coming up -- the moral questions surrounding missile attacks on syria. also, 50 years after martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech, judy valente reports on another outspoken advocate of change within the catholic church. and fred de sam lazaro on india's ascetic jains,

renouncing most possessions, all violence and anything but vegetables to eat. major funding is provided by the lillian endowment and indianapolis based dedicated to founders in religion, community development and education. additional funding also provided by mutual of america. designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting. welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. the international community was deeply divided this week over military strikes against syria in response to reports last week that the assad regime had used chemical weapons on the syrian people. the obama administration said at least 1,429 people were killed

in the chemical attack, among them, 426 children. on friday, the secretary of state john kerry outlined the administration's case against the assad regime. earlier in the week, kerry said the chemical attack should shock the conscience of the world. >> let me be clear, the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. meanwhile, many religious leaders warned against the use of force by other nations against syria. from the vatican, pope francis said dialogue is the only option to end the war there. for more on all this, i'm joined by kim lawton, managing editor of this program, and george lopez, a professor at the kroc institute for international peace studies at the university

of notre dame. george, welcome. would you sum up the major issues involved here. >> the major issues, a public evil with a chemical weapons attack. on criteria of last resort, proportion the response, probability of success, this strike idea really falls short of the mark. >> there's a lot of talk of we have a responsibility to protect in the international community when civilians are facing grave crimes. where does that play into all of this? >> well, it gets very close, kim, to the last resort criteria in just war theory and that is, are there a number of other economic, diplomatic steps that be taken short of the use of military force and there certainly are, particularly with putting more inspectors on the ground and more demands to the assad regime to turn over those responsible for these attacks. they haven't been resorted to.

>> if we had not attacked, if we did not attack, george, would that be a grave problem for our creditability in any future situation like this? >> only for those who believe that the only way you establish credibility is through the use of military force. where we'd lack credibility is if we didn't engage in leading the moral charge, critique and diplomatic protest. if we didn't make new and clear demand of assad, and if we weren't keeping focus the international community's effort to actually respond to the humanitarian crisis on the ground. we ourselves can and should do a better job if we're interested in protecting civilians on the humanitarian side. >> what is the moral difference between this particular attack and you know, the hundred thousand people who have been killed in syria, many of them civilians, leading up to this? you know, why is there a difference, a moral difference, after this attack? >> well, i'm sympathetic with

the argument that there, it's very cynical to think that there's a difference between the two. both are horrendous atrocities. the difference here is that we're talking about a prohibition of over a century and every time that chemical weapons have been used these are very serious, grave public evils. >> and why should the u.s. do something by itself? is that something morally that should be considered? is there authority to do that? >> no, i think in fact if you can't build a coalition either at the security council or among a broad base of nations, including support in the region from the arab league, then, in fact, you lack the competent or legitimate authority to take action. this was not a strike against the united states, remember. however grave its consequences for the syrian people we are not the single enforcer of law here. >> very quickly george to sum up, where do you come down? is an attack right or wrong?

>> an attack can be more correct if it's surgical, if it's backed by the u.n. security council, if it's combined with a set of other measures that are proceeded to it to try to get assad to understand the principles of international law and morality he must live according to. >> george lopez of the kroc institute for international peace studies at the university of notre dame. many thanks. church bells rang out at the national cathedral and around the country wednesday to mark the moment 50 years ago when martin luther king delivered his "i have a dream" speech. at the lincoln memorial, several speakers recalled the role faith played in the march on washington. in his remarks, president obama urged the nation to do more to

achieve the economic equality that was part of king's vision. >> for the men and women who gathered 50 years ago were not there in search of some abstract ideal. they were there seeking jobs as well as justice. to win that battle, to answer that call, this remains our great unfinished business. there was renewed sectarian violence in myanmar, the former burma. a buddhist mob destroyed several muslim homes and shops in the latest wave of attacks on the country's muslim minority. in the past year, more than 250 people have been killed and 140,000 displaced. the u.s. commission on international religious freedom called the situation in myanmar a "profound humanitarian and political crisis."

u.s. muslim groups this week accused the new york police department of violating the civil rights of muslims, after the associated press reported the department designated a number of mosques as terrorist organizations. that allowed police to spy extensively on mosque attendees without evidence of wrongdoing. this is the latest in a series of ap reports about the nypd's widespread surveillance of the city's muslim population. the american civil liberties union is suing the department. this week of celebration of the civil rights movement and martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech, 50 years ago, we have a story about another outspoken religious advocate, joan chittister, a benedictine nun who has long worked for change in the nation and within the catholic church. judy valente visited her in erie, pennsylvania.

♪ if i awaken to the morning sun ♪ i am grateful ♪ this is a key part of sister joan chittister's life, praying the psalms daily with others in her benedictine monastic community. and this, too, is her life. writing. she has written more than 40 books on the spiritual life that together have sold over a million copies. her often provocative statements, she has called the catholic church "one of the last bastions of sexism" and characterized its position on abortion as "more pro-birth than pro-life" have made her a heroine to some, a rebel to others. she is also a familiar face at public protests, speaking out against nuclear arms, war and poverty. >> i have a disease called justice. i can spot injustice at a great distance and feel compelled to

confront it. >> she has long advocated for catholic women's ordination and a greater voice for lay people. and she has rankled her church's hierarchy on a host of other issues. scrutiny of women relgious? >> terrible, unacceptable, divisive and unnecessary. >> ongoing revelations of sexual abuse and the coverup by hierarchy? >> an infection in the body of the church. >> the shortage of priests? >> we don't have a shortage of priests. we have a shortage of celibate males. >> gay marriage? >> obviously a social issue that needs, needed to be addressed. >> she says that society is rapidly changing, and that all churches need to address those changes. >> to be reactionary at a time like this is to stand in front of a tsunami and say you can swim. we're changing. our goal is to change for the better.

the church has to model that changing for the better, not clinging to the past, but reforming the future. it is possible. it's been done multiple times in human history, and we have to stop resisting it now. >> for the past 61 years, sister joan has been a member of mount st. benedict monastery in erie, pennsylvania. she was educated by the erie benedictines and entered the monastery here at age 16. >> on my tenth day of high school, i said, "mom, there's something i want to tell you." and she said, "what's that, honey?" and i said, "i've decided i'm going to be a benedictine." she said, "you're gonna do what?!" >> a teenage battle with polio nearly derailed her dream of becoming a nun. >> those were the days when, if you were ill, they didn't take you. so it took probably more nerve

on their part than on mine, but it seems to me what has come down to me over the years is, they were simply struck by the degree of commitment, and they couldn't bring themselves to send me home. >> over the years, she has become a spokeswoman for interfaith relations and has traveled the world on peace-making missions. sister joan is perhaps best known for introducing 21st century readers to the 6th century "rule of st. benedict," a spiritual guide she says is as relevant today as when it was written. st. benedict advocated a life of prayer and work, and stressed the importance of hospitality, humility and community. he wrote when the roman empire was in economic decline and under threat from outside forces. a time the benedictenine sisters say, not unlike our own. >> benedict was trying to in his

day show people that there was another way to go about life. moderation in all things, balance in all things, certainly god at the center of all. we have been trying to make people aware that benedictine spirituality is for all people, not just for religious women and men, and it has been from the beginning. i think joan does that very well. >> sister joan doesn't live in the monastery itself, which is seven miles from erie's downtown, but in the inner city amid drug houses and abandoned buildings. her roommates are other benedictine sisters and her beloved parakeet, lady hildegard. >> yes, okay, sweetheart. >> named for a reform-minded benedictine abbess denounced in her own time, but later named a saint. >> benedictines take to this day a vow of stability. what does that mean? it means we're in erie for life. we go down with this city, or we build it up. >> once a thriving manufacturing city, erie has for decades been

battling an economic decline and is today one of the poorest cities in pennsylvania. the benedictines sponsor a variety of inner-city ministries. this is an old tire factory the sisters transformed into the art house, a place where children learn to play instruments, dance, write poetry and paint. there is also the emmaus soup kitchen that feeds more than 200 people a day and a refugee center, housed in what was once a benedictine academy for girls. >> gracious god of the cosmos we ask your blessing on all who work here. >> on this day, the sisters gather to bless their most recent effort, the grove, an urban farm with 65 raised beds that will provide fresh produce for the poor, and serve as an outdoor classroom for teaching gardening techniques. >> you cannot walk anywhere in our community and not see the footprint of the benedictine sisters, everywhere you go.

>> one of sister joan's newest and most cherished projects is the virtual monastery she and the other sisters have created for the internet. she calls the website "the monastery of the heart." >> we now have over 7,400 members from all around the globe. people who come into the site to pray in the morning. we have a prayer site, to pray in the evening, to join discussions, to read the basic books and talk about them. they're forming their own small communities, many of them. we have i think about 40 small communities now. >> noting how benedictines have often adapted to changing times in their 1,500-year history, sister joan says of her "mon stare of the heart" website -- >> if benedict of nursia had been here, not only do i think he'd be a member, i think he would have started it. >> it is that kind of visionary leadership, she says, that the church itself needs to survive in the 21st century. >> why do you stay in the catholic church? >> roman catholicism is the

storehouse, the treasure house of the christian tradition. it's this whole notion of the blend of wisdom, of commitment, of knowledge, of holiness. that's the church for me. that's the church i'm waiting for. >> in the meantime, she vows to continue writing, pressing for change, and speaking out against injustice. for "religion & ethics" newsweekly, i'm judy valente in erie, pennsylvania. from time to time here we look at the beliefs and practices of people whose religious traditions are well outside the us mainstream. today, the jains of india. their numbers have declined over the centuries, but as fred de sam lazaro reports their lifestyle remains influential --

absolute non-violence and honesty, a bare minimum of possessions and total vegetarianism. >> jains have often been confused with and even counted in census surveys as hindus. while there are fundamental similarities, like the belief in rebirth after death, jainism is a distinct belief system dating back at least to the sixth century b.c. its numbers declined as ancient rulers who supported jainism faded into history and india fell under new conquests. today, there are only about 5 million jains in a country of 1.2 billion. but jainism's imprint on indian history is large, including profoundly india's independence movement. >> when we think about the notion of ahimsa or nonviolence that is central to gandhi's thought, you know, that goes back to jain teachings and is

the most important doctrine they hold. >> mahatma gandhi was hindu, not jain. but his approach, nonviolent resistance to british rulers, his shunning of most material possessions, and celibacy are key jain teachings, as is truthfulness. stealing is prohibited. jainism's strictest followers, monks like pulak sagar, take these teachings to the absolute extreme, renouncing even clothing. his routine of prayer and meditation begins each day at 4:00 a.m., interrupted by one daily meal at around 10:00 a.m. >> we don't eat off plates or use any utensils. we eat with our hands. after the meal and until about 3:00 p.m., a period of meditation follows, after which we receive people. >> monks or gurus are revered for adopting the ways of jainism's ancient teachers. the last and most influential of

these was mahavira, the son of a powerful king who lived in the sixth century b.c. today, there are about 1,300 monks and nuns. unlike male religious, nuns cover themselves with simple white garments. sagar is 41, a college graduate who came from a well-to-do family. he became a monk at 23, inspired on a visit to a jain guru by the peace and contentment that he says comes through liberation from bodily and material want. >> we have to always keep this in mind. that the things we've collected we have to leave behind. we can acquire all the diamonds and jewels in the world, but the shroud of a dead person has no pockets. you can't take these things with you. >> ironically, jains are well-known for their wealth and business success, particularly in the jewelry business. in contrast to the ascetic lifestyle of monks and nuns, jain temples are grand edifices.

there's even one in antwerp, belgium, the world's diamond-trading capital. but ostentation rarely extends to the lay jain lifestyle. >> there are a lot of people who are quite wealthy, quite successful but they take from the ascetic ideal just enough to give them the kind of self-discipline and work ethic that ultimately also helps in their business, and then they have the sense of it's my responsibility as a wealthy person not to simply indulge in my own pleasures but to also make gifts back to the religious community to support those heroic figures who are going to go the whole way and wear just a piece of cloth or nothing and fast all the time. >> mahavir parshad jain is a third-generation jeweler in delhi. his three sons also run the business. and three generations of the family share a large home in india's joint family tradition. they are very well-to-do by

india's standards, but insist their lives are simple and devoid of excess. >> we earn our money by ethical, humane means. we avoid wealth that would be acquired by cheating others or by any violent means, and we only accumulate that which we need. i have just one store. we've had it for the past 65 years, and that is how we feed our family. >> we never eat outside. all our food is cooked in the home, and we only eat from about 20 vegetables. >> the jain diet is informed by the call for nonviolence toward all life, animal and plant. so it's not just vegetarian, but also forbids plants that grow below ground, like onions or potatoes, since extracting them kills the whole plant and might also hurt insects and worms. in the jain home, and jain is a

common surname, the grandparents avoid eating after sundown. they keep a daily regimen of prayer rituals at temple, and they provide food for monks. they also took a vow of celibacy eight years ago. >> jainism, the foremost thing is to have control on your willpower, on your thoughts. >> it's asceticism on a kind of sliding scale, informed by one's circumstances. >> the high ideals and a lot of other things that our grandparents follow, it is very difficult for the present generation. >> 20-year-old geetika jain who attends university says she has no difficulty resisting smoking and drinking. but living in a modern world demands more flexibility. >> my grandparents said they don't eat food at night. but going out with friends, having a social circle and having to maintain those social circles, we sometimes -- we can't be as strict as our grandparents. so we won't eat food at night when we're at home. but when we have to go to a social gathering or marriage or

something like that, we take a side-step and we follow what socially we are able to do. >> that flexibility to "take a side-step," to choose one's individual pace, may be traced back to jainism's early days. 2,500 years ago jainism thrived here. it was the dawn of long-distance trade that opened people to new goods and new ideas, and this appealed to the rulers and traders of the day. they had long been bound by the dogma and scriptural interpretation of the hindu priests. >> they simply broke with religious orthodoxy. they said we're not going to rely upon scriptures. we're going to analyze the world as we see it. and their analysis of the world came down to the idea that your rebirth in this world, the karma that you accumulate comes from the violence that you do to the world. and so our ultimate freedom will be the result of our reduction of that violence to an absolute. >> harming another being, that's

what my idea of what violence is. >> preventing violence can involve wearing a mask to guard against accidentally swallowing a flying insect. so can proper diet and ethical business dealings. such actions wipe the soul of harmful karma, bringing one closer to god and liberation from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. it might take more cycles of rebirth to achieve that liberation. until then, jains are asked to support monks like pulak sagar, who are much farther along in that path. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," this is fred de sam lazaro in delhi. there was a changing of the guard this month at the venerable chautauqua institution in western new york state. the reverend joan brown campbell retired as director of the department of religion, after 14 years. earlier, she had led the national council of churches.

her successor is the reverend robert franklin, formerly the president of morehouse college, in atlanta. finally, on our calendar this week, the holiest time on the jewish calendar begins wednesday evening with rosh hashanah, the jewish new year. it ends ten days later with yom kippur, the day of atonement. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. you can follow us on twitter and facebook and watch full programs anytime on the pbs app for iphones and ipads. and visit our website, where there is always much more, including audio and video podcasts of this program. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, music from this week's kmem ecommemoratione 50th anniversary of the march on

washington. ♪ jesus i know he is my all ♪ forever and ever, ah ♪ next time, president obama has pledged to close the guantanamo major funding for "religion & ethics" is provided by indianapolis based private family foundation, community development and education. additional funding also provided by mutual of america. designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. and the corporation for public broadcasting.

barry kibrick: today on "between the lines," one of our country's most accomplished historians, dr. joyce appleby. welcome. i'm barry kibrick. professor appleby taught many years at ucla. and as the past president of the american historical association, winner of the prestigious 2009 arthur schlesinger award for distinguished historical writing, she joins us today with her book, "the relentless revolution," a look at the history of capitalism and how it reshaped the world. linda ellerbee: i'm a writer today because i was a reader when i was 11 years old, and it was... deepak chopra: you do not need to prove your state of happiness to anybody. warren christopher: most of thessp