Redding Atheist Sues Dept. of Corrections

[ThePhoenix]

Redding atheist sues Dept. of Corrections over 12-step recovery program

http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/1275433.html

A Shasta County atheist sued top state corrections officials Monday, claiming a violation of his constitutional rights when he was returned to prison after objecting to participation in a program with religious overtones as a condition of parole.

Barry A. Hazle Jr., 40, was released from prison in February 2007, after doing a year for drug possession. He was required to complete a 90-day drug treatment program, and was assigned to one in Shasta County.

The Redding computer technician says he objected several times to being compelled to participate in a program based on the 12-step recovery method originally developed by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, according to the lawsuit filed in Sacramento federal court. He aksed to be reassigned to a secular recovery program.

The 12-step program required "acknowledgment of the existence of a supernatural God,....deference to a monotheistic 'higher power,' and participation in prayer," the suit alleges.

[and-justice-for-all]

1. anything requiering you to believe in superstitous dogma...

is wrong and Fascist/Theocratic.

[Warpy]

2. AA probably won't work for him

since he doesn't want to go in the first place.

I know quite a few atheists who are friends of Bill W. One notable one once told me his god was G.O.D., his Gang of Drunks.

People who really want help will find it there in other addicts who have learned to live without alcohol and drugs. It does work. It's just a shame that some meetings have been hijacked by the Christers. Often it's a case of finding the one meeting in town that hasn't been.

While I do have some sympathy with his position, he's probably just written his own ticket back to jail since AA is non denominational.

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Having been in 12 step programs before

Specifically, Al-Anon and Overeaters Anonymous, I can tell you first hand, with experience from quite a few meetings:

Bullshit.

12-Step programs are inherently theological, no matter what lipservice they give to being "inclusive." Worse, they are based on an extremely dysfunctional and fundamentally fundamentalist premise, that we are incapable of doing anything good without having Daddy in total control of every aspect of our lives. And because meetings are peer-run, if the group wants to actively involve prayer then you are SOL. I left OA because the only group within an hour's drive met in a Baptist church and always -- ALWAYS -- opened and closed each meeting with Christian prayer.

I would never, ever go to a 12-step meeting again. There are a lot of secular, non-religious alternatives, alternatives which are not built on the model of a domineering, abusive parent. This man is well within his rights to be assigned to such a program.

[Warpy]

9. I was lucky enough to be in New England

when I was getting my head straight after negotiating the minefield of an alcoholic marriage and the meetings were distinctly non religious. In fact, the handouts stated quite specifically that the "higher power" was a reality check that was handed out by the group, itself.

I stopped bothering out here in NM because the Christers have taken them all over out here. It's really too bad, because it was a safe place to talk about a lot of the crap I'd been through and talking it all out had been helpful.

My head's as straight as it's ever going to be, I guess.

[trotsky]

3. Sounds like he's got a good case.

He even asked for a suitable program.

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. Are there any specifically atheist 12 step organizations that he could have joined instead?

I'm not an addict, so my knowledge of 12 step groups is all second-hand, but I've always heard that your "higher power" can be whatever you want it to be. And if that's the case, I don't see how you can call them "religious".

[LeftyMom]

6. There's lip service to being inclusive, but not much.

They say the... oh heck, what's the Protestant version of the Our Father.... The Lord's Prayer, that's it. And there's a lot of talk about "God as we came to understand Him" etc in the literature, to say nothing of all the god talk in people's individual stories which are pretty much indistinguishable from church testimonies except in the details of the redemption. Though even in one area the amount of religiousity can vary a lot from one meeting to another (there's a definite culture to each meeting, based on the time, neighborhood, etc. There's even a snobbishness about some meetings over others. The usual subcultural politics, but magnified since so many of the people involved aren't real stable.)

I do know people outside of Abrahamic religions who manage to get something out of AA/NA (usually women who are dabbling in some sort of vague goddess stuff, at least around here) but they're definitely a tiny minority.

Iirc, Rational Recovery is based out of Placer County, so it's quite possible there was an entirely secular recovery meeting available to him. And of course he could also have done meetings with a qualified substance abuse counselor, possibly in conjunction with peer support or treatment for any other issues, etc. Unfortunately many courts regard assigning somebody to AA/NA as routine in substance abuse cases (even though the statistical results are abysmal) and don't consider alternatives that may serve an individual's needs better. It sounds like they threw him back in the can because they figured he was being a pain in the ass.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. No, not really

Eight of the steps are founded on the very dysfunctional model of fundamentalist Christianity: You have no power (Step 1); Only God can make you better (Step 2); You must give your life over to God (Step 3); You must confess your sins to God (Step 5); You must pray that God will fix you (Step 6); And fix you some more (Step 7); And then you pray some more (Step 11); And spread the Holy Gospel (Step 12). That they use the term "Higher Power" is irrelevant; it is still the Christian God, just in disguise.

I know quite a few devout Christians -- Catholics, Episcopalians and UUs -- who have opposed 12 Step programs because they require that people like them quit in their own beliefs and take up a fundamentalist doctrine.

[jody]

5. My OP, link below, in this forum asked a related question re secular programs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x184894