>> abeethy: coming up: the s. episcopal church says gay and lesbians are eligie to become bishops. we have a special rept. also, new scientic research on the effects of meditation othe ain. >> we've learned that being rigious or spiritual has a vey profound effect on who we are has a very profound eect on our ology and on our brain. captioning sponred by the lly endowment

>> abernethy: welcome. m bob abernethy. it's good to have you withs. after decades of debatend division,he u.s. episcopal crch this week said, erwhelmingly, that gays and lesans are eligible to become bishops, or serven any other ordained nistry of the church. attheir general convention, epiopal leaders also moved tord developing an official rite fo blessing same sex unions. these decions are likely to widen the divideetween episcopalians and the rldwide, 77-million-member anglica commion of which they are a part. kim lawton has ourspecial report from anaheim, cifornia.

>> reporter: at eir meeting in anaheim this week, episcopa bishops, clergy and lay representives tackled a host of social iues, from global poverty to justice for dieyland hotel workers. t the most divisive top, on again, was homosexuality. >> it wouldn't a meeting of the episcopal church orhe anglican communion if weidn't mehow engage matters of hum sexuality. >> reporter: despite concns from many global anglin partners, convention delegat overwhelmingly voteto move ahead n two of the most contentiousuestions: whether to ordain gay shops and whher to bless same-sex unions. othe issue of gay bishops, th delegates asserted tt "god has called and macall" gays and leians" to any ordained ministry in the episcal church the vote effectively en a de facto moratorium that was aproved three years ago, ahough it does not guarantee

that more gay bishps will be consecrated. separately, the delegat also voted to mo forward in developing iturgies for blessing same-serelationships. thissue will be taken up again at the next general convenon in012. in the meanme, the measure allowlocal clergy leeway in blessing same-nder relationships, especiallin states where gay marrie is legal. reverend susan russells the outgoing president of inteity, a group thaworks for the full inclusn of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transendered peoe in the escopal church. >> i tnk the overwhelming message coming out of is conntion, not only for l.g.b.t. peoe but for all who are looking foa community that that embraces peace jusce tolerance compassion d the good news of god in chri jesusis that the episcopal churcwelcomes you. reporter: the measurepassed in part because mny

conservative episcalians have left the denomation. those remaining feel increingly isolated. >> it is very d for me because i am a lifelong episcopaan, i'm a lifelongnglican, but first and foremost im a life- long christia. and it is breaking my hrt to see thehurch destroying itself inhe manner in which we seem to be doi. >> reporter: many deleges here said they voted for he diection they believe god is caing their church to go i but those votes pose new challees for a global mmunion that has already bee strained close to a baking int. there's a lot riding on h what happened here gets interpreed around the wor. many glicans, especially in africa, asia a south america, were outged in 2003 when the episcopal church appred the consecration of n hampshire

bishop geneobinson, the church's firsopenly gay bisho an emgency communion report called on the u.s. to b on any futureconsecrations of gay bishops until an internional consensus emges. the counion's spiritual leader, archbishop of nterbury rowan williams attded this meeng before the controversial votes took ple. >> alo with many in the mmunion, i hope and pray tha there won't be desions in the coming days that couldpush us fther apart. >> reporter: much ofhis week's debatcentered on balancing commuon concerns with a desire to move forward. >> believe with my whole heart that well know where this is goingo wind up. it is going to wind with the full inclusioof all of god's children in god'church. >> i wod concede that if indeed that it is the ght thing to do, we shld do it no

but i do not belve it is the right thing to do. >> wle i am very, very much conrned about our covenant wih the communion and our msion, i am also concerned about our covenant with o gay and lesbian brothersnd sister >>the communion, for me, is to much to lose. ere is too much at stake, wi missn, and our ability to apprehend, larger widetruths that go way beyd our own small church and setng in the westn world. >> reporter: shannon johnon, coadjutor bishoin the diocese of virginia, saide personally supportedhe gay ordination resoluti, but voted against it becau he didn't want to further dividehe communion. >> it s quite wrenching because it took t of the core vaues of the church and jtaposed them against each other. mission and inclusity on the on hand and then the unity of the churchn the other, which

is no less a core value of he gospel. >> reporter:piscopal presiding bishop kharine jefferts schori said her church is not fomting diision. >> schism is not a christi act. >> reporter: the approved resolutions reasrted the episcopal church's dere to remain an acte member of the anglican mmunion. but bishop jon bno of the diocese olos angeles says that doe't mean total agreement with overseas urches about omosexuality. >> i think i would explain t to them that the context thawe live in is totally diffent. and at they have to be tolerant of our context as wl as we are tolerat of their context. i still want to in relionship with them fully. >> reporter: verend ian douas, a representative from massachusetts, described he votes as being honest witthe rest of the wor about what the episcopal church snds for. p >> tre's no communion without genuine relationship. and there's genuine relationship without truh- telling. so i see cmitments to being in commuon and telling the truth

about w we are as being of a whole. >> reporterconservative anglica already don't like what there hearing. >> i think it signals the rest of the comnion, the anglican commion, that the epiopal church wants to be a member only on its o terms. andhat if terms are applied to it, en they will go their own way and havehings the way they wish. and others can be with tm or not. reporter: david anderson is among the episcolians who left the denominati over theological issues. he was orined a bishop in the anglican churcof kenya. diffected episcopalians, including four brkaway dioceses, have ford a rival jusdiction called the anglican church north america. thy're seeking recognition fr the archbiop of canterbury. >> i see that as thepiscopal church continues to gohrough

thesearthquakes of adopting thin there is going to be a constant stream both people and churches, perhaps more dioceses, that wind up leing and comi over into the rest of t anglican communion. >> rerter: but at the same time,any episcopalians believe their actns here will help bring in other people whoay ha felt alienated in the past. both sides say they'ranxious to fus on mission rather than division. i'm kim lawton in anaim, californ. >> abernhy: the episcopal eneral convention next meetsn inanapolis in 2012. debate er blessing same-sex unions is already on t schedule. in other ws, in washington, judge nia sotomayor this week gave careful answers the senate judiciary committ, which considering her nomination tthe supreme court.

e offered no hint of how she lea on such divisive issues as abortion and g control. but sheould not avoid the controversy over wordshe had used aut being both a latina woman and an imrtial judge. she toldhe committee, again an again, that she is bjective. >> in the past mont, many senors have asked me about my judicial philosophy. it is simple: fidely to the aw. the task of a judges not to make the la it is to apply the law. >> abernethy: but repuican senators wanted to know: what about a 2001 speh in which sotomayor had ped a wise, latinwoman could often come to tter conclusions than a whit man. john kyl of arizona. >> and then you concluded ts: in short, i accept the proposition tha difference wi be de by the presence of women and people of color on t

bench, and that mexperiences will affecthe facts that i choose to see. you said, i don't ow exactly what t difference will be in my judging. but i accept that therwill be some based on gender a my tina heritage. >> the words i cse, taking the rhetoral flourish, it was a bad ea. >> abernethy: sotomayor acknowledged that fe experiences might color how judge weighs the facts. but she insisted anbias must be recognized, and give wayo the law. >> iave a record for seventeen years. decision after decisin, decision aftedecision. it is very clear tt i don't base my judgments on mpersonal experiences or my feelis or my biases. >> ernethy: all signs point to judge somayor's confirmation. if and whenhat happens, she will be the rst hispanic americanustice. thcourt will include two women.

and s of the nine justices will be caolics. pope benedict the sixteenth underwent surgerafter breaking is wrist while on vacation i the italian al. he vatican says the 82-year-d pope fe in his room overnight. nevertheless, the pope celrated mass before being taken to theospital. there was an intertional controversthis week about assisted suicid sir edwardownes was a highly reected 85-year-old briti symphony orcstra conductor. his wife for more tn 50 years, lady downe 74, had terminal cancer, and heas increasingly blind and deaf. they were said to wanto die, together. assisted suicide is iegal in briin, but not in switzerland. sohe couple flew to zurich, to clinic that specializes in assistinsuicides. they dnk a lethal fluid and died side by side, hding

hands, in the prence of their two ildren. in washingto a federal commission is urginthe iraqi government torotect that cotry's christians, in the wake oa recent string of church bombings. the u.s. commission on international rigious freedom asked e iraqi government to identifand punish those reonsible for attacks at or near five churches in ghdad. the violence lled at let foureople and injured dozens. iraqiuthorities believe the attacks were coordinated, d they have tighten security around churches. christiansn iraq number about 750,000 in mainly muslim country of 2million. many of the people who wer displaced inhe swat valley in pakistan are returninto their homes. recent fighng between government forceand the talan forced roughly two million peop to flee, and some

refugees sayhey fear more violence from the liban. pakistanas the largest number refugees of any country, accordg to the u.n., which also says that rldwide, because of w or persecution, the are 42 million people who have been forcibly disaced. the u.s. may offer asylum to battered women from her countes. but the women would have tmeet strict conditns, such as showing that domestic abe is dely accepted in their countries a that institutions where they live can not prect them. the bush adminiration had said u.s. asylum laws did not app to battered men. scientists have long fod an asociation between relaxation and health. now, there is new edence that meditation and other spritual practic have a beneficial and measurable efft on the brain. in a new book, howod changes

yo brain, andrew newberg repts that meditation improves memory and reduces sess, and that the kind of g you worship can affecthe structure of your brain. lucky severson has the sry. >> sa, ta, ma na. >> reporter: as unlely as it may seem, vincent fed is practicinmeditation. >> and you ginto the whisper. sa, ta, na, ma. >> reporter: ncent and his wife judy stted meditation after they answered a quesonnaire about improving their memory. that was one objective odr. andrew newberg. the other was that he wantedto scan their bins while they did it. hee are vincent's scans before he learned tmeditate and after he had been doing it foright weeks. >> okay, so it asymmetric, more active re than here. d after meditation it is mo acte here than here.

so simply doing the practicof the meditati he has altered the activity in ts very, very importt part of the brain. nd this is really important becau this means he has changed the way s brain is working. >> rorter: since meditating vincent feels he's beco a better high school trk coach. >> i think've become a calmer, more tolert person. if the situati comes up i don't go the angry side. i go take the calr road. and you know, i tink the kids sethis. i ink i've become a better coach beuse of it. >> it mas sense if by doing th practice he has increased the activityn that frontal lob he is actually able to improve the way in whh he monitors his emotional respses to people and peaps treat them with more compassion. >> reporter: dr. newbergas studied nunsho do repetitive prayer a he has seen the same kind of results. he been studying the effects of meditation and ayer on the brain for seral years and is considered o of the leading experts in a new field call neurotology.

>> we've learned thateing religious or spiritul has a very profound effect on whwe are h a very profound effect on our biology and on oubrain. a what we've found more recently is thatot only does it have a profnd influence on who we are, but itctually can change our bra and to change ourselves or times. >> reporter: heret the universitof pennsylvania center fospirituality and the mind, images the brain are taken durg or after a person prays or medates. >> the more you use a pa of the brain e more blood it gets and the redder it gets on the scan. >> reporte over the years, dr. newberg has adaptea 12 step mediation exercisthat includes sound, movement and brehing. >> sa, ta, ma, na. e first two minutes the mant is sung, thsecond two minutes the mantra is whispered, t

third sequence isilence, back in the whisper and finishing wh the song. after tt it's deep breathing, lding in, that's done three times, bo relaxes, and the mantra is cpleted. the minute i can srt doing it and movinmy fingers. my body getsalmer. it's... it's very sooing. to me it gets almost in passive mode. and then you havenergy afterwards because youecame so calm. >> religion and spiritualityo help to lowea person's feelings of depreson, anxiety, gives them some meanig in life, helpthem to cope with thin and that's going to have a potentiay very beneficial effect. >> reporter: but wberg has made another scovery, a controversial on at our belief system, how we viw god can make a huge

difrence in how it affects our well being. if we believen a loving god it can have a positive efct, even prolong our ves. but believing ia judgmental authoritarian god can produc fear, anger andtress, and that's n healthy. >> when it ultimately tns towards tred and whether it's people who believen abortion vers those who don't, whether it's just one religion rsus another. when you hearhetoric which is hateful, filled with anger,hat turns on the difrent parts of th brain that are involved in our stress resnse and our anger response. reporter: george handzo is chaplain with the althcare aplaincy of new york city. he says newberg conclusions, that a person's belief in certain kind of god n be unhealthyis bound to be conoversial among people of fth. >>hey're saying that there is one word of god. and god commds us to follow that word and iwe want to save

people from god'snger and condemnatin we're obliged to get other people to believes we do. >> i'm not arguing tt people need to change theireliefs, per se. i mean, if, ithey feel that their perective on god is riht, i mean then, that's terrific. but i think that wh, that wht we have to all be careful about is the ange and the, and the hatred. that's what hasetrimental effts both on the individual as well as on society aa whe. >> reporter: sktics of newberg's work questioif science ould be delving into religion and spirituity in the fir place. and they ask if hiresearch has actuay proven much of anything. >faith is by definition, reliance on ings you cannot e and cannot know. faith is someing we believe that god gives us.

it's not something invent. as a person of faith ts whole debate about whais going to be knowable is not a parcularly teresting question to e. >> you know, if we g a brain scan of somebody wle they're experiencing bng in god's presence, as i've always sa, that doesn't prove that god as the room. that doesn't prove thatod wasn't in the room. what it proves is, is that en the person had the expience of, of interacting witgod. this is-- the changeas going on in the brain. >> can i just prai the lord right now. i eel like if i don't praise the lord, i'moing to bust. >> tnk you jesus. thank you jesus. reporter: doctor newberg h found ther are some religious practices ere the person is intensely focused and oers where they just allow themsees to be taken over. for exampl speaking in tongues.

>> reporter: dr. newbergas scanned the brains of peoplof all belief systems,f people with no faith, andhose of deep conviction, le donna morgan who is a pentecostal. >> when are you in theealm of praise you just give oveto the holy spit then you let him take control and en he's taking control, righ you can speak in tongu if you've been ven that gift. thank you. >> speaking inongues you're going to see thathe frontal lobes decree in activity. that meanshe frontal lobe which is the part of t brain that normally mak them feel like they are control of what theare doing is shutting down. >> reporter: it ishutting down because... >> it is consistentith the feeling that they are nocharge in the process. >> reporter: there are some o argue that certn people are predisposed or hardwired tard transcendent expiences and some are not. it's an argument chaplaihandzo disagrees with.

>> ion't believe in a god that eates people especially selectivelin a way that makes it difficult for them access this god. that's nomy god. >> i thi to some degree we all are hard-wired to be le to think about things on these levels. it's just a matterf how much we engage that and if weind a path th does help us to engage that r ourselves. >> reporter: wberg says people of faith shouldn't worry th his research will ever minish their fait >> i don think that our, our science is ing to be able to definitivy prove that god exists or doesn't exist. it is, ultimately, a leapf faith. >reporter: dr. newberg believethe number one activity that can exercise your brn and enrich ur life is faith. >> when you have pitive, optimistic beliefs in t world, in god or ligion, depending on the person, at that really, over the long haul, sms to be t thing that really provides benet for us in terms our

mental state d in terms of our phical health and well-being. >> reporter: as for his own faith, he scribes himself as a secher who is still searching. for "religion and eics newsweekly," i'm cky severson in iladelphia. >> abernethy: on oucalendar, for slims, sunday markes the arril of laylot al meerahj. e holiday commemorates the ophet mohammad's miraculous night journey fr mecca to jeralem and then to heaven, andack. finally, a big eve for the hinduemple society of north america: after a major renovatio the reconsecration othe stone deities at the min hindu temple in flushing, queens, in new york ci. on hand, along withhousands of worshipper an elephant, named minnie, from a tting zoo in nnecticut. the elephant-head god ganesha is one of hinduism'sost popular deits.

is temple is named for ganesha. above the temp's roof, priests restored divine ergy to the golplated tips of its towers,s wi fire and then with holy water. meanwhi, inside the temple, the same re-energing for the represeation of ganesha, thin the main altar. there are perps a million hins in this country, and more than 70hindu temples. at's our program for now. i'm bob abnethy. there's much more on our website. audio d video podcasts are also availabl join us at pbs.org.

the lilly endowment captioned by media access oup at wgbh ccess.wgbh.org cationing sponsored by the lilly endowment captioned by media access oup at wgbh ccess.wgbh.org