Every civilisation in history has been founded on a belief in a higher power that tells us where we come from, what we do, who we are. For some, religion has no place in the modern world - its force and relevance diluted and negated by the driving thrust of science. Yet the power of religion remains with us today in our thinking, our rituals and our culture.
The Story of God is a three part documentary that marks a departure from traditional religious programming as it embarks on a journey across continents, cultures and eras, examining one of the most extraordinary aspects of human behaviour.
How has a belief in God made us who we are?
What place does God and the divine have in our lives today? How is God expressed in the modern world?
Episodes:
Episode 1
Professor Robert Winston examines religions that believe in many different gods, and explores why mankind started to believe in God at all.
He goes back to the roots of religious beliefs in prehistoric societies to examine the different ways in which humanity's sense of the divine developed. He travels to the Gargas Caves in South West France where, he says, if the story of God has a beginning, it might be found.
He examines mysterious stenciled hand prints from 27,000 years ago which appear to have one or more fingers missing and debates whether these represent early humans' attempts to reach out to God.
He also examines how mankind's awareness of death could have shaped our ideas about God. In India, he explores the origins of Hinduism and the emergence of Brahman as the supreme being with many different forms.
Some experts believe that there may be 330 million gods across the Hindu faith and he looks at the notions of karma and reincarnation, also evident in Buddhism.
Episode 2
In this episode Professor Robert Winston delves into the past to discover the beginnings of monotheism, a belief in one true God.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are examined in order to understand the ideas they share about God and the issues that divide them. He also explores relations between people and God and the numerous issues that arise from these considerations.
He goes in search of an answer to the centuries-old question: If God created humanity why does God allow humanity to suffer?
Episode 3
This episode looks at how, as science expanded, God retreated. He became 'the God of the gaps', occupying those parts of the Universe that were unexplored and unexplained, that science hadn't got around to yet.
It also explores whether science can actually help us to understand if God exists or not. According to Pascal, it's a straight toss-up - heads yes, tails no. Pascal's clinching argument was that it was safer to bet that God did exist because the consequences of betting wrong were too terrible to contemplate.
Professor Winston looks at scientific disciplines (nuclear and astro-physics) where a convergence between faith and science seems possible. He ventures into vast underground laboratories in Switzerland where they are trying to prove the existence of the 'God particle' and speaks to an American geneticist who believes there is a God gene that predisposes some people to have religious or spiritual beliefs.
He also puts his own belief in God to the test with a mathematical formula that has been adapted to calculate the probability of God's existence.