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Living with the Gods

How shared beliefs have shaped societies around the world, from the very earliest days of humanity with Neil MacGregor, former Director of the British Museum.

World Service,30 episodes

Episodes

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Living with Each Other
Neil MacGregor concludes his series on how shared beliefs have shaped societies.
26 May 2018,17 mins
The Search for a State
The attempts of some faiths to establish a state of their own
19 May 2018,17 mins
Turning the Screw
A focus on those faiths seen as a threat to the state
12 May 2018,17 mins
Living with No Gods
Neil MacGregor focuses on societies which aimed to live without religious beliefs
05 May 2018,17 mins
Ruling with the Gods
The relationship between gods and the earthly rulers with a heavenly mandate
28 Apr 2018,17 mins
Gods Living Together
How faiths co-exist in India
21 Apr 2018,17 mins
Global Gods, Local Needs
How gods can reach new communities and faiths adapts
14 Apr 2018,17 mins
The Other Side of the Leaf
The societies who believe that they share the landscape with invisible co-inhabitants
07 Apr 2018,17 mins
Living with One God
How one god became central to worship in ancient Babylon and Egypt
31 Mar 2018,17 mins
Living with Many Gods
The role and expression of beliefs with a focus on societies living with many gods
24 Mar 2018,17 mins
Rejecting the Image
Focussing on the word: a yad is used to follow the text during readings from the Torah
17 Mar 2018,17 mins
Change Your Life
Examining images of the crucifixion of Christ and a serene figure of Buddha
10 Mar 2018,17 mins
The Making of Meaning
How do we begin to understand the original intention of ancient art?
03 Mar 2018,17 mins
Replicating the Divine
The making of divine images such as Russian Orthodox icons and the Hindu goddess Durga
24 Feb 2018,17 mins
The Protectoresses
Shared beliefs around Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and the goddess Artemis of Ephesus
17 Feb 2018,17 mins
Festivals
Festivals and their role in shaping a communal identity
10 Feb 2018,17 mins
To Be a Pilgrim
Pilgrimage and its role in Christianity, Buddhism and Islam
03 Feb 2018,17 mins
Holy Killing
This Aztec knife, dating from around 1500, had a brutal purpose - human sacrifice
27 Jan 2018,17 mins
Gifts to the Gods
Why offerings to Gods became part of cultural practice for the Muisca population
20 Jan 2018,17 mins
The House of God
The temple designed and formed in Mesopotamia about 4000 years ago to be a house of god
13 Jan 2018,17 mins
The Power of Song
Kirchenpelz was not just 'Sunday Best' it showed your allegiance to the Lutheran Church
06 Jan 2018,17 mins
Lines of Communication
Prayer is both a highly individualized activity and a profoundly communal act
30 Dec 2017,17 mins
Becoming an Adult
Human rites of passage, that mark the transition from childhood to adulthood
23 Dec 2017,17 mins
Mother and Child
How societies and communities seek to protect the newly-born and their mothers
16 Dec 2017,17 mins
Living with the Dead
Deceased ancestors had great wisdom and could be called upon to help key decision-makers
09 Dec 2017,17 mins
Dependence or Dominion?
How nature and seasonal change shaped shared beliefs from the Yupik people to Egyptians
02 Dec 2017,17 mins
Here Comes the Sun
The importance of the sun, from the very earliest days of humanity
25 Nov 2017,17 mins
Water of Life and Death
How water became an essential part of religious practise in Christianity, Islam, Judaism
18 Nov 2017,17 mins
Fire and State
Many societies have seen the mesmerizing phenomenon of fire as a symbol of the divine
11 Nov 2017,17 mins
The Beginnings of Belief
Through the ancient Lion Man sculpture Neil MacGregor explores the role of shared beliefs
04 Nov 2017,17 mins