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As producers, we have many choices when it comes to where and how we spend our time. This includes development (despite our efforts, only a handful of our ideas get financed) and production (most of our projects take a minimum of 18 months to produce). For the company and for individual producers to spend as many as three years on a single project, it would have to be something we feel is of unusual significance. Prayer in America fits our criteria.

Prayer in America is not a show for everyone. For those who may think we are producing a documentary designed to endorse a particular religious perspective or point of view, you will find yourself disappointed. For those who may think we should be giving equal representation to the myriad of faith groups that make up the fabric of American religion, you too may find yourself disappointed. Our intention, as always, is to create our work with the kind of journalistic integrity that has long defined The Duncan Group.

We are also not able to delve into specifics related to sects within the major religions. Therefore, this is not a show for people searching for the differences between Sunnis and Shiites, Baptists and Methodists, Catholics or the Greek or Russian Orthodox.

At the same time Prayer in America is accessible for a broad audience and, specifically, for those among you who share our belief that talking about religion, prayer and faith is a positive thing. The more we learn about each other, and specifically the more we learn about why we pray and the ways in which we pray, the better our chance of understanding each other and resolving conflict.

According to a 2004 national survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the breakdown of religious practice in America today looks something like this:

Protestants - 54.7%
Catholics - 22.0%
Other Christians - 2.7%
Other Faiths - 4.6% (of which 1.9% are Jewish)

Of the remaining 16% who are unaffiliated, 5.3% consider themselves believers and 10.7% consider themselves agnostic, atheist or secular.

During our research and interviews for the Prayer In America, we found a fairly common denominator among the many scholars we interviewed. That is, many share the notion that America is a largely religious nation and that virtually all religious practices share a kind of "Protestant ethic" that makes them uniquely American.

For example, Muslim scholar Reza Aslan (author of No god but God) says there is a "… kind of shared sense of American-ness, which is very much a part of a nationalist religious ideology that we all share, that binds Americans together. (It) is something that is really not found anywhere else, certainly nowhere else in the western world."

Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, Jonathan Sarna says "the vast majority of Americans claim, in one way or another, to be religious. But we mean very, very different things by religion and so, too, in prayer."

What many scholars conclude is that a kind of "civil religion" has developed in America from our Protestant roots. That is, religious practice in America is, in many ways, infused with the symbols and events of our history. People, historical and government texts, even buildings have become sacred. No matter what faith we may choose to practice, or no matter how hard we may choose to practice no faith at all, many believe there is a kind of "civil religion" that defines America and makes it unique.

Aslan says, "We have, for instance, our own scripture, the Constitution. It is almost a holy and revered, almost divinely inspired scripture. We have, of course, founding myths. We have our saintly figures, the fathers of the American church - Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson. We have our own hymns, America the Beautiful, God Bless America. In many ways, we have our own creedal formula, a formula that our school children stand up and, and recite every morning, 'I pledge allegiance to the American flag and to the republic for which it stands' etcetera, etcetera."

Albert Raboteau, Professor of Religion at Princeton University and one of the nation's foremost authorities on African-American religious history says, "one can run through a whole series of texts of the Presidential inaugural addresses that play the changes upon that theme. Sometimes it's less biblically-oriented and more civically-oriented in terms of the institutions of republican forms of government. So, the Declaration of Independence becomes a kind of, of sacred document which is, is on display, not just a curiosity but an object of veneration almost. The Civil War, it becomes the great trial, ah, the great moment of purification of the nation. Therefore, Lincoln becomes a major figure in the, this kind of pantheon of civil religion along with Washington, Jefferson and some of the other founders.

Of course, the notion of a civil religion and related prayer traditions and practices (such as the oft-repeated phrase "God Bless America") is fraught with controversy. Professor Sarna suggests, "The great danger of a civil religion is that it becomes a particularistic religion, or the religion of the majority masquerading as the religion of the entire population. And when that happens, civil religion ceases to be the religious embodiment of the American people as a whole. And indeed, instead, it becomes a kind of religious establishment, which goes against our fundamental First Amendment freedoms."

A related theme in the unfolding narrative of Prayer in America is the notion that prayer, regardless of the religious practice, serves a kind of unifying purpose. For example, James P. Moore, Jr., author of the book One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America says, "Much in the way that America's motto "E Pluribus Unum" (one out of many) symbolizes unity out of diversity, prayer affords an opportunity to recognize how Americans, despite their diversity, are unified in their spirituality with one another and with a higher being…American's today must understand prayer as a unique, unifying force."

Moore's premise that there is a kind of unifying force to prayer practices in America today becomes a driving question throughout the documentary Prayer In America. Specifically, our approach is to view prayer, and to a lesser extent, religion, through the lens of history. It is our intention to explore, question, challenge or support Moore's thesis through interviews with a wide-ranging group of scholars, writers and experts in the history of religion and prayer in America. To that extent, we believe the scholars and historians we include in the film accurately reflect the diversity of thought among most mainstream religious and secular perspectives in America today.

Whether we are united by our prayer practices is just one of many issues explored in Prayer In America. Of course, among the questions raised by Moore's assertion is what or who are we praying to or for - and how are our prayer practices similar or different?

Professor Sarna says, "It's important to recognize the diversity of prayers as it is to recognize that we all use the same term, often for very, very different experiences. The kinds of prayers that go on in an evangelical setting would be quite horrifying to a Quaker and vice versa."

Carol Zaleski, Professor of Religion at Smith College and author of Prayer: A History, adds, "I think if you wanted to raise those antennae, become more sensitive to the presence of prayer in our midst one thing that one needs to look for is the multitude of forms that it can take, the kinds of practices that are associated with prayer. Which can include chanting, it can include silence, some prayers are very long and developed, others are very short and, and subtle, or quiet. It (prayer) can involve dancing. Now, for people that don't have dancing as part of their prayer tradition this may not be obvious at first but dancing, even ecstatic dancing, is a very important prayer form in many traditions. In Hasidic Judaism, in the Afro-Caribbean religions, you dance your prayers, you don't just speak them. So various forms of music, of artistic expression, rhythmic bodily movements are associated with prayer - whirling, thumping, lying prostrate, kneeling."

Sarna adds, "There are some who pray in tongues and there are some who cannot understand the notion of praying in tongues. So prayer unites us but it also divides us. And in that way, it is like religion itself."

Prayer In America begins with the events that followed the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001. It was just a few days after the attack that religious leaders from across the country gathered with the faithful - and the non-faithful - at New York's Yankee Stadium. During that highly visible prayer service, people from various faith traditions were represented and prayed together on stage as millions more watched and prayed along at home. The one seemingly common denominator for the vast majority of people in the stands and at home was the idea of praying "for" America. We were, in the words of many, united as Americans.

The expression of faith and patriotism exhibited at Yankee Stadium that day raises many questions - questions about the separation of church and state, questions about nationalism, questions about religious diversity, questions about civic religion, and questions about the unifying nature of prayer. With the heat of the moment now passed, many are asking what that event symbolized and in what ways it reflects the true nature of prayer and religious diversity in America.

With Yankee Stadium as our jumping off point, Prayer In America explores a myriad of historical issues, events and perspectives related to prayer in America. The show will be presented in two one-hour segments. The rough outline for each one hour is:

Prayer In America is not the end of the discussion. It's part of a continuum that is molded by people and events throughout history. To avoid the discussion is to avoid the "elephant in the room." In a world where prayer and religious practice are often seen as a dividing force, we hope our dialogue contributes to a better understanding of what it means to practice faith in America today.

In addition to the public television program Prayer In America, there is an extensive community outreach campaign being conducted by Los Angeles-based Outreach Extensions. Like the film, the outreach campaign is multi-faith in its perspectives and designed to engage and involve the public in a greater discussion of the issues raised in the film. For additional information on the outreach campaign, please contact Judy Ravitz at Jroutext@aol.com.

For more information about broadcasts on public television, please visit IPTV.org or contact Iowa Public Television at 1-800-532-1290.

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The Duncan Group has a long-standing tradition of producing non-fiction television programming that addresses the critical issues of our times. Many of our shows also involve discussion of spiritual subject matter.
Some of our recent programming includes:

- Mystic Lands - This is a 13-part series on spiritual places of the world that includes Bhutan, India, Peru, Greece, Bali and many others. Many of the world's faith practices are explored in detail including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and the religious practices of the Maya, Inca, Anasazi and others. Mystic Lands has aired in more than 100 countries and was produced in association with Discovery Networks. (click here to view clip)

- The Magic Never Ends - The Life & Work of CS Lewis - This one-hour show premiered on public television nationwide in the U.S. on PBS Plus in 2002. The program continues to enjoy broadcast and robust video distribution. (click here to learn more)

- In A Just World - Contraception, Abortion & World Religion. This one-hour public television special aired nationwide on PBS in 2004. The show looks at the critical issue of women's reproductive rights from various religious perspectives including Islam, Judaism and Christianity. (click here to view clip)

- The Cost of Freedom - Civil Liberties, Security and the USA PATRIOT Act. This one-hour special aired nationwide on public television in the U.S. in 2004. The show included an array of voices both against and for the Patriot Act including the ACLU and the author of the Patriot Act, Viet Dihn. The show is also distributed nationwide to schools by DiscoveryEducation.com. (click here to view clip)

The Duncan Group is currently wrapping up production of the 90 minute documentary Myth, Imagination & Faith. Iowa Public Television is the presenting station for the PBS system. With the edit now locked, we anticipate public television broadcast during the winter of 2008.

The Duncan Group is currently engaged in development of two public television specials including Rwanda - Genocide, Reconciliation & Hope (with Iowa Public Television) and The Milwaukee Poverty Initiative.
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