Oprah Winfrey explores faith and spirituality in 'Belief'

NEW YORK -- Oprah Winfrey is hoping people will find common ground, no matter what or whom they believe in, with her new documentary series "Belief," about how religion is viewed across the globe.

"We live in a world where, when your belief isn't the same, you literally can get your head chopped off," she said at the series' premiere Wednesday in New York.

"What I know in my maturity is that the real purpose of being human beings on the planet, we are all different in search of the same thing," Winfrey said. "We're all yearning for the same thing, but we have different ways and different approaches to doing that. That's what being a human being is."

"Belief" premieres at 7 p.m. Sunday on Winfrey's network OWN. It took three years to produce as filmmakers trekked to various countries to capture people with varying perspectives and experiences with religion and spirituality.

"It's like a big ol' community gathering around the world in a way that people just don't do on television, so I'm pleased that I was able to get it done," Winfrey said.

The event Wednesday was attended by many of Winfrey's supporters and collaborators, such as director Ava DuVernay, actor and recording artist Common and "CBS This Morning" co-host and Winfrey's longtime friend, Gayle King.

"This is a landmark series. It did for me what happened for me the first time I watched 'Roots,"' DuVernay said. "It changed what I thought my position was in the world. ... It really got me thinking about things and trying to understand things that I hadn't really delved into myself."

Online:

http://www.oprah.com/belief/Oprah-Winfrey-Presents-Belief