ICYMI, My First Impressions on ‘Story of God’
Morgan Freeman explores science vs religion in pilot episode
The world is at war. Turn on a TV, and the political finger-pointing and name-calling is already reaching a fever pitch, and we’re only two months into the primaries. Most of the vitriol centers around who does (or doesn’t) have a plan for handling immigrants and refugees, as frustration gives way to outright xenophobia. Even our favorite superheroes can’t seem to agree on the definition of truth, justice, and the American way.
It’s in times like these that a believer finds comfort in their values and traditions: something that reminds them who they are and where they stand. And yet, some who are raised in one faith tradition, like Academy-award winning actor Morgan Freeman, have difficulty reconciling the narrative they were raised with, and the story that science tells them. The matter becomes even more muddled when one takes into account the global perspective of our “creation.” Can these conflicting “stories of God” coexist with each other? Are these religious myths, like superhero rivals or political parties, fixed in a state of perpetual opposition?
A Familiar, but Fresh Narrative Voice
Freeman offers an olive branch which might seem saccharine to some, who, after seeing the rise in Bible-based TV dramas and faith-based blockbusters, expect to see their ideas reinforced by popular media. Story of God instead follows in the footsteps of 2015’s Nat Geo series Breakthrough, which explored cutting edge science from the perspective of Hollywood luminaries. Like that 6-episode anthology, which highlighted breakthroughs in everything from pandemic research to human enhancing technology, Story of God is an overview of different religious answers to life’s mysteries. And while various religious experts and practitioners present their perspective, each episode is siphoned through the lens of the wide-eyed, jovial, eternally entertaining Morgan Freeman.
If the series opener is any indication, Story of God will be a more personal look into the famous narrator than typical documentary series fare. The pilot, “Creation,” opens not far from Freeman’s Mississippi home, as the actor takes care of one of his horses. While the host of Into the Wormhole treads familiar territory, as his gregarious, yet gravely, voice describes the Mayan creation myth via the god of corn, instead of being an inanimate voice-over, there he is, on camera, eating corn. His participation in the commemorative ritual portrays him as an active investigator of all things “creation.” His interview rapport, with archaeologists, anthropologists, and other experts, at times seems either too rehearsed, or unexpectedly candid. However, whether Freeman is mouthing the words to his favorite hymn at his home church in Greenwood, Mississippi, or lighting a candle in honor of the Hindu goddess Ganga, his interest never seems disingenuous.
“In the Beginning…” vs The Big Bang
Story of God seeks to validate religion in the face of its diversity. Freeman begins by asking: “Which came first: religion or civilization?” He soon finds that some prehistoric societies used religion and ritual as a way of diffusing often haphazard conditions and conflicts. This seems to set up a narrative that religion was, first and foremost, a byproduct of a harsh primordial environment, as opposed to worshipping of a higher power. However, Freeman transitions, (somewhat abruptly,) from the topic of how religion began, to whether religion can survive its current battle with science.
The series’ opener answers with a mixture of spectacle and expert speculation. The sheer variety of cultural touchstones visited in the show’s first episode alone are staggering. Nearly a dozen holy sites, from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, to the ancient Mayan pyramids of Tikal, to an Aboriginal crater which is believed to be a literal cradle of civilization, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Freeman’s tour, combined with interviews, ranging from Vatican priest scientists to cultural astronomers, is more than enough to get any skeptic to consider why humanity needs to believe in a higher power.
Beyond the series’ inclusion of a multitude of voices, (sights, sounds, and stories,) it also presents the counter-argument of the leading modern scientific theory: The Big Bang. Freeman’s inner skeptic bursts onto the scene more than once, as he tries to ask how ancient evidence of belief in a supernatural origin can coexist with our understanding of the natural world. Instead of simply mentioning the debate, Story of God takes pains to see what lines up between traditional understandings of our world’s origin, and the relatively new narrative of a “stardust nativity.”
Story of God does distance itself from claiming to rationalize every creation myth it mentions. However, the show does manage to link several elements of the Big Bang to common prehistoric accounts of creation’s and its aftermath: stories which stem from millenniums-old oral traditions and organized religions. These ancient stories are retold as well-produced animated sequences, as Freeman does a balancing act between calling every creation myth a fairytale, and proclaiming they are all 100% credible interpretations of modern science. And Freeman divides his time between opening up when he is unsure and still curious, and being inconspicuously absent when someone else’s perspective can duly enlighten us.
Watching ‘Story of God’ vs Watching God
Nat Geo’s Story of God, which premieres tonight (April 3rd, 2016, at 9:00 PM ET/PT), is not going to replace a real worship service, much less the kind of revelations experienced by men like the Apostle John, Mohammed, or even Joseph Smith. There is a key difference between watching this show, and true “knowledge of the holy,” or even a skeptic’s journey to accept their lack of understanding, as Morgan Freeman does in this series. But if you are willing to join someone on that journey, to see firsthand how people over thousands of millennia ago dealt with those same questions, you will enjoy Story of God.
