From Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
In 2001, a young man in Michigan named Joseph R. Hanas was arrested for possession of marijuana. He pleaded guilty and was told he could avoid prison by entering a drug rehabilitation program.
The program Hanas ended up in is called Inner City Christian Outreach. It is sponsored by a Pentecostal church. Hanas is Catholic, and upon his arrival at the program, his rosary and prayer book were confiscated. He was told Catholicism is a form of witchcraft and that he would not be allowed to see a priest.
When a relative of Hanas's complained, she was told the young man had given up his religious freedom when he signed up for the program.
Hanas says he was indoctrinated with Pentecostalism. He was forced to attend worship services, read the Bible for hours a day and denied access to his attorney. He wasn't offered any actual drug rehabilitation; the program merely referred clients to another religious provider for rehab.
same kind of bullshit here in indiana, they have a preacher come in and yell at you for hours about how you're a terrorist and all kinds of other total bullshit gov't lies, the fact that they have a preacher delivering them sends chills up my spine.
Damned Catholic witches always making trouble for the righteous Pentecostals!
If only he had the correct faith we wouldn't have these problems.
I had always admired the disestablishment policy of the USA so when I saw this I thought it was a joke. Despite the US policy I was always bemused by the degree to which religious pressure groups seem to hold sway in the USA, where being called atheistic (like Franklin, Jefferson and Paine) now seems to be political suicide. So much for progress!
Paradoxically, this state of affairs would never pertain in the UK where the church and state are technically one.
The bond enables secular forces to reduce the demands and the affects of church ideology. It is usually seen as an embarrasment for a politician even to admit he has any kind of faith, and religious considerations are rarely heard on the floor of the House of Commons (the church is safely tucked away behind closed doors).
YOU SAY ITS JESUS OR? HERE WHERE I LIVE, PREACHERS TELL ONLY FAKE STORIES OF JESUS TO GET THE FAMILIES IN THEIR CHURCHES, SO THEY CAN GET TAX FREE MONEY FROM THEM AND MOLEST THEIR CHILDREN AND UP HER IN THE NORTHWEST THE PARENTS CONDONE IT. ONE FAMILY CAME TO WANATCHEE WASHINGTON TO LIVE AND WORK. ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON, THEIR YOUNG SON CAME HOME AND SAID THE MINISTERS PUT THEIR HANDS ON MY PRIVATE AREAS, SO THEY TOOK IT TO THE POLICE AND THEY INVESTIGATED THIS, BUT ALL THE PARENTS IN WENATCHEE REFUSED TO PRESS CHARGES AND CONDONNED THIS NORMAL BEHAVIOR. THATS THE WAY IT IS HERE. MOST FROM THAT AREA ARE NEO-NAZI'S, SOME HAVE MOVED HERE TO GET RID OF AMERICANS.
similar thing happened to me. One more shining example of constitutional toilet paper. When the dog rules the owner the owner is politopwned
Whoah! If there's any truth to this, this is a travesty, especially if this organization is receiving government funding. I'm willing to accept that religious organizations are often behind self-help programs, but they shouldn't be doing it as a mere front to their indoctrination.
This line sent chills up my spine:
"When a relative of Hanas's complained, she was told the young man had given up his religious freedom when he signed up for the program."
Although I suppose this must mean he did volunteer himself for the program. Maybe he forgot to read the fine print?
If it's a choice between jail and a rehab program, i don't think i'd worry too much about the fine print either, Matt
This is terrible on so many levels. He wasn't even dealing drugs - just posession. And the religious aspect is shocking. Wouldn't happen here in the UK.
It didnt used to happen here, the salvation army was one of the leading private charities for rehab programs.
When they closed down thier ARC center here in Tacoma a bunch of various nutcase fringes popped up doing the whole bible study bit in thier place, yes Sally was part of a church too but they were in charity for charitys sake rather than conversion. They put people to work, helped families find homes and didn't give a shit what a person believed so long as that person needed help, they did not discriminate against anyone.
What these so called churches do now is out and out bullshit not only do you do mandatory bible study, any food stamp benefits you are elidgable for they take some even insist that you apply for welfare to fund them, any wages you get when they allow you to work they take, even though they get funding elsewhere. faith based rehab is just a black hole, if I ever needed rehab I'll admit myself to a state run facility where there are trained psychologists.
Thats an amazing story of religious persecution. How could they take away his right to practice his chosen religion, even in rehab or jail
I like how everyone sh!ts on the constitution like if it no longer matters. and @ steve, there is no such thing as the correct religion. Religion doesn't belong with state! plain and simple.
I agree that Tacoma's religious programs have become a problem. Many homeless folks here would rather sleep on the street than face indoctrination at a church-run shelter.