WHAT THEY BELIEVE: HINDUS, ZOROASTRIANS, BAHÁ’ÍS, a CBS religion special providing insights to the beliefs and rituals of three faith communities, will be broadcast Sunday, April 15 on the CBS Television Network. Please check your local station for exact time. Following the April 15 air date this program may be viewed again at www.cbsnews.com/religionculture.

This program explores the traditions and beliefs of three religions not well-known in the United States. Hinduism is a very large religion, but relatively unknown among Americans. Zoroastrians and Bahá’ís are even less well-known, and the broadcast hopes to reveal these faiths with their rich and historic traditions.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest faith tradition that does not have a prophet, a common creed or doctrine withthe majority of adherents living in India. This program looks at the estimated 1.5 millionHindus in North America. We visit with Jack Hawley, Professor of Religion at Barnard College, and Anand Venkatkrishnan, a Hindu and religion doctoral student at Columbia University. As the son of first-generation immigrants who are practicing Hindus from Southern India, Anand talks about how the faith tradition is not about what you believe, but what you do. We also visit Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam, a Hindu Temple in Flushing, Queens where we interview their President, Dr. Uma Mysorekar, and witness an abhishekha ceremony.  

             Zoroastrianism is a 3,500-year-old faith tradition based on the teachings of the prophet Zarathustra in ancient Persia, now Iran.  Zoroastrians believe in one God (monotheism) and that through the acts of good thoughts, words and deeds one can triumph over evil. Their population was once in the millions, but today it is estimated at about 125,000 worldwide with an estimated 25,000 Zoroastrians in the United States. We meet Roshan and Rohinton Rivetna from Hinsdale, Ill., who emigrated from India to the U.S. in 1966 and found themselves missing a connection to their faith. They reached out to a small but growing number of Zoroastrians in the area, eventually building a community of nearly 700. Roshan Rivetna remarks that their biggest concern is, “How do we keep those second-generation Zoroastrians from drifting away?” She and her husband have dedicated their lives to the preservation of their faith. Rohinton was founder and President of the Federation of the Zoroastrian Association of North America. He was also behind the building of the first Zoroastrian Temple in the Midwest.  His wife, Roshan, is former editor of Fezana, a publication dedicated to Zoroastrianism in North America. 

We witness a Jeshan ceremony at the Zoroastrian Association of Chicago Fire Temple in Burr Ridge, Ill. Seven mobeds (priests) perform a ritual celebrating the first day of March. The ceremony is led by Zoroastrian High Priest Dr. Kersey Antia. We also hear from the Rivetna’s son, Cyrus, a Chicago-based architect, who expanded his practice to the design of Zoroastrian Fire Temples in North America.

The Bahá’í faith was founded by Bahá’u’lláh in 19th-century Persia (now Iran). Bahá’ís believe that there is only one religion which has been progressively revealed by a series of Divine Messengers of which their prophet, Bahá’u’lláh, is said to be the latest in a succession that includes Krishna, Abraham, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Christ and Mohammed. This program visits one of this religion’s seven houses of worship in the world, the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Ill., long considered a national landmark. We speak with Glen Fullmer – Director Office of Communications U.S. Bahá’í National Center as well as Scott Conrad – Project Manager, Bahá’í Temple and the new Welcome Center, and architect for the U.S. Bahá’í National Center; S. Valerie Dana, Deputy Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States; and others.

This program reveals these three faiths, each with deep traditions and an interesting spiritual history.

John P. Blessington is the executive producer and Liz Kineke is the producer.  This documentary is produced in cooperation with the National Council of Churches, a Consortium of Roman Catholic organizations, The Islamic Society of North America, The Union of Reform Judaism and the New York Board of Rabbis.

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Press Contact:

Jeremy Murphy 212-975-4577  jeremymurphy@cbs.com