The Power of Forgiveness
- play show:
Date: 27 March 2008
Why Forgive?
This hour we explore forgiveness, perhaps the most challenging of all religious teachings.
We begin with the story of psychologist Everett Worthington. He had been studying the therapeutic benefits of forgiveness for 10 years when he faced the ultimate test: in 1995, a burglar broke into his mother’s house and beat her to death with a crowbar. Everett, against all odds, chose to forgive his mother’s murderer.
We also hear from Martin Doblmeier, director of a new PBS documentary called The Power of Forgiveness, and Kenneth Briggs, author of a companion book by the same name.
Dr. Everett Worthington, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Martin Doblmeier, president and founder of Journey Films, director of The Power of Forgiveness
Kenneth Briggs, a former religion editor for the New York Times, author of The Power of Forgiveness
Find out when The Power of Forgiveness is playing on your local PBS station
How forgiving are YOU? Take the quiz!
McCain's Pastor Problem
Begins at 23:00
Rev. John Hagee, big-name supporter of Sen. John McCain, has called for preemptive war against Iran. He labeled the Catholic Church "the great whore of Babylon" and blamed Hurricane Katrina on a gay pride parade. So why is Rev. Jeremiah Wright getting all the attention?
Kevin Eckstrom, Editor, Religion News Service, and a regular analyst for Interfaith Voices
Buddhism and the Tibetan Uprisings
Begins at 33:46
Two weeks ago, Tibet's long-simmering resentment toward China erupted again. Dr. Donald Lopez explains why Tibetan monks are leading the region's most significant uprising since the late 1980s.
Dr. Donald Lopez, Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The 34th Annual American Atheists Conference
Begins at 39:26
