Customer Reviews

Jesus in India

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a must see for anyone interested in the historical Jesus. The idea at first seems far fetched - Jesus in India? Yet, as we look in to the legends and traditions we find out that it is accepted by most people, including the Catholic Church, that one of Jesus' disciples - Thomas - founded a Church in India - so could Jesus have gone there?

The documentary leaves no stone unturned. The film makers talk to Catholic professors, Biblical scholar Elaine Pagels, the esteemed Hindu leader the Shankaracharya of Puri, a Muslim scholar, the Dali Lama. One of the most colourful characters is Corrado Balducci from the Vatican who flatly denies all the claims about Jesus in India and claims they are fabrications. A very interesting section of the film contrasts his comments with the Shankarcharya who insists Jesus was India during his youth.

The film is a visual and audio treat - the rich colours of India combined with a wonderful musical soundtrack - so rich that its been released as a 40+ track CD.

The DVD comes with a ton of bonus material - which allows viewer to dig deeper in to some of the questions and issues surrounding this material. One interesting inclusion in the bonus feature is the Q&A session that took place after a screening of the film with questions from the audience put to a panel of those involved in the film.

A wonderful adventure and a thought provoking journey - get your copy ASAP!

Although a familiar assertion and the subject of a number of books, never has the question been more thoroghly and without bias been reported on before, at least not to my knowledge. If you are at all interested in the facts about the possibility of Jesus having been in India learning about Buddhism and other insights to life, this DVD does a more than admirable job in presenting the facts in both an enjoyable and informative way. I'm a teacher of Buddhism and I am showing it to my classes of students, who are Christians, Jews and Muslims. I recommend Jesus in India.

We interviewed this filmmaker about "Jesus in India" on our internet radio show and it was listened to by people with a wide range of religious beliefs and they all found it fascinating. It doesn't TELL you what to think, it just offers information so that YOU can make up your own mind. I think that only the most close-minded people would reject it (and I wonder if they really saw it or just object to the title?)--Anne Strieber, [...]

For my entire life, I have heard the oral teachings of Jesus's years in India. I cried tears of joy while watching Paul David's beautiful film because suddenly I understood why this information is so important to the world at this particular time.

There is one way for each of us to travel to enlightenment, and each way may be different but equally as sacred. This is what Jesus taught and exemplified with his life. To think that a soul of this magnitude would belong to one group and that by doing so, would make all other God loving people wrong, is absurd to me. Please open your heart and your mind and watch this film. Paul Davids has, as usual, made an important film of both truth and beauty that will impact peoples thinking for years to come.

Elizabeth Gaylynn Baker
Spirit Productions

For myself, the general premise of this just has a general feel of truth. I have read other material regarding the possibility of Jesus having spent a period of time in India. The alleged sayings often have a haunting feel of familiarity when compared, for example, with non-canonical writings such as the Gospel of Thomas.

From an internal standpoint, the sayings alleged to have been spoken by Jesus in India feel to me like what the person of Jesus would have said in certain circumstances.

As far as I can tell, the jury is still out on this question; no definitive proof one way or the other. But there is enough of a good feel about it to warrant more investigation, and if you are at all the curious sort, this film is a great place to begin. I highly recommend it.

Well-researched program. The presenter has really done his homework, mentions and gives credit to many of the previous painstaking researches done on the subject. The interviews are thorough.

There are some hilarious encounters with closed-minded interviewees who seem to be threatened by the very idea that Jesus was trained in India. While this information is common knowledge in many parts of the East, the afraid interviewees vehemently object the questions and insist on what they need to believe. If conclusive proof is brought to them, they may still stick to their beliefs. The basis of what they have been preaching is in big trouble. So are the tactics used for the aggressive, violent conversion efforts that have historically been characteristic of at least some of their denominations.

This program as well as some of the books on the subject faced serious objections and obstacles even from some Christian leaders in India.

The big picture is extremely hilarious to the onlooker who has been following the reactions for years, especially from Christian leaders. The program, the newest addition to the 'new Jesus movement', is one of genius.

This is a very watchable travelogue type of narrative, not too preachy or academic. I enjoyed seeing Elaine Pagels again, having seen her interviewed in the Frontline special 'From Jesus to Christ' and having read of her Nag Hammadhi work. It was interesting to me how immune some of the experts are to the speculation and curiosity about the fundamental question raised by the film, both the Catholic bishop and the academic Elaine Pagels almost have no curiosity at all about the question. It seems their professional positions require a rigorous refusal to speculate. One other question regarding the life of Jesus is not mentioned at all in the film - the question of his biological father being a Roman soldier (Pantera), part of the inevitable military miscegenation that is all too common in any military occupation, and Jesus growing up as a mixed-breed outcast as a result, and the possibility that having a well-travelled soldier as a father may have been a vehicle for the young boy to experience stories of travels if not actually going on travels with his biological father.

As a person who has followed SRF teachings, travelled to India for more than 10 years this book rings true to my inner " knowing". I only wish that the topic of what is believed to be omitted from from the Bible, reincarnation would have been mentioned however this may not have been relevant to the movie at hand. I truly appreciate the narrator describing his family background and history. His personal connection shed an interesting light on the topic. He carried himself as a journalist, not just some new age nut.
I highly recommend this, watch it from beginning to end with your full intention and a notebook to take notes.

This documentary is a must see for all those out there brave enough to ask questions. Having made many trips to India myself I was aware of this belief. In India I read Holger Kersten's book Jesus Lived in India. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of evidence he presented. This film goes beyond the evidence and the science. This film showed me the powerful importance of this knowledge. Even after the reading Kersten's book I had not realized that this evidence could and very well should change the world. If Jesus studied Buddhism and Hinduism among other things in India during his youth, it shows beyond any doubt not only tolerance for other religions but respect for other religions. If Jesus saw value in learning about other religions other than the one he was born into; then, all followers of Christ should be inspired to do the same. I have long believed that all the religions teach the LAW OF ONE. All are one. We are all connected. God in all of its names is in all things. Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies. Islam also shows respect for Jesus and include him as a holy prophet. Many muslims ,as shown in this film, accept this theory of Jesus living and learning in India. I see this idea as a profound yoking point for all religions. It has re-inspired my love for Christ ,and I hope that this review inspires you to watch this film and decide for yourself. Magnificent!

I watched this documentary after having earlier watched two other (recommended) documentaries about the same subject matter -- BBC - Did Jesus Die on the Cross? and BBC - Hidden Story of Jesus, both of which you may find online, and provide different angles on the same subject - on A) whether Jesus visited India/Asia from +/- 12 - 30 years old and learned various ideas used later and B) whether Jesus survived the crucifixion and went there afterwards and died there. It would be good to note - that perhaps A is true and B is false, or vice versa, or both true or both false. Discovery Channel's Lost Tomb of Jesus is another documentary that MAY possibly conflict with point B.

This documentary was a good 3rd documentary to watch on the subject - though I had my doubts due to the video quality and setup of some of the initial scenes (Interview with Elaine Pagel and video interviews in Texas). Thankfully, things went all "uphill" after that.

The breadth of people interviewed and locations visited was impressive. The Indian subcontinent can be a difficult place to travel (I know firsthand) and I'm glad the film crew "did it for me" to help me on my quest to get answers to life's many questions. The breadth of locations is a reflection of the effort that was taken to put together this documentary. After a riveting hour of watching - I realized there were 30 more minutes of investigative work to be shown - I was glued. Pacing of the video is good. I look forward to the bonus material.

Lies have a way of perpetuating themselves until we stop and question them. Religious or non-religious. The DEvil is in the DEtails. We don't like to admit we are wrong (Fearful too) -- but isn't that PRIDE (1 of the SEVEN sins and of Lucifer in mythology - yet most still think they are going to "heaven" or is that "I VAIN")? Anyway - this documentary further shows the weak foundations of many assumptions we have created a world / system / matrix around.

As an aside - National Geographic - Lost Gospel of Judas, and Discovery Channel's Lost Tomb of Jesus - may also be of interest to viewers. As well as NatGeo Mysteries of the Bible - Lost Years of Jesus. A book- Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald too for perspectives on all things holy in India (A book I read in 1-2 days holed up in my Mumbai hotel room one day). More data points to cross check and consider. Assumption is the mother of all f*** ups - I enjoy saying. So to assume that "Jesus lived this way or that way from 12 to 30" is well...a major fault.

Check my profile to learn more about these subjects in a larger context. If you like word games too -- such as the MARY / MURREE beer connection noted in the video. Soon we will know -- 2012....it's all about CHOICE to question - history, and ourselves.