October 2, 2011

A film entitled “The Asian and Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America,” whose main producer is a man named Gerald Krell, was shown on PBS several months ago. The film includes several minutes of scenes from the abbey, including a Mass in our chapel and several scenes of Abbot James speaking about his own understanding of the importance of interreligious dialogue. The brief description of the film which follows (slightly revised from the website) is an accurate summary: "This documentary explores the beliefs, practices and rituals of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism. It examines the similarities and differences with the Abrahamic religions and shows how Asian religions are an integral part of American society."