41:24,834 or giving thanks for the forces that sustain our lives. 745 00:41:25,767 --> 00:41:29,532 But there is one culture that gives thanks for its 746 00:41:29,533 --> 00:41:35,300 creation every day and I'm in varanasi, India to see it. 747 00:41:45,066 --> 00:41:49,899 India is home to a billion hindus, 748 00:41:49,900 --> 00:41:53,432 the third largest faith in the world. 749 00:41:53,433 --> 00:41:57,699 It has many gods and many creation stories. 750 00:41:57,700 --> 00:42:00,432 One of the best known centers around the river 751 00:42:00,433 --> 00:42:02,265 that gives them life... 752 00:42:02,266 --> 00:42:06,300 The Ganges or ganga. 753 00:42:08,934 --> 00:42:12,532 Benda paranjape: Morgan, now we are at the river ganga. 754 00:42:12,533 --> 00:42:13,899 Morgan Freeman: Ganga. 755 00:42:13,900 --> 00:42:16,466 Benda paranjape: Ganga, the holiest of the holy rivers 756 00:42:16,467 --> 00:42:19,165 and the center of hindu universe. 757 00:42:19,166 --> 00:42:22,366 It only exists because it is the sacred, the pure, 758 00:42:22,367 --> 00:42:24,432 the holy from the heaven. 759 00:42:24,433 --> 00:42:26,466 Morgan Freeman: It only exists because... 760 00:42:26,467 --> 00:42:27,833 Benda paranjape: You believe. 761 00:42:27,834 --> 00:42:28,899 Morgan Freeman: You believe it's true. 762 00:42:28,900 --> 00:42:30,332 Benda paranjape: Yes. 763 00:42:30,333 --> 00:42:31,632 Morgan Freeman: Ah, ok, love that. 764 00:42:31,633 --> 00:42:34,065 I love that. 765 00:42:34,066 --> 00:42:38,833 Historian benda paranjape takes me to a shrine to ganga. 766 00:42:38,834 --> 00:42:40,232 Benda paranjape: Careful. 767 00:42:40,233 --> 00:42:43,032 Morgan Freeman: Yes, ganga's not only a river, 768 00:42:43,033 --> 00:42:44,866 but a goddess. 769 00:42:44,867 --> 00:42:47,032 Benda paranjape: So the idea is that you bow down even 770 00:42:47,033 --> 00:42:49,432 before you enter the shrine, 771 00:42:49,433 --> 00:42:51,399 but not for a short person like me. 772 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:53,065 Morgan Freeman: Ah! 773 00:42:53,066 --> 00:42:54,799 [Laughs]. 774 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:56,899 Benda paranjape: And then you'll come to a place 775 00:42:56,900 --> 00:43:00,466 where you see mother ganga. 776 00:43:00,467 --> 00:43:01,733 Morgan Freeman: What's she holding in her 777 00:43:01,734 --> 00:43:03,299 upper left hand? 778 00:43:03,300 --> 00:43:04,966 Benda paranjape: She's holding a lotus. 779 00:43:04,967 --> 00:43:06,265 That is supposed to be a... 780 00:43:06,266 --> 00:43:07,933 Morgan Freeman: A lotus? 781 00:43:07,934 --> 00:43:09,432 Benda paranjape: A mark of purity, 782 00:43:09,433 --> 00:43:10,933 Morgan Freeman: Right. 783 00:43:10,934 --> 00:43:13,299 Benda paranjape: Because lotus emerges out of mud, 784 00:43:13,300 --> 00:43:17,266 but it does not take any stains of mud. 785 00:43:17,700 --> 00:43:19,399 Morgan Freeman: In the beginning, 786 00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:22,165 hindus believe ganga flowed in the heavens, 787 00:43:22,166 --> 00:43:26,333 but she was held captive by the creator god brahma. 788 00:43:26,867 --> 00:43:31,499 Then brahma decided to send the river ganga down to earth. 789 00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:33,332 Benda paranjape: But there is one problem, 790 00:43:33,333 --> 00:43:36,366 that ganga has got such mighty force and if she 791 00:43:36,367 --> 00:43:39,299 comes in the earth, the earth will drown. 792 00:43:39,300 --> 00:43:43,132 Morgan Freeman: So the god Shiva, 793 00:43:43,133 --> 00:43:47,165 blocked ganga's fall, gathering her waters in 794 00:43:47,166 --> 00:43:49,199 the locks of his hair. 795 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:51,632 Benda paranjape: So Shiva just opened one lock of 796 00:43:51,633 --> 00:43:56,800 his hair and the ganga flow. 797 00:43:58,133 --> 00:44:01,866 She's the mother because she gives birth to everything. 798 00:44:01,867 --> 00:44:06,299 Morgan Freeman: This holy river came from the river in 799 00:44:06,300 --> 00:44:08,265 heaven that we call the milky way. 800 00:44:08,266 --> 00:44:10,632 Benda paranjape: They say that milky way actually is a 801 00:44:10,633 --> 00:44:13,466 reflection that you see in those waters which 802 00:44:13,467 --> 00:44:17,132 are still beyond. 803 00:44:17,133 --> 00:44:20,933 Morgan Freeman: Scientists have dated the universe to 804 00:44:20,934 --> 00:44:27,132 about 14 billion years, best we can figure. 805 00:44:27,133 --> 00:44:31,133 Hindus have it at what? 806 00:44:31,433 --> 00:44:34,466 Benda paranjape: Hindus do not believe in one creation. 807 00:44:34,467 --> 00:44:36,766 They say that these are cycles of creation, 808 00:44:36,767 --> 00:44:38,532 Morgan Freeman: Ok. 809 00:44:38,533 --> 00:44:40,666 Benda paranjape: And the primordial creation could be 810 00:44:40,667 --> 00:44:42,766 something like 8.6 billion years old. 811 00:44:42,767 --> 00:44:45,099 Actually, this whole creation, 812 00:44:45,100 --> 00:44:48,265 it is very difficult to comprehend because we 813 00:44:48,266 --> 00:44:50,899 say that gods like brahma has created the universe, 814 00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:52,399 but then they ask a question, 815 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:53,999 "who created brahma?" 816 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:55,165 Morgan Freeman: Right. 817 00:44:55,166 --> 00:44:56,699 Benda paranjape: And then... 818 00:44:56,700 --> 00:44:58,232 Morgan Freeman: That's always the question, though. 819 00:44:58,233 --> 00:45:00,999 Creation happened and then the gods happened. 820 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,332 Benda paranjape: They say that the sages, 821 00:45:03,333 --> 00:45:04,799 when they were in their trance, 822 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:08,799 they got that revelation, that how the creation happened. 823 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:13,132 But since it isn't that level of consciousness, 824 00:45:13,133 --> 00:45:16,165 you and me, we commoners will not understand it, 825 00:45:16,166 --> 00:45:19,867 so we believe that it's beyond us. 826 00:45:20,934 --> 00:45:23,199 Morgan Freeman: The hindu philosophy is not to try to 827 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:27,199 solve the riddle of creation that happened long ago. 828 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:29,566 It's to give thanks every day for the forces 829 00:45:29,567 --> 00:45:33,999 that allow us to be here and continue to sustain us, 830 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:37,733 including the river Ganges. 831 00:45:37,734 --> 00:45:40,332 Benda paranjape: You can come a little close. 832 00:45:40,333 --> 00:45:42,432 We are going to see the ritual, 833 00:45:42,433 --> 00:45:44,065 which they call it aarti. 834 00:45:44,066 --> 00:45:45,532 Morgan Freeman: Aarti? 835 00:45:45,533 --> 00:45:47,566 Benda paranjape: Yeah, it means showing the lamb 836 00:45:47,567 --> 00:45:50,566 to the god. 837 00:45:50,567 --> 00:45:52,466 Morgan Freeman: The aarti has taken place on the 838 00:45:52,467 --> 00:45:54,532 banks of the holy river every night for 839 00:45:54,533 --> 00:45:58,467 hundreds of years. 840 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:10,065 Benda paranjape: The prayer is that 841 00:46:10,066 --> 00:46:13,432 'god, you are like my father, you are like my mother, ' 842 00:46:13,433 --> 00:46:15,032 Morgan Freeman: My mother. 843 00:46:15,033 --> 00:46:16,999 Benda paranjape: 'My whole existence is you.' 844 00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:18,999 Morgan Freeman: My whole existence is you. 845 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:20,499 Benda paranjape: You. 846 00:46:20,500 --> 00:46:22,165 I'm just like a shadow. 847 00:46:22,166 --> 00:46:23,833 Morgan Freeman: I am a vessel. 848 00:46:23,834 --> 00:46:25,466 Benda paranjape: That contains you. 849 00:46:25,467 --> 00:46:28,299 That's wonderful. 850 00:46:28,300 --> 00:46:30,566 Morgan Freeman: Seven priests offer 851 00:46:30,567 --> 00:46:32,799 all the elements to ganga... 852 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:38,766 Water, air, earth in the form of flowers, 853 00:46:38,767 --> 00:46:42,366 and the most important of all, light, 854 00:46:42,367 --> 00:46:45,767 which represents our souls. 855 00:46:55,533 --> 00:47:01,533 ♪ ♪ 856 00:47:03,967 --> 00:47:06,999 As the ceremony closes, people gather at the water's 857 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:10,799 edge to place the light of their own souls 858 00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:12,699 in a tiny vessel. 859 00:47:12,700 --> 00:47:14,733 Benda paranjape: This is our individual way of 860 00:47:14,734 --> 00:47:18,199 offering ourselves to the river and, uh, candles 861 00:47:18,200 --> 00:47:21,199 that take our soul to the river. 862 00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:22,632 Morgan Freeman: It's the light of my soul. 863 00:47:22,633 --> 00:47:25,432 Benda paranjape: My soul and it says that you take it 864 00:47:25,433 --> 00:47:30,600 wherever you think it good for me. 865 00:47:40,767 --> 00:47:44,099 ♪ ♪ 866 00:47:44,100 --> 00:47:46,099 Morgan Freeman: The hindu version of creation 867 00:47:46,100 --> 00:47:47,599 appeals to me. 868 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:50,099 It says the gods weren't even around at 869 00:47:50,100 --> 00:47:52,566 the original creation. 870 00:47:52,567 --> 00:47:56,933 They have this great saying from the rigveda 871 00:47:56,934 --> 00:47:59,866 about the beginning. 872 00:47:59,867 --> 00:48:04,533 There was neither non-existence nor existence. 873 00:48:06,967 --> 00:48:10,999 It's saying the idea is beyond human definition, 874 00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:13,599 beyond human intellect. 875 00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:16,633 Just, accept it. 876 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:20,066 [Explosion] 877 00:48:21,367 --> 00:48:23,966 Where did we come from? 878 00:48:23,967 --> 00:48:27,566 A man and a woman banished from paradise, 879 00:48:27,567 --> 00:48:30,300 who began to work the land? 880 00:48:31,867 --> 00:48:34,499 Hero twins planting the corn they need to 881 00:48:34,500 --> 00:48:37,532 start a civilization? 882 00:48:37,533 --> 00:48:41,666 A great river that gives life to an entire people? 883 00:48:41,667 --> 00:48:44,733 These ideas about where we came from are 884 00:48:44,734 --> 00:48:47,899 the oldest stories we have. 885 00:48:47,900 --> 00:48:50,466 They are shared words and distant memories that 886 00:48:50,467 --> 00:48:53,867 form the glue of our civilization. 887 00:48:54,066 --> 00:48:57,366 We don't all share the same creation story. 888 00:48:57,367 --> 00:49:00,632 We all come from different places, 889 00:49:00,633 --> 00:49:04,199 but all of us, whatever we believe, 890 00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:07,499 can share in one thing, 891 00:49:07,500 --> 00:49:12,433 the wonder and gratitude that we are here at all. 892 00:49:20,834 --> 00:49:25,232 It is my fervent hope that people will open their 893 00:49:25,233 --> 00:49:29,799 hearts and minds and see that, 894 00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:34,165 our beliefs don't have to divide us. 895 00:49:34,166 --> 00:49:38,299 They have the power to unite us, 896 00:49:38,300 --> 00:49:42,499 to allow us together to achieve remarkable things. 897 00:49:42,500 --> 00:49:47,834 As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, 898 00:49:49,367 --> 00:49:53,367 world without end.