EPISODE CREATION Discussion Guide by Sarah Thebarge

EPISODE CREATION Discussion Guide by Sarah Thebarge

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE The discussion guides for The Story of God with Morgan Freeman are intended for groups and/or individuals to use in processing and discussing each episode. Groups can be large or small, formal or informal. These guides are offered as a way to spark greater conversation and exploration of the themes of the shows. We hope that these resources will provide insight, understanding and a deeper connection to one s own faith tradition as well as a better understanding of others. The guides are written by faith leaders from each of the five major traditions that are featured in the series: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. Each leader offers insight from his or her own perspective and knowledge of their tradition. These writers offer both academic insight into their faiths as well as personal reflections based on the content of each episode. Just as the series is as much a personal journey and exploration, the guides hope to reflect that same personal sensibility. The guides are generally divided into four sections: Recap: A recap of each episode s themes and stories, with some insight from each writer. Questions: A set of questions for groups and/or individuals to use to start conversations. Reflection: Each writer will offer a reflection of a personal experience or insight as inspired by the specific episode. Call To Action: An idea, or ideas, for how to take tangible steps toward an even deeper understanding of the theme and faith traditions. As Morgan Freeman notes in The Story of God, it was from a posture of curiosity and a desire to listen that he embarked on this journey. We suggest the reader adopt the same spirit as it relates to conversations around the episodes, and we hope this guide leads to greater understanding and a deep and meaningful experience.

CREATION by Sarah Thebarge GETTING STARTED In this episode, Morgan Freeman explores what may be the first, oldest and most universal question of human existence: Where did we and the world in which we live come from? Asking Where did we come from? raises even more questions: Was the world created by divine intent or by chance? Did God create human beings, or did human beings create God? How, when and why did creation stories come into existence? In our exploration of these inquiries, we find that the questions may be more telling than the answers, leading us deeper into the mysteries of creation, existence and our place in the Story of God. QUESTIONS 1. Why do you think the question How did we get here? is so universal? 2. What is your faith tradition s story of creation? How has it informed and affected you? 3. In this episode Morgan Freeman explores several traditions stories of creation. How are they similar? How do they differ? 4. Science and religion have often been seen as opposing each other. What s your view of the relationship between science and religion? What, if anything, would you change about how they relate to each other? 5. In his closing reflection, Morgan Freeman says that our differences don t have to divide us; they have the power to unite us. How could faith traditions use their creation stories to promote unity instead of division? REFLECTION I started college as a science major at a conservative Christian college that was adamant about a literal six-day creation. To get extra credit, I attended a monthly science lecture that was hosted by a local church. Guest lecturers taught on the Hebrew translation of Genesis and how we know that the earth was literally created in six days and is no more than 6,000 years old. I learned about fossils, Noah s flood and carbon dating. I was also required to take classes on organic chemistry, physiology, developmental biology and physics. As I began my junior year, I realized I was dreading my classes. I told my advisor I had fried my brain by taking so many science classes. As we talked about why I was so burned out, I realized that I had spent four semesters learning about how the world was created but all the while, I was not creating anything. If it was true that I was a human being created in the image of God, and if God was nothing if not an incredibly creative Creator, then wasn t I supposed to be creative and creating, too? 3

I realized that I needed either to add a class that let me use the right side of my brain or to switch majors completely. There was a creative writing class that fit into my schedule, so I took it. I had enjoyed writing for as long as I could remember, but I had always thought of it as a hobby. A few weeks into the semester, my writing professor took me aside and complimented me. He asked if I had ever considered writing as a career. For some reason, I hadn t realized that people got paid to do my favorite activity. It hadn t occurred to me that people could make a living off of what I loved to do creating scenes and stories and ideas and pictures in words. Getting paid to write would be like getting paid to breathe! I told my professor. I do it all the time anyway! Something in my heart came alive that day, and life became more of an opportunity than an obligation. I added a minor in journalism. And I stopped going to the extra-credit science lectures, partly because my schedule was busier with the new minor and partly because I lost interest in the controversial idea of literal creation. What was there to be gained by trying to prove to myself or to someone else how the world came to be? What mattered most to me was not exactly how or when the world was created, but simply that it was created. That out of divine imagination came gravity and sunsets and seasons and butterflies emerging from caterpillars disintegrated cells. I preferred to be inspired by creation than experience it as a source of doubt, frustration or judgment. After I graduated from college, I went to a two-year master s program to become a physician assistant instead of spending seven years to become a physician. And then I went to journalism school. I thought I would become a medical reporter for a major newspaper or magazine; instead, writing and medicine have been separate careers for me. Two years ago, after my memoir The Invisible Girls was published, I scaled back my medical practice so I could write full time. As I have rearranged my priorities to be able to tell stories from my life and the lives of many marginalized people, I have learned so much about who I am and whom I was created to be. I have learned more about the Creator from writing stories than I ever learned in the science lectures I sat through in college. I have learned that every human being is endowed not only with life and breath, but also with creativity. It looks different for each of us, but as we create, something in us comes alive. We become more intimate with the divine as we use our unique gifts not only to find but also to create our place in the Story of God. CALL TO ACTION 6. Set aside time to explore and experience the natural world. Whether it s stargazing, hiking, bird watching, surfing or walking through the grass in bare feet, what can you do to experience wonder this week? 7. Participate in an activity that helps to restore or protect our planet. 8. Think about how your story connects with your faith tradition s story of creation and the larger Story of God. 9. Create something! Whether your passion is cooking or writing or woodworking or painting, use your creative talents to experience the joy of bringing something beautiful and unique into existence. 4

BIO Sarah Thebarge studied medicine at Yale and journalism at Columbia. She is an international speaker and the author of the memoir The Invisible Girls. Her writing has appeared in Huffington Post, Red Letter Christian, Relevant Magazine and Christianity Today. She is a spokesperson for Compassion International and for Vanity Fair Lingerie s Women Who Do campaign. She currently lives in Southern California. SOCIAL PAGES Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natgeotvus Twitter: @NatGeoChannel #StoryOfGod Instagram: @natgeochannel #StoryOfGod WEB SITE www.natgeotv.com/storyofgod SERIES DESCRIPTION Who is God? Where did we come from? Why does evil exist? What happens when we die? Every human being on earth has asked themselves these questions at some point, and most likely each person has found a different answer. Beginning Sunday, April 3 at 9/8c, National Geographic Channel and Revelations Entertainment s epic six-part event series, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, will take viewers on a trip around the world to explore different cultures and religions on the ultimate quest to uncover the meaning of life, God and all these big questions in between. Although religion is often seen as something that divides, the series illuminates the remarkable similarities among different faiths, even those that seem to be in staunch contrast. EPISODES April 3 Beyond Death April 10 Apocalypse April 17 Who Is God? April 24 Creation May 1 Why Does Evil Exist? May 8 The Power of Miracles LINK TO SUPPORT MATERIALS http://tinyurl.com/thestoryofgod 5