The Institute on Religion and Public Policy  

This afternoon we are going to take a look at an issue that has created great tensions between religious groups in this country – sexuality. The most significant current debate centers around marriage, but there are many related issues that are not being discussed. The antipathy many people of faith show towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is often detrimental to the psychological well being of LGBT individuals. Furthermore, many LGBT individuals are people of faith and maintaining a religious and homosexual identity is a difficult landscape to traverse. Speaking with us today to explore the complications of religion, spirituality, and sexuality is Dr. Bob Barrett. Robert Barrett, Ph.D. is currently the Chair of the Clinical Psychology Programs and Associate Professor at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Washington, DC Campus. Dr. Barrett is a graduate of the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego, California. Dr Barrett also has a Masters Degree in Theology from the Catholic University of America and is a graduate of the Institute for Spirituality and Worship at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley Calif. Prior to coming to Argosy Dr. Barrett held positions as Director of Clinical Services and Executive Director of the Livingston Foundation Medical Center in San Diego, CA. He developed programs in psychoneuroimmunology for cancer patients and provided on-going psychological support services as well as serving in these administrative positions. Other professional roles include working as a police psychologist with the San Diego Police Department as well as other law enforcement agencies in the southern California area. After moving back to the Washington DC area Dr. Barrett also worked as Senior Consultant for Human Resources Inc. on a human factors engineering contract with the Federal Aviation Administration. Dr Barrett’s research interests include clin

This afternoon we will be looking at the peculiar nature of living a religious life in the 21st century through the eyes of an American Buddhist monk. Tibetan Buddhism blasted onto the world stage after the 1959 uprising against the Chinese occupation. Ever since this mystical tradition has been capturing the hearts and minds of millions of westerners. Joining us today is Palzang. He was born in Rockford, Illinois, and later attended Rockford College where he received a BA in Zoology and later an MS in Cell Biology from the University of Chicago. In the time between the two degrees he spent 4 years in the Air Force as a Russian linguist, during his tours of duty he was stationed in Japan, which is where he first became interested in Buddhism. His pursued his interest more deeply when he returned to the US and eventually began following the teachings of His Holiness Khenpo Jigme Puntsok Rinpoche in July 1993 and took full ordination as a gelong (bhikkshu) monk in 1995 from His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche, thus, making him a monk for nearly 16 years. The center at which Palzang practices, Kunzang Palyul Choling, or KPC, is located in Poolesville, Maryland and was started by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, the first western woman to ever be recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated lama. She started KPC in 1985 as a World Prayer Center, and it has been involved in a continuous 24 hour prayer cycle ever since. KPC has a strong ordained presence with about 40 monks and nuns in Maryland, Arizona, Australia, and Mongolia. KPC is a Tibetan Buddhist (or Vajrayana) temple in the Palyul lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism founded by Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, in about the 7th century C.E. It should be noted that Jetsunma is an American woman, and that she never received any instruction in Buddhism. She simply teaches from her mind.

China has been a hot topic over the past decade. China's rise can both challenge and help the U.S. on many fronts including the economy, the environment, and security issues. Despite the importance of the US-China relationship, ties have been tenuous at times. America's loud public outcries against China's human rights abuses, its treatment of Taiwan and Tibet, and consumer scandals regarding food and toys have strained the relationship. Some analysts question whether US foreign policy towards China should change and whether it will change under President Obama. Our guest today, is Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin. She has a Ph.D. in Chinese and comparative world history, and she worked for the State Department for 25 years as a senior Research Specialist on China issues. During that time she was awarded the Secretary of State's Career Achievement Award and received the Center for Public Justice Leadership Award. She is now a research professor at George Mason University and serves as a Senior Associate for the Global China Center in Charlottesville, VA. As a result of her lifetime of work on China, she brings a long-term perspective on China's dramatic changes and provides valuable insight into the direction this country is taking. Dr. Hamrin will be discussing with us today the issues related to US-China relations and ways to amend our approach to create a more stable and more fruitful relationship with one of the fastest growing countries in the world

In April 1999 the Chinese government began its campaign to repress the rights of the Falun Gong practictioners. It began with an article written by a physicist in Tianjin that stated young people should not practice Falun Gong. Practitioners were offended by his unfair treatment of the tradition and gathered in protest. The police responded swiftly and harshly beating and arresting many of the protesters. This led to more protests and the subsequent campaign to discredit and repress this tradition. Prior to China's crackdown, Falun Gong was an enormously popular spiritual and health exercise. Today our guest, Zhang Erping, a spokesperson here in the US for the Falun Gong movement, will provide us with insight into the intricacies of this fascinating new Chinese tradition and the repression it faces in China. Zhang has studied censorship in China extensively, and has worked with US policymakers to pass a number of Congressional resolutions condemning China's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners. He has testified before the US Congress, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, and the Italian Parliament about Falun Gong in China.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari authorized Islamic law, Shariah, in that country's Swat Valley last week opening the door to direct rule by the Taliban. The Pakistan government's surrender to Taliban leaders in the region has already forced a rollback in women's rights, murders of local officials and levy of a jaziya, a type of penalty or tax, on Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities residing in the valley. Joining us today to discuss the situation of minorities in the Swat region is Ishani Chowdhury, Director of Public POlicy for the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to promoting religious tolerance, pluralism, and human rights. HAF works to bring a Hindu-American perspective to U.S. policymakers through its government outreach programs in D.C.

On March 16, 2009 the Washington, DC Department of Health issued a report showing the rate of AIDS/HIV in DC to be at 3%. The head of DC’s AIDS program stated publicly that this rate is equivalent to some West African countries such as Uganda and Kenya. Although there are many other capital cities in the world with similar or worse infection rates, it is troubling to consider that the capital of the most prosperous nation on earth has HIV infection rates similar to developing countries. The newspapers and other news sources covered this story for about a day, calling it a “serious epidemic.” And yet, by March 17, 2009 this information was not part of a broader public conversation. Although the report does not overtly discuss the relationship between AIDS/HIV and poverty, it is clear from this report and other recent reports, that AIDS is quickly becoming a disease of the poor. In some of his writings, Dr. David Hilfiker, our guest today, discusses the despair that overcomes people living in poverty. In the words of another Washingtonian, “despair takes time,” meaning that it takes time to sit with despair to truly address its roots and causes in order to overcome it. However, out modern media blitz world makes it difficult to sit with the despair of the current crisis here in DC. So today we will be taking our time to discuss the AIDS/HIV crisis. Joining us is Dr. David Hilfiker, who moved with his family to Washington DC to help found Christ House, a medical recovery shelter for homeless men. In 1990 he founded Joseph’s House, a home for homeless men with AIDS, where he lived for three years with his family. He has written numerous books dealing with poverty and the medical care of the poor. In his writings and conversations on poverty, he discusses at length the role of charity, justice, and relationship. We will be exploring the role these ideas can and should play in addressing the DC AIDS/HIV crisis.