7 Best Documentaries About Religion on Netflix Right Now – Are we the only ones in the world? Is there someone who is always keeping an eye on us? Is there a designer who created us? Or do we not have a higher calling? These are just a few of the questions that humanity has pondered for thousands of years. When the human race was at its most primitive, the phenomena of wind, rain, snow, water, and other major wonders/perplexities caused people to dread and respect mother nature. It did, however, lead them to assume that a higher power oversaw all of these characteristics, giving rise to the concept of offerings and worships.

Slowly and methodically, man produced myths and stories about natural wonders, even giving them human aspects, implying that as humans evolved, these ancient religions morphed into new forms of faith. As a result, it should come as no surprise that religion has piqued the interest of several filmmakers over the years, implying that its complicated notion has been explored in innumerable ways up to this point. With that stated, because just a handful documentary films/shows have managed to capture the subject’s genuine core, we’ve compiled a list of those that are currently accessible to stream on Netflix.

7. Witches: A Century of Murder (2015)

True, belief and faith can help a person get through difficult situations, but when taken to its logical conclusion, faith becomes blind faith, which brings a slew of difficulties. This documentary delves at that aspect of the human psyche. A form of frenzy swept across Britain around 400 years ago. It was widely assumed that hundreds of people, mostly women, were practicing witchcraft. Despite the lack of material evidence, the belief held by many was sufficient to prosecute them, resulting in the majority of these women being pursued and unjustly sentenced to death.

The series is divided into two sections, the first of which discusses witch-hunts in Britain, Denmark, and Scotland. Suzannah Lipscomb recounts the terrible Pendle witch trials, in which several women were sentenced to death. This occurred during King James I’s reign. The second section is more intriguing. We learn about a character named Matthew Hopkins in this episode. Hopkins saw this huge excitement over witches and witchcraft as an opportunity to make some money. As a result, he resolved to become a witch hunter and titled himself Witchfinder General. He crisscrossed the British Empire, killing a slew of ladies and then demanding payment for his services. We later learn how this mania gradually began to take over America on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

6. Stories of a Generation – with Pope Francis (2021)

Religion has always been about growth, acceptance, love, and appreciation, thus reflecting on crucial times in one’s life in order to mature from them is virtually mandatory. That’s what ‘Stories of a Generation – with Pope Francis’ does, while also giving us the opportunity to learn meaningful life lessons from those who have gone before us. After all, it features a slew of talks with people over the age of 70 (including Pope Francis, Martin Scorsese, and Jane Goodall) about the good impact of faith, truth, and passion in their lives. To be honest, it is a candid and heartwarming production that teaches us a lot about what it is to be a good human.

5. The Secret (2006)

This is a documentary about a newly formed religion. The New Thought Movement refers to this faith or the people involved with it. They have a system of beliefs based on things like God being everywhere and in every human being, and the best thing God wants us to do is love one another, and so on. Their most intriguing concept is that if you want something, simply thinking about it and hoping for it with a cheerful attitude would help you get it. Drew Heriot, a New Thought practitioner, created ‘The Secret.’

The documentary discusses the ‘Laws of Attraction,’ a New Thought idea that states that our thoughts have an effect on our reality. However, it has received little attention from critics. The majority of individuals disregarded the play and the book from which it was derived as self-help advice. In reality, because they have both gained public attention, their ideas have sadly been derided and ridiculed on other shows.

4. Islands of Faith (2018)

‘Islands of Faith,’ directed by Chairun Nissa, is an exceptionally unique documentary that examines the crucial subject of climate change through the faith, religion, and cultures of seven different provinces in Indonesia. Within 90 minutes, this film manages to cross beliefs and conservation, demonstrating how one can focus on both without ever losing their devotion to either. It’s a bit slow going, but that’s intentional because it allows us to think about our own behaviors without immediately pointing fingers – it’s everyone’s obligation to safeguard the world we call home.

3. One of Us (2017)

What happens when you reject one of the world’s most devout religions and decide to live your own life? Torment, humiliation, and ostracism, as demonstrated by the subjects of this excellent documentary. Ari Hershkowitz, Luzer Twersky, and Etty Ausch were once members of the Hasidics, a very orthodox Jewish sect that lived in the Brooklyn neighborhood of the same name. However, when the men wished to leave due to growing reservations about their excessively orthodox habits, they were truly expelled, barred from ever seeing their families, and thus forced to face the problems of the outside world alone. The documentary’s most intriguing component is that, in addition to depicting the lives of these three people in question, it also depicts a civilization that is located in what is arguably the cosmopolitan heartland of the Western world, Manhattan, but is nonetheless entrenched in old customs and beliefs.

2. The Keepers (2017)

‘The Keepers’ is a film about the homicide of a nun who was a teacher at a Catholic school, rather than a religious documentary. Sister Cathy Cesnik was her name, and her terrible murder remains unsolved to this day. This seven-part series exposes the corrupt priests of the church who sexually molested young female students at the school on multiple occasions. The director later stated that the archdiocese was incredibly strong, and that they reportedly covered up several examples of priests not only abusing children but also sending them to other men. Women who were Cesnik students and victims of such sexual assault came forward and detailed their experiences in the production. One even claimed that the priest in issue, Father Maskell, had gone so far as to accompany her to see Cesnik’s remains. The facts are obviously awful, but what’s more heinous is that the church allegedly proceeded to cover up such instances, implying that Maskell lived a free man his entire life.

1. Wild Wild Country (2018)

‘Wild Wild Country’ is without a doubt one of Netflix’s most popular religious documentaries. It tells the story of an Indian cult that immigrated to America and chose to build their own city. The site they’d chosen for their purpose was in a little town primarily populated by old people who did not take well to such a big number of people suddenly appearing in their midst. The followers of monk Rajneesh, nicknamed the cult leader, particularly his secretary Sheela, intended to remove any competition by attempting to poison around 700 people so that no one could vote against them in a local election. Things gradually deteriorated, and Sheela’s arrest for attempted murders put an end to their city’s ideal.