>> abernethy: coming up: the u.s. episcopal church says gays and lesbians are eligible to become bishops. we have a special report. also, new scientific research on the effects of meditation on the brain. >> we've learned that being religious or spiritual has a very profound effect on who we are has a very profound effect on our biology and on our brain. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment

>> abernethy: welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. after decades of debate and division, the u.s. episcopal church this week said, overwhelmingly, that gays and lesbians are eligible to become bishops, or serve in any other ordained ministry of the church. at their general convention, episcopal leaders also moved toward developing an official rite for blessing same sex unions. these decisions are likely to widen the divide between episcopalians and the worldwide, 77-million-member anglican communion of which they are a part. kim lawton has our special report from anaheim, california. >> reporter: at their meeting in anaheim this week, episcopal bishops, clergy and lay representatives tackled a host of social issues, from global poverty to justice for disneyland hotel workers. but the most divisive topic,

once again, was homosexuality. >> it wouldn't be a meeting of the episcopal church or the anglican communion if we didn't somehow engage matters of human sexuality. >> reporter: despite concerns from many global anglican partners, convention delegates overwhelmingly voted to move ahead on two of the most contentious questions: whether to ordain gay bishops and whether to bless same-sex unions. on the issue of gay bishops, the delegates asserted that "god has called and may call" gays and lesbians" to any ordained ministry in the episcopal church." the vote effectively ends a de facto moratorium that was approved three years ago, although it does not guarantee that more gay bishops will be consecrated. separately, the delegates also voted to move forward in developing liturgies for blessing same-sex relationships. the issue will be taken up again at the next general convention in 2012. in the meantime, the measure

allows local clergy leeway in blessing same-gender relationships, especially in states where gay marriage is legal. reverend susan russell is the outgoing president of integrity, a group that works for the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gendered people in the episcopal church. >> i think the overwhelming message coming out of this convention, not only for l.g.b.t. people but for all who are looking for a community that that embraces peace justice tolerance compassion and the good news of god in christ jesus, is that the episcopal church welcomes you. >> reporter: the measures passed in part because many conservative episcopalians have left the denomination. those remaining feel increasingly isolated. >> it is very sad for me because i am a lifelong episcopalian, i'm a lifelong anglican, but first and foremost i am a life- long christian.

and it is breaking my heart to see the church destroying itself in the manner in which we seem to be doing. >> reporter: many delegates here said they voted for the direction they believe god is calling their church to go in. but those votes pose new challenges for a global communion that has already been strained close to a breaking point. there's a lot riding on how what happened here gets interpreted around the world. many anglicans, especially in africa, asia and south america, were outraged in 2003 when the episcopal church approved the consecration of new hampshire bishop gene robinson, the church's first openly gay bishop. an emergency communion report called on the u.s. to ban on any future consecrations of gay bishops until an international consensus emerges. the communion's spiritual

leader, archbishop of canterbury rowan williams attended this meeting before the controversial votes took place. >> along with many in the communion, i hope and pray that there won't be decisions in the coming days that could push us further apart. >> reporter: much of this week's debate centered on balancing communion concerns with a desire to move forward. >> i believe with my whole heart that we all know where this is going to wind up. it is going to wind up with the full inclusion of all of god's children in god's church. >> i would concede that if indeed that it is the right thing to do, we should do it now. but i do not believe it is the right thing to do. >> while i am very, very much concerned about our covenant with the communion and our mission, i am also concerned about our covenant with our gay and lesbian brothers and

sisters. >> the communion, for me, is too much to lose. there is too much at stake, with mission, and our ability to apprehend, larger wider truths that go way beyond our own small church and setting in the western world. >> reporter: shannon johnston, coadjutor bishop in the diocese of virginia, said he personally supported the gay ordination resolution, but voted against it because he didn't want to further divide the communion. >> it was quite wrenching because it took two of the core values of the church and juxtaposed them against each other. mission and inclusivity on the one hand and then the unity of the church on the other, which is no less a core value of the gospel. >> reporter: episcopal presiding bishop katharine jefferts schori said her church is not fomenting division. >> schism is not a christian act. >> reporter: the approved resolutions reasserted the

episcopal church's desire to remain an active member of the anglican communion. but bishop jon bruno of the diocese of los angeles says that doesn't mean total agreement with overseas churches about homosexuality. >> i think i would explain it to them that the context that we live in is totally different. and that they have to be tolerant of our context as well as we are tolerant of their context. i still want to be in relationship with them fully. >> reporter: reverend ian douglas, a representative from massachusetts, described the votes as being honest with the rest of the world about what the episcopal church stands for. p >> there's no communion without genuine relationship. and there's no genuine relationship without truth- telling. so i see commitments to being in communion and telling the truth about who we are as being of a whole. >> reporter: conservative anglicans already don't like what they're hearing. >> i think it signals to the rest of the communion, the anglican communion, that the episcopal church wants to be a

member only on its own terms. and that if terms are applied to it, then they will go their own way and have things the way they wish. and others can be with them or not. >> reporter: david anderson is among the episcopalians who left the denomination over theological issues. he was ordained a bishop in the anglican church of kenya. disaffected episcopalians, including four breakaway dioceses, have formed a rival jurisdiction called the anglican church in north america. they're seeking recognition from the archbishop of canterbury. >> i see that as the episcopal church continues to go through these earthquakes of adopting things there is going to be a constant stream of both people and churches, perhaps more dioceses, that wind up leaving and coming over into the rest of

the anglican communion. >> reporter: but at the same time, many episcopalians believe their actions here will help bring in other people who may have felt alienated in the past. both sides say they're anxious to focus on mission rather than division. i'm kim lawton in anaheim, california. >> abernethy: the episcopal general convention next meets in indianapolis in 2012. debate over blessing same-sex unions is already on the schedule. in other news, in washington, judge sonia sotomayor this week gave careful answers to the senate judiciary committee, which is considering her nomination to the supreme court. she offered no hint of how she leans on such divisive issues as abortion and gun control. but she could not avoid the controversy over words she had used about being both a latina woman and an impartial judge.

she told the committee, again and again, that she is objective. >> in the past month, many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. it is simple: fidelity to the law. the task of a judge is not to make the law, it is to apply the law. >> abernethy: but republican senators wanted to know: what about a 2001 speech in which sotomayor had hoped a wise, latina woman could often come to better conclusions than a white man. john kyl of arizona. >> and then you concluded this: in short, i accept the proposition that difference will be made by the presence of women and people of color on the bench, and that my experiences will affect the facts that i choose to see. you said, i don't know exactly what the difference will be in my judging. but i accept that there will be some based on gender and my latina heritage. >> the words i chose, taking the

rhetorical flourish, it was a bad idea. >> abernethy: sotomayor acknowledged that life experiences might color how a judge weighs the facts. but she insisted any bias must be recognized, and give way to the law. >> i have a record for seventeen years. decision after decision, decision after decision. it is very clear that i don't base my judgments on my personal experiences or my feelings or my biases. >> abernethy: all signs point to judge sotomayor's confirmation. if and when that happens, she will be the first hispanic american justice. the court will include two women. and six of the nine justices will be catholics. pope benedict the sixteenth underwent surgery after breaking his wrist while on vacation in the italian alps. the vatican says the 82-year-old pope fell in his room overnight.

nevertheless, the pope celebrated mass before being taken to the hospital. there was an international controversy this week about assisted suicide. sir edward downes was a highly respected 85-year-old british symphony orchestra conductor. his wife for more than 50 years, lady downes, 74, had terminal cancer, and he was increasingly blind and deaf. they were said to want to die, together. assisted suicide is illegal in britain, but not in switzerland. so the couple flew to zurich, to a clinic that specializes in assisting suicides. they drank a lethal fluid and died side by side, holding hands, in the presence of their two children. in washington, a federal commission is urging the iraqi government to protect that country's christians, in the wake of a recent string of church bombings.

the u.s. commission on international religious freedom asked the iraqi government to identify and punish those responsible for attacks at or near five churches in baghdad. the violence killed at least four people and injured dozens. iraqi authorities believe the attacks were coordinated, and they have tightened security around churches. christians in iraq number about 750,000 in a mainly muslim country of 28 million. many of the people who were displaced in the swat valley in pakistan are returning to their homes. recent fighting between government forces and the taliban forced roughly two million people to flee, and some refugees say they fear more violence from the taliban. pakistan has the largest number of refugees of any country, according to the u.n., which also says that worldwide, because of war or persecution, there are 42 million people who

have been forcibly displaced. the u.s. may offer asylum to battered women from other countries. but the women would have to meet strict conditions, such as showing that domestic abuse is widely accepted in their countries and that institutions where they live can not protect them. the bush administration had said u.s. asylum laws did not apply to battered women. scientists have long found an association between relaxation and health. now, there is new evidence that meditation and other spiritual practices have a beneficial and measurable effect on the brain. in a new book, how god changes your brain, andrew newberg reports that meditation improves memory and reduces stress, and that the kind of god you worship can affect the structure of your brain. lucky severson has the story.

>> sa, ta, ma, na. >> reporter: as unlikely as it may seem, vincent fedor is practicing meditation. >> and you go into the whisper. sa, ta, na, ma. >> reporter: vincent and his wife judy started meditation after they answered a questionnaire about improving their memory. that was one objective of dr. andrew newberg. the other was that he wanted to scan their brains while they did it. here are vincent's scans before he learned to meditate and after he had been doing it for eight weeks. >> okay, so it is asymmetric, more active here than here. and after meditation it is more active here than here. so simply doing the practice of the meditation he has altered the activity in this very, very important part of the brain. and this is really important because this means he has changed the way his brain is working. >> reporter: since meditating vincent feels he's become a

better high school track coach. >> i think i've become a calmer, more tolerant person. if the situation comes up i don't go to the angry side. i go take the calmer road. and you know, i think the kids see this. i think i've become a better coach because of it. >> it makes sense if by doing this practice he has increased the activity in that frontal lobe, he is actually able to improve the way in which he monitors his emotional responses to people and perhaps treat them with more compassion. >> reporter: dr. newberg has studied nuns who do repetitive prayer and he has seen the same kind of results. he's been studying the effects of meditation and prayer on the brain for several years and is considered one of the leading experts in a new field called neurotheology. >> we've learned that being religious or spiritual has a very profound effect on who we are has a very profound effect on our biology and on our brain. and what we've found more

recently is that not only does it have a profound influence on who we are, but it actually can change our brain and to change ourselves over times. >> reporter: here at the university of pennsylvania center for spirituality and the mind, images of the brain are taken during or after a person prays or meditates. >> the more you use a part of the brain the more blood it gets and the redder it gets on the scan. >> reporter: over the years, dr. newberg has adapted a 12 step mediation exercise that includes sound, movement and breathing. >> sa, ta, ma, na. the first two minutes the mantra is sung, the second two minutes the mantra is whispered, the third sequence is silence, back into the whisper and finishing with the song. after that it's deep breathing, holding in, that's done three times, body relaxes, and the

mantra is completed. the minute i can start doing it and moving my fingers. my body gets calmer. it's... it's very soothing. to me it gets almost in a passive mode. and then you have energy afterwards because you became so calm. >> religion and spirituality do help to lower a person's feelings of depression, anxiety, gives them some meaning in life, helps them to cope with things and that's going to have a potentially very beneficial effect. >> reporter: but newberg has made another discovery, a controversial one. that our belief system, how we view god can make a huge difference in how it affects our well being. if we believe in a loving god it can have a positive effect, even prolong our lives. but believing in a judgmental authoritarian god can produce fear, anger and stress, and that's not healthy.

>> when it ultimately turns towards hatred and whether it's people who believe in abortion versus those who don't, whether it's just one religion versus another. when you hear rhetoric which is hateful, filled with anger, that turns on the different parts of the brain that are involved in our stress response and our anger response. >> reporter: george handzo is a chaplain with the healthcare chaplaincy of new york city. he says newberg's conclusions, that a person's belief in a certain kind of god can be unhealthy, is bound to be controversial among people of faith. >> they're saying that there is one word of god. and god commands us to follow that word and if we want to save people from god's anger and condemnation we're obliged to get other people to believe as we do. >> i'm not arguing that people need to change their beliefs, per se. i mean, if, if they feel that

their perspective on god is right, i mean then, that's terrific. but i think that what, that what we have to all be careful about is the anger, and the, and the hatred. that's what has detrimental effects both on the individual as well as on society as a whole. >> reporter: skeptics of newberg's work question if science should be delving into religion and spirituality in the first place. and they ask if his research has actually proven much of anything. >> faith is by definition, reliance on things you cannot see and cannot know. faith is something we believe that god gives us. it's not something we invent. as a person of faith this whole debate about what is going to be knowable is not a particularly interesting question to me.

>> you know, if we get a brain scan of somebody while they're experiencing being in god's presence, as i've always said, that doesn't prove that god was in the room. that doesn't prove that god wasn't in the room. what it proves is, is that when the person had the experience of, of interacting with god. this is-- the change was going on in their brain. >> can i just praise the lord right now. i feel like if i don't praise the lord, i'm going to bust. >> thank you jesus. thank you jesus. >> reporter: doctor newberg has found there are some religious practices where the person is intensely focused and others where they just allow themselves to be taken over. for example, speaking in tongues. >> reporter: dr. newberg has scanned the brains of people of all belief systems, of people with no faith, and those of deep conviction, like donna morgan who is a pentecostal. >> when are you in the realm of praise you just give over to the

holy spirit then you let him take control and when he's taking control, right, you can speak in tongues if you've been given that gift. thank you. >> speaking in tongues you're going to see that the frontal lobes decrease in activity. that means the frontal lobe which is the part of the brain that normally makes them feel like they are in control of what they are doing is shutting down. >> reporter: it is shutting down because... >> it is consistent with the feeling that they are not charge in the process. >> reporter: there are some who argue that certain people are predisposed or hardwired toward transcendent experiences and some are not. it's an argument chaplain handzo disagrees with. >> i don't believe in a god that creates people especially selectively in a way that makes it difficult for them to access this god. that's not my god.

>> i think to some degree we all are hard-wired to be able to think about things on these levels. it's just a matter of how much we engage that and if we find a path that does help us to engage that for ourselves. >> reporter: newberg says people of faith shouldn't worry that his research will ever diminish their faith. >> i don't think that our, our science is going to be able to definitively prove that god exists or doesn't exist. it is, ultimately, a leap of faith. >> reporter: dr. newberg believes the number one activity that can exercise your brain and enrich your life is faith. >> when you have positive, optimistic beliefs in the world, in god or religion, depending on the person, that that really, over the long haul, seems to be the thing that really provides a benefit for us in terms our mental state and in terms of our physical health and well-being. >> reporter: as for his own faith, he describes himself as a searcher who is still searching. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," i'm lucky severson in philadelphia.

>> abernethy: on our calendar, for muslims, sunday markes the arrival of laylot al meerahj. the holiday commemorates the prophet mohammad's miraculous night journey from mecca to jerusalem and then to heaven, and back. finally, a big event for the hindu temple society of north america: after a major renovation, the reconsecration of the stone deities at the main hindu temple in flushing, queens, in new york city. on hand, along with thousands of worshippers, an elephant, named minnie, from a petting zoo in connecticut. the elephant-headed god ganesha is one of hinduism's most popular deities. this temple is named for ganesha. above the temple's roof, priests restored divine energy to the gold-plated tips of its towers,s with fire and then with holy water.

meanwhile, inside the temple, the same re-energizing for the representation of ganesha, within the main altar. there are perhaps a million hindus in this country, and more than 700 hindu temples. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. there's much more on our website. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org.

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