In The Beginning Pbs Program Explores Stories From The Book That Formed The Basis Of Three Great Religions - Genesis

Imagine somebody pitching this idea at a network:

“OK, we start with a guy reading a passage from the Bible. Then seven people sit around and discuss it for an hour. So, what do you think? Do we have the green light?”

Astonishingly enough, it did get the green light. That’s because the network was PBS and the man pitching it was Bill Moyers, who has made a career out of exploring the world of ideas with such previous shows as “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth.” This time, he wanted to explore the stories that had formed the basis of three great religions: the stories of Genesis.

So Moyers created the 10-part series, “Genesis: A Living Conversation.”

And it was good.

Surprisingly good, if the first two segments are any indication. Each segment begins with Mandy Patinkin or Alfre Woodard reading one story from Genesis. Then seven people - authors, poets, rabbis, priests, teachers - discuss what the story means to them.

The discussions are uncommonly compelling. For one thing, we soon come to realize that these stories - Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and Flood - have formed the way we think about the world.

For another thing, the people in the discussion are uncommonly articulate and thoughtful about what these stories mean, and how these stories have affected Western culture and other cultures.

For instance, the first episode, “The First Murder,” deals with the story of Cain and Abel. The story seems straightforward enough: The two sons of Adam and Eve offer gifts to God. He likes Abel’s gift, but doesn’t like Cain’s. So Cain kills Abel in a fit of jealousy or rage. God sentences Cain to be a fugitive, and puts the mark of Cain on him.

To those in the discussion, the story has deep meaning far beyond the obvious. Among the questions they bring up:

What does it say about humanity when the very first human death is a murder?

Why didn’t God prevent Cain from killing Abel in the first place? What kind of God would sit by and allow that?

How did the “mark of Cain” come to be known strictly as the mark of a criminal, when in fact it was God’s way of protecting Cain from vengeance?

Isn’t that protection an act of grace? Why does God show mercy to a murderer?

What is the answer to Cain’s question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Does Cain ever figure out the answer himself?

Is the only real moral to this story, “Don’t get caught”?

In format, it is no different from any other Bible study session. However, the diversity of belief and opinion among the people on the panel takes this discussion to unexpected places. Some people on the first episode’s panel are deeply religious, including Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, yet another member of the group describes himself as “of no particular religious upbringing.”

This vastly broadens the discussion. We hear what a student in Catholic schools grew up thinking about the story; we also hear what Jews and Muslims grew up believing. This is exactly what Moyers wanted from this show.

“The Bible is often used as a wedge to drive us apart,” says Moyers in his introduction. “But approached in a democratic spirit, with respect to a person whose opinion you might disagree with, these old stories can also point to some common ground in talking about our lives today.”

Some of the writers on the panel see Genesis as a story, and they analyze it from a literary point of view (“every good story needs conflict”). Yet others see it as the Word of God. This show takes that belief seriously.

“The great temptation in our secular age is to sanitize religious themes in well-intentioned effort to be ‘pluralistic’,” wrote PBS president Ervin Duggan in a letter to the show’s guests. “In fact, the well-intentioned effort does the opposite; it secularizes the subject matter, disenfranchises those who are religious, and betrays the idea of pluralism.”

Moyers hopes that many more people can join in the discussion, too. A study guide called “Talking About Genesis: A Resource Guide” has been distributed to colleges and senior centers.

Also, a website has been established for people to engage in their own Genesis discussions. It will include additional essays, lists of resources, and bulletin boards. It can be found at either of two addresses: http://www.pbs.org or http:/ /www.wnet.org.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ‘GENESIS’ “Genesis: A Living Conversation” premieres Wednesday at 7 p.m. and continues on subsequent Sundays at 3 p.m. on Spokane’s KSPS-Channel 7.