In God's Name: Wisdom From the World's Great Spiritual Leaders by Jules Naudet, Gedeon Naudet, Stephan Crasneanscki (Photographer)

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Synopsis

Who is God? What is death? What is worth dying for? How do you explain fanaticism and violence waged in the name of God? Candid responses and profound comments by the world’s great spiritual leaders are accompanied by magnificent, never-before-published images of these wise men and women, as well as ordinary people engaged in religious practices around the world. Their voices span geographical and theological distances yet come together to create a spiritually satisfying and meaningful worldview.

Luminaries such as the Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, and the Archbishop of Canterbury appear alongside leaders in the Shinto, Hindu, and Sikh communities. Heads of the Christian and Muslim faiths are represented, including Catholic, Lutheran, Southern Baptist, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Shiite, and Sunni. Each leader’s first-person account of his or her spiritual path is illustrated with powerful photographs of private and public moments. Gracefully interspersed with the photographs are the thoughtful answers to the questions posed by the Naudet brothers, who gained unprecedented access to these world spiritual leaders following their prizewinning documentary film9/11.

Timed for Easter and Passover, In God’s Name offers readers a rare opportunity to know 12 of the most holy people alive today and to read their answers to eternal questions of life and death, war and peace, doubt and belief, and the nature of God.

Biography

Award-winning documentary filmmakers Jules and Gédéon Naudet were born in Paris, France. They moved to New York in 1989 to attend NYU Tisch School of the Arts. They have worked for various production companies including the Sundance Channel and the French television station Canal+. Their documentaries include Hope, Gloves and Redemption, which won grand-jury honors at the 2000 New York Independent Film and Video Festival, and 9/11, which was shown in more than 100 countries and won the 2002 Emmy for Best Documentary, the Peabody Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award. The Naudets’ most recent film was In God’s Name.

Virginie Luc is a journalist and essayist. Her writing has appeared in Time, Life, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and Paris-Match. Her essays have been published throughout Europe and the United States.

Stephan Crasneanscki is a photographer and artist. He recently completed a series of portraits of 25 contemporary artists as part of an upcoming exhibition sponsored by Chanel.