Religion
Related: About this forumCalifornia Tells Non-Theistic Parolee He Does Not Have to Enter a Religious Drug Treatment Program
June 20, 2016
by Hemant Mehta
Last week, I posted about how Taylor Bast, who was arrested on drug charges, was told by his parole officer that he had to take part in a substance abuse program or he could end up in jail. Unfortunately, all three programs offered to him by the state of California were religious, while Bast is a non-theistic Buddhist. He argued that the state was coercing him to participate in a faith-based program or else he would be punished.
The American Humanist Associations Appignani Humanist Legal Center sent a letter to state officials demanding that secular treatment options be made available for everyone, including Bast:
The state is unconstitutionally coercing an individual to attend a religious program, as well as endorsing religion and discriminating against nontheists, said Monica Miller, senior counsel at the Appignani Humanist Legal Center. By failing to provide a secular alternative to these religious programs, the state of California is violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/06/20/california-tells-non-theistic-parolee-he-does-not-have-to-enter-a-religious-drug-treatment-program/
http://aha-files.s3.amazonaws.com/2/9f/c/5999/CA_-_Coerced_Religious_Treatment_Letter_re_T.B._6-8-16.pdf
niyad
(112,430 posts)seem to have a religious component to them. will have to look into this further.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Alcoholics Anonymous, and other programs also based on the 12 step method, can often be very religious, and they're also not very science-based.
AA has a success rate somewhere in the 5% to 10% range. It's great at perpetuating itself, and telling addicts that AA didn't fail them, they failed AA. Which keeps people coming back for more, but doesn't solve the underlying problem.
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/23/the_pseudo_science_of_alcoholics_anonymous_theres_a_better_way_to_treat_addiction/
Programs like SMART, and techniques like the Sinclair Method are far better.
rug
(82,333 posts)Sponsee: "When will I get a good job?"
Sponsor: "When you are ready."
Sponsee: "How will I know I am ready?"
Sponsor: "You'll have a good job."