Opinions; why did I never meet an atheist or pagan patient while volunteering in drug and alcohol rehab?

Question

This is not a swipe at any particular religion, just the truth. Why, in all these years, have all the patients there (mostly court ordered) been church going folks? I did actually meet two Wiccans, but they were counselers.

Hawaiian Plumeria: Actually, no it doesn't. This is a medical program, not a religious run one. People are encouraged to follow any religion they like, if it helps them deal with their problems. Freedom of religion is strictly protected for all. Pushing any particular religion is not allowed, and is grounds for dismissal, or in the case of the patients on court order, recomendation for revocation of probation.

Answer 1

Well, to become a drug user, when offered something and assured that it will make you feel good and won't harm you, you have to blindly accept their word for it.

To become a religion user...

Answer 2

Could it possibly be because they are happy with their beliefs? When you compare Christianity to various Pagan beliefs you see a lot of negativity in Christianity. I was raised Christian and started exploring other beliefs when I was a young adult. From what I've seen even though Christ preached peace, that's not exactly what is practised. The primary goals of modern day Christian churches seem to be how much money can we collect from our parishoners with a particular emphasis on "saving" others to get more people in the seats. I don't know about other cities, but there is a Church on just about every other block in the Houston area (or so it seems). If someone wanted to find God, it wouldn't take too long to find him. There is a lot of stress put on parishoners to "save" all of their friends and relatives. I had a wise Sunday School teacher that I think had the best idea - live like you believe Christ did, and your good works are all that need to be said.

I also don't like the stress put on parishoners to "Vote" for this candidate or that one. I've seen this get worse and preachers express their opinions on who the most "Christian" candidate is, when that is not supposed to happen. There WERE at one point in time laws against that. I am a bit too independant for Christianity any more. I'm not a sheep, don't want to be a sheep, and I don't want mere mortals telling me what I'm supposed to believe. That's between me and my creator.

The modern day Christian church reminds me of early Nazisim. No there isn't a State approved religion, but they sure do pay off enough of our government officials to pass laws that make things difficult for anyone that doesn't believe the approved dogma. In some places it's getting difficult to get a job if you don't spout Christian dogma in your interview.

Answer 3

Maybe they never come in for rehab?

If I believed that life on Earth is nothing more than an unimaginably improbable accident, and that the 80-or so years I could possibly live would be, in the end, utterly meaningless, and that there was no rhyme or reason to ethics or morality other than arbitrary decisions made by people who, just like me, may as well never have existed, and to top it all off I'm addicted to drugs, and since there are no moral absolutes there is no reason NOT to steal to support my habit, what reason do I have to put down the pipe and get help?

It's not a swipe at non-theism, but I really can't see any reason to do anything that is in the least unpleasant if the entire world and life as we know it is nothing more than a statistical anomaly, ESPECIALLY if I am already under the control of substance abuse.

Answer 4

My particular slant on the issue is that believers are invariably Solipsists and imagine their own subjective (perceptual) experience actually is real. Solipsists fail to realize that their own mind and everything they experience within it is simply a mental illusion created by their own living brains. The illusion is so complete that solipsists are even able to delude themselves into believing God (or a higher power) is real and that their thoughts can actually effect outcomes in the material world. Solipsists, as believers, tend to imagine that there must be absolute standards for morality. It would be interesting to hypothesize that solipsists are prone to substance abuse problems because their thinking is so undisciplined they are unable to make rational evaluations of their own behavior.

People who are not solipsists tend to be much better educated and of greater intelligence. The great majority are atheists and scientists. Scientific thinkers know with certainty that objective (physical) reality contains all of the matter and energy in the universe and understand that their own five senses can perceive only a tiny portion of reality. Scientific thinkers know that their own subjective experience is an illusion created by their living brain and that their own thoughts cannot be trusted to portray an accurate picture of reality. Scientific thinkers know that true morality is completely relative and is deeply connected to the culture they inhabit. Perhaps such people are less likely to be deluded by their own imagination.

Answer 5

Its possible that some of them were atheists or pagans but didn't mention it. People with those beliefs are probably less likely to bring up their religious affiliations, in general.

Do you generally ask people about their religious beliefs at rehab? Or did people just bring it up on their own?

Of course, people that become Wiccans and atheists also tend to be have a higher level of education than the average person. Is it common to see people in rehab that have much higher education? I don't really know that the statistics are likely to be on that, but it seems more likely that people with drug addictions are less likely to have completed much college, (at least not if they were addicted when they were students).

Answer 6

Pain and guilt lead to substance abuse. I don't think lack of religion necessarily makes anyone protected from pain.

Just using the statistics of believers to non-believers in the US, it is not a coincidence that you never encountered an atheist or pagan.

Answer 7

Here's another tidbit on atheist v biblethumpers

Have you ever heard of an atheist group molesting boys like the clergy. 1,5 million settlements in california alone.

Any atheists try to force atheism to be preaced in school or have a minute od atheism before a sports banquet?

Do atheist satrt wars in the name of a non God?

Does a non God talk to our president and tell him he's doing the right thing by escallating the war? (Former drug addict and drunk)

Maybe atheists can't hide behind anything so they are only accountable to themselves for their actions, everyone should be.

A theory only.

Answer 8

Because religion is like an additive substance. The followers are actually addicts that need their bible fix or they can't handle the day or anything else. When something in their lives disappoint them, they turn to drugs/alcohol when they can't find the answer in the bible. It helps them to remove the guilt. Atheists don't have any guilt.

Plus drugs/alcohol are such taboos for them that they end up becoming more attractive.

Answer 9

Paganism is its own drug :-)

You get high on life and personal spiritual experiences, and... okay, maybe sometimes other substances, but maintaining balance and perspective are intregal to the ideology.

Answer 10

Pagans in general tend to be in service industries. Nurses & nursing assistants, teacher & teaching assistants, holistic health practices, etc. I believe it many be because we don't scapegoat our problems and learn to deal with our own shadows.