Lew Ayres: Hollywood's Conscientious Objector

CHAPTER 25. Altars of the World

169 Chapter Twenty-Five ALTARS OF THE WORLD For twenty years, Lew had been presenting Altars฀of฀the฀East to the public , most often to religious organizations and schools. In 1976, he finally released it theatrically. Edited down from the five hours comprised by the multiple films, the condensed two-hour version was retitled Altars฀of฀ the World, and included a new segment on Christianity. Reflecting on the twenty years of work he had put into the films, Lew said: My documentary work in these fields has been objective, but not critical. Sympathetic, if anything. That’s really how I feel toward all the faiths, even with their disagreements, which I see outweighed by commonalities . . . Many followers of the great religions also seem to see that more and more in the growing awareness of God’s pleas for Universality . . . and for mutual reinforcement amid the ever-burgeoning secularism.1 The year Altars฀of฀the฀World was finally released nationally in theaters, Lew was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Documentary. He had been nominated in the past for both an Emmy and Academy Award, and had lost both times. But of all the honors he received during his career, it was the Golden Globe award that meant the most, for it was for a work that almost twenty years later he called “the most important thing in my life.”2 Considering that the early reviews of the film had included comments that his work was amateurish, the nomination was truly an honor. And when Lew attended the ceremony, this time he took home a statue. He cherished the award and kept it in his office library on top of one of the many bookshelves that housed his other humanitarian awards. Lew finally felt able to move beyond his Altars films and even made plans to begin a new documentary project. This film, about the connection ALtArs oF the worLd 170 between mythology and psychology, was inspired by the writings of the philosopher Carl Jung. Lew wrote, “It’s an adventure to have a real desire to learn about something, then be able to relate it to others.”3 Unfortunately, as his work on the Altars films drew to a close, CURE, Lew’s ambitious organization intended to promote religious dialogue which had never seemed to have gotten off the ground, was falling apart. Lew himself took on a good deal of the blame for the organization’s ultimate failure, writing, “I always seemed to backtrack to the vision of vanity, like an old record.”4 As admirable as his attempts were, some of his close friends and fellow religious scholars felt that the principles on which the organization was founded showed Lew’s overwhelming optimism towards the human race. He truly believed the world’s conflicts could be solved if an understanding of the universal similarities in religion were reached, and he continued to believe that even as others asserted that there were fundamental differences in the tenants of opposing religions which could not be ignored and prohibited compromise. Lew’s friend, Steven Goodman, felt this optimism showed Lew’s childlike naivete—Lew was unwilling to accept that many people did not see the Fig. 25.1. Lew after winning the Best documentary golden globe Award for Altars of the World (1976). Chicago Tribune archives. ALtArs oF the worLd 171 similarities among the world religions that he did or acknowledge the tension which existed because of the significant differences between religions .5 Lew’s resistance to the organization and the community importance of religion made it difficult for him to acknowledge how important religious sects were to other aspects of society. Although CURE was no more, Lew continued his push to develop world peace and promote understanding through religion. He wrote prayers for churches, including the Pastoral Prayer, written with his friend Rev. Paul W. Yinger, and a revision of the Lord’s Prayer, in which he analyzed the meaning of each of the prayer’s lines. He also wrote a song about Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech that he hoped would be used in churches. In fact, he wrote songs of peace for nearly every Christian and national holiday, which he then sent to churches around the country. Lew was also constantly hired by groups as a public speaker, especially after the release of Altars฀of฀the฀World, a film often...