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An atheist who spent a year in a California prison for methamphetamine possession charges in 2007 was awarded nearly $2 million on Wednesday as part of a settlement related to a lawsuit claiming that his religious freedom was violated when he refused to participate in a court ordered rehab program with a religious spin.
In a case that has dragged on for seven years, Barry Hazle Jr. charged the state of California and a contractor with infringing on his religious freedoms by ordering him to spend 90 days in a rehab facility that required him to submit to a "higher power" as a part of its 12-step program.
why is he entitled to 2 million dollars
he might just spend on more methamphetamine?
Well perhaps if the godless were better at rehabilitating drug addicts than Christians are
In last month's Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, University of New Mexico addiction specialist William Miller and his colleagues presented findings from two controlled trials in which patients underwent drug treatment. Some of the patients received spiritual guidance as part of the treatment — learning such practices as prayer, meditation and service to others, all of which are central to 12-step programs. Others received secular psychotherapy. Because of the enduring popularity of AA and similar programs that involve a spiritual component, Miller and his team expected the patients in the spiritual group to do better than those in the secular group. They were wrong — at least in the short term.
While both groups eventually benefited relatively equally from their treatment — abusing substances on fewer days — it took longer to see improvement among those in the spiritual group. What's more, those who received spiritual guidance reported being significantly more anxious and depressed after four months than those who got secular help. Those problems abated at about the eight-month point, but because substance abusers are at high risk for suicide, some worry that it may not be a good idea to put them through demanding spiritual calisthenics in the early months of their recovery. link
originally posted by: Metallicus
I know it isn't worth 2 million dollars to listen to someone's dogma. I do it for free on ATS and don't get paid squat.
ANYONE that has been in AA knows that that 'higher power' can be anything!
Family, The people of AA, hell, one Indian friend called a Red Tailed Hawk his 'higher power'.
3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Atheists Demand ‘Right to Know Act’ for Patients in America’s Religious Health Care System
Posted on: September 29, 2015
Cranford, NJ—American Atheists today announced a campaign to enact legislation that would require health care providers to inform patients, insurance companies, and government agencies about any medical procedures and services the provider chooses not to perform because of the provider’s religious beliefs. news.atheists.org...
originally posted by: Bone75
Well perhaps if the godless were better at rehabilitating drug addicts than Christians are, there would be more options for the judge to choose from?
originally posted by: Lucid Lunacy
a reply to: stosh64
It's not AA. The place is called Empire Recovery Center.
Read their "My Story" example and notice the god this god that all throughout it: link
"I just knew they would teach me all I needed to know about God."
Our programs use
evidence-based tools, social model, peer-group oriented recovery, and introduction to 12 step programs (AA, NA, Alanon), alumni and family groups.