coming up -- lucky severson reports on a familiar conflict in developed countries now dividing buddhists in thailand. how do you stay religious in a consumer society. ♪ and kim lawton speaks with grammy-award winning artist bobby mcferrin about faith and the transcendent power of music.

welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us, this memorial day weekend. in a major speech this week, president obama addressed growing moral concerns about america's use of weaponized drones in the war against terror. he announced new guidelines to provide more transparency and oversight for drone strikes and a new standard for when they are deployed. admitting that he is haunted by the deaths of civilians killed

in drone attacks against al qaeda terrorists, the president said nonetheless, he believes drone use is moral. >> we are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many americans as they could if we did not stop them first. so this is a just war, a war waged proportionally, in last resort and in self-defense. >> on wednesday, the administration acknowledged for the first time that the u.s. had killed four americans in drone strikes overseas, although it said only one of them, radical muslim cleric anwar al-awlaki, was specifically targeted. growing numbers of ethicists and religious leaders have been raising concerns about the u.s. drone attacks. this week, bishop richard pates, chair of the catholic bishops' committee on international peace and justice wrote to government leaders urging more discussion and scrutiny.

he said targeted killings by drones raise "serious moral questions." in his speech, the president also renewed his pledge to try to close the guantanamo bay detention center. in recent weeks, some faith-based groups have been ramping up protests in support of the more than one hundred guantanamo detainees who are on hunger strikes. faith-based groups are mounting a massive mobilization to help victims of this week's devastating tornadoes. as many as 13,000 homes in oklahoma were destroyed in the storms that also killed 24 people. in the immediate wake of the tornadoes, clergy around the world called for special praye. in the affected areas, local churches became shelters and relief centers. congregations from around the country are now organizing teams of volunteers to help with cleanup. and as long term needs are

assessed, faith-based aid groups are soliciting donations. we have a list of some of those groups on our website. some evangelical groups said they would no longer participate in the boy scouts after the organization voted this week to allow openly gay members under the age of 18. in a secret ballot, 60% of those voting approved the change. gay scout leaders are still banned. faith groups sponsor about 70% of all scout troops. the mormons, who sponsor the most among religious groups, did not oppose the new policy. and the catholic church said it would weigh the effects of the change. other religious groups said the boy scouts didn't go far enough. they had called for permitting gay scout leers as well. according to a new poll, the

number of americans who believe same-sex relationships are morally acceptable has risen to 59%, up from 40% in 2001. gallup's annual survey on different moral attitudes also showed a growing acceptance of having a child outside of marriage and of sex between unmarried men and women. vermont this week became the fourth ste to allophysician assted suicide. it is already legal in oregon, washington state and montana. vermont's catholic bishop denounced the new law, saying it creates a "death state," where, he said, life can be terminated now at both its beginning and its end. a philadelphia couple has been charged with murder in the death of their 8-month-old son, who died after they chose to pray instead of seeking medical treatment for the child. the baby was suffering from pneumonia. this was the couple's second

child to die from lack of medical care. the two were already on probation for the 2009 death of their 2-year-old, also from pneumonia. faith groups praised the senate judiciary committee this week for approving new immigration legislation. the bill now goes to the full senate, where a vote is expected next month. evangelicals have been vocal in calls for immigration reform and welcomed the bipartisan effort which they said will advance the common good. the legislation does not include expanding immigration rights for same-sex couples. some religious leaders warned they would pull their support of the whole bill if that provision were included. the united nations reports the number of syrian refugees has reached 1.5 million. more than 10,000 people are fleeing the violence every day. meanwhile, the two orthodox

archbishops kidnapped in syria a month ago, remain missing. the greek orthodox and syriac archdioceses called once again for their release. y urged the international community to do more to help find them. at the vatican this week, pope francis expressed an open attitude towards members of other faiths and non-believers. the pope said all people, including atheists, are capable of good. he told catholics to accept those who have different beliefs and to work with them. the pope warned that demonizing others can lead to killing in the name of god. remaining religious in a mostly-secular society can be a problem for people everywhere, among them buddhists in thailand, even though almost all thais are formally buddhist. we have a lucky severson story today from the thai city of

chiang mai on the battle there between religion and materialism. >> reporter: there's a struggle going on inside thailand. it's between two powerful influences. one side can be found in places like this, the other in crowded spac for now it seems that one side is falling behind. this is professor john butt, senior advisor to the institute of religion at payap university in chiang mai. >> it's a real clash with modernity, with social change, and it's been very intense. the changes that took place in america and in europe have been extended over a couple of centuries, here it's been a couple of decades. >> reporter: this is a country where almost 95% of the population is buddhist, where the constitution mandates that the king be a buddhist, and where there are temples almost everywhere. >> i think probably this is one

of the central if not the central buddhist country in the world. >> reporter: it's a country that has recently seen a remarkable rise in economic prosperity. there was a time not that long ago when it would have been difficult to find a mall, let alone one so crowded. the roads would have been clogged with motor scooters, and the fancy cars belonged only to diplomats and the very rich. not anymore. the thais have embraced consumerism with gusto. this is an jang sang, professor emeritus at chiang mai university. >> some of them may be interested in materialism, consumerism, but deep down in their heart they are still buddhists. >> reporter: but he agrees they're not going to the temples, also known as wats, as much as they once did. >> in the past the wat was not just the religious center, it was the life center of the village community. the social life took place there, counseling, respect,

authority for the monks. that's, i think, decreased tremendously. >> reporter: and not as many are going to the buddha to offer their prayerful good wishes for all living things. some are giving more in donations, but phra boonchuey, the assistant abbot at this large temple, says too many are just donating to buy good karma. >> because now they are coming to the temple just only to offer the offering in order to please, you know, their life for their own benefit. >> reporter: phra boonchuey is on a mission to get thai buddhism back on track. >> and so we have to do many things, you know, to bring people, you know, back to the religion. >> reporter: that would include bringing back the monks themselves who have been disappearing. in the past, almost every young man would become a monk, leading a monastic life, some for a few months, some for a lifetime.

but in the last 30 years it is estimated that the number of monks has fallen by more than half. mr. vinai, our tuk-tuk driver, served as a monk for over a year as a young man. did you like being a monk? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: do you think every young man should be a monk? >> no, no. >> reporter: he says not every young man should be a monk because some care more about shopping. how many boys do you have? >> i have two. >> reporter: were they monks? >> yes. >> reporter: his last boy served only 15 days. it's about 5:30 in the morning, and the first monks are showing up to collect alms, their food for the whole day. sometimes there's only one meal a day, often followed by some sort of community service, and then there are the hours of chanting, study, and meditation. it's not an easy life. professor butt says he once asked the young men in his class how many had been ordained. >> if i had asked that question a hundred years ago, i would

have gotten close to a 100% yes, that they had ordained as a novice, maybe a short period of time, but they had done so. i went five years before i got one positive response, who had ordained. >> reporter: one reason for that might be the thais have been practicing family planning, and if there is only one boy in the family, and the choice is school, making money, or ordination. >> you may not want him to be a novice or to get ordination. >> reporter: a big factor is that in the past many boys became monks to get a free education at the temple. now thailand offers 12 years of free public education and far more are attending secular schools. scandals have also contributed to the diminishing numbers of monks, scandals revealed by social media. pictures of monks at parties with women, drinking alcohol,

watching porn, driving expensive fancy cars. things monks are not supposed to be doing. justin mcdaniel, the chairman of the department of religious studies at the university of pennsylvania, was once a monk himself in thailand. >> it has a big impact in the press. i think it also has a big impact that if somebody was on the fence about being a monk or nun, that this is kind of relatively a legitimate excuse you could give to your mom for not doing it. well, look at the way monks act. >> reporter: professor mcdaniel argues that thai buddhism itself is not in decline, that it is gaining considerable traction in the western world, and that the thai people themselves are debating it more, which he says is a good thing. he's skeptical that there really is a crisis. >> i've never heard any professional religious person, rabbi, monk, priest, imam ever say everything is fine. you know, it's always we're in a state of crisis, and we're in a state of crisis so you should be

coming more, and you should be giving more money, you should be becoming a monk or you should be reading more books. >> reporter: he would find some disagreement here in chiang mai. phra boonchuey, for instance, thinks monks need to be taught more critical thinking instead of just memorization, and that the benefits of meditation need to be emphasized more. he wants buddhists to get back to their basic precepts, such as abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and drinking alcohol. he would also counsel them to consume only what they need and to avoid the trappings of materialism. >> think before you consume. >> reporter: there is a branch of buddhism that's flourishing. it's called dhammakaya. one way to explain dhammakaya is that it is to buddhism what the prosperity gospel is to christianity. in other words the traditional value of selflessness has been replaced with "bigger is better." the more you give, the more you get. professor butt says in some ways

consumerism is becoming a religion of its own. the old thing was "i think, therefore i am." now it's "i buy, therefore i am." >> i don't see consumerism as somehow a-religious. and i don't see modernity as somehow a-religious. i think that there's many ways of being religious. i think when we say that consumerism or modernity is somehow a sign of secularism, i think that's a very particular way olookg at religion. >> we're living in a new world, and religion is a response to life, to what it means to be human, and when that changes, as i said earlier, religion has to change too or it dies. it's put in a museum. >> reporter: no one is suggesting thai buddhism is heading for a museum, but many agree that it might need some new packaging. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," i'm lucky severson in chiang mai, thailand. a thai buddhist oe

explainedis early-morning solicitations this way -- it's not begging, he said, it's a courtesy. giving others an opportunity to give. >> grammy-award winning artist bobby mcferrin is probably best known for his 1980s feel-good hit "don't worry, be happy." but he's also a composer and a conductor who has released albums in a variety of genres. now he's delving into religious music with a brand-new project, "spirityouall." it includes traditional african- american spirituals and original devotional songs. kim lawton spoke with him about music and faith. ♪

>> reporter: ten-time grammy-award winning artist bobby mcferrin believes music has a transcendent spiritual power. >> it elicits so many emotions. have you ever listened to a piece of music and for some reason that you don't, you just can't understand, you simply burst into tears? music has a way of communicating in a way that language does not. it can go past language. >> reporter: in his concerts, the genre-blending artist is known for his unique style of wordless improvisations, using his voice and his body as accompanying instruments. >> i'm not so much into people being wowed over my technique or what i can do, stuff like that. it's just a vehicle for me. that's just a vehicle for my spirit. >> reporter: mcferrin says his christian faith permeates everything he does. but it's particularly evident in his new album, "spirityouall,"

which includes his interpretation of classic african-american spirituals and several devotional songs that he wrote. the project honors the legacy of his father, robert mcferrin, sr., the first african-american to sing a title role at the metropolitan opera. the senior mcferrin also released an album of spirituals, deep river, in 1957. >> i never heard my father pray. i know that he got on his knees many times, before he went to bed at night and prayed, but i always heard him pray whenever he sang these spirituals. ♪ >> reporter: mcferrin says songs like "every time i feel the spirit" still resonate today. >> i certainly try to pray them as i, as i'm singing them. that's important. and the hope is that when people hear these pieces that they'll carry them home with them and

then they'll inspire them to begin a spiritual journey or to continue on it. >> reporter: mcferrin, whose grandfather was a baptist minister, grew up in the episcopal church. >> when i was 16, i wanted to become a monk. >> reporter: a catholic monk? >> an anglican monk, anglican church, episcopal church. i was very attracted to the life of quiet, structure. ♪ >> reporter: he says he gave up on the idea in his early 20s when he realized he was meant to be a singer, but the religious impulses remain. >> i'm still a very quiet guy, and i love the scriptures. i still read the bible through, you know, over and over and over again. because you always find things there, you know, that you hadn't seen before. i could read the same verse 1,000 times, but the 1,001st

time i read it i'll find something in it that i hadn't seen before. >> reporter: mcferrin says when he's not travelling, he attends an episcopal church. but he doesn't like narrow labels. >> i don't really think of myself as a religious person per se, but more a spiritual person who follows christ, who follows jesus as my spiritual master. ♪ don't worry be happy >> reporter: the 63-year-old musician is perhaps best known for his 1988 acappella hit, "don't worry, be happy." in subsequent years, he has conducted classical orchestras and released albums featuring styles from across the musical spectrum. he frequently works with young people, trying to help them see the power of music as well. it's a lesson he says he learned at an early age.

>> my mother knew all about this when i was very young. she knew how music was a healing balm, because whenever i was sick she'd give me two things, she'd give me medicine for my aches and pains and she'd give me music for my spirit. there have been times when i've walked on stage ill, not thinking that i could actually go on and do my performance and 90 minutes later, walk off stage well. music does have incredible power to rearrange your insides, rearrange your thoughts, heal your body. >> reporter: mcferrin says he sees the spiritual all around him. >> just being is a religious experience. it's a spiritual experience. just being is holy. ♪ the lord is my shepherd >> reporter: mcferrin's favorite book in the bible is the psalms. several years ago, he wrote a song based on psalm 23, but in his version, the love of god takes on a feminine form.

♪ the song has been adopted by choirs across the country, including this one called "singing quaker women plus other faithful friends." mcferrin says the song was inspired after he and his choir were rehearsing in a church and began discussing the many male images in the bible. >> it just seemed to make sense. people forget, you know, a father's love and then there's a mother's love, which complements the father's love. and they fit together, you know, nicely. so, that's why i wrote it. >> reporter: the new album has a song he wrote based on psalm 25:15. ♪ "spirityouall" also includes another feminine reference to god.

♪ she's got the whole world in her hands ♪ in his concerts, such as this one at st. louis's sheldon concert hall, mcferrin always encourages the audience to sing along, often pulling people up on the stage to join him. >> i like to think that regardless of how you come into the concert hall at the beginning you'll leave differently. you know, i think that's part of my job description as an artist is moving people to make important changes in their lives. >> reporter: another part of his job description, he says, is moving people to joy. >> if there's any one thing i want it's for people to have, or to feel that sense of joy, the joy that i feel just being able to sing and getting a roomful of strangers to sing together, what a joyful experience that is for me. i love it. ♪

>> reporter: mcferrin says he believes god speaks through his music. but he says that doesn't make him unique. >> god doesn't speak through me and not through you for some, for some reason. he speaks to everyone, and we in turn can open up our mouths, or open up our nds, or our minds or whatever, our professions, and let god speak through us to other people. >> my father used to say, "the lord has entrusted me with a talent. it's not my gift. the lord has entrusted me with a talent," and i absolutely feel that way, that he's given me this gift to share with other people and to uplift hearts. ♪ >> reporter: he says while his new album comes out of his christian faith, he hopes those

of other faiths, and no faiths, will indeed be uplifted by its spirit. i'm kim lawton in st. louis. finally, on our calendar this weekend, buddhists celebrate buddha day, when they mark the birth, spiritual awakening and death of the buddha. and on wednesday, baha' is observe the anniversary of the ascension of bahaullah, the founder of the baha'i faith. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook. there's always more on our website, including more of kim lawton's interview with bobby mcferrin and more of his music. audio and video podcasts of this program are also available. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, bobby mcferrin singing his new song, "rest, yes

indeed." ♪

barry kibrick: today, on "between the lines," how to master your emotions and turn them into your allies with ken lindner. welcome. i'm barry kibrick. ken is a true renaissance man. he is one of the country's premiere talent agents representing and developing the careers of people like matt lauer and shepard smith. but he is also the founder of life choice psychology, and has counseled thousands of people to make life-enhancing personal and professional decisions. now, with his book "your killer emotions," he shares with us ways to take our emotions and combine them with reason to help empower our actions and behaviors. linda ellerbee: i'm a writer today because i was a reader when i was 11 years old,