He said he wouldn't join his company's Bible study. After being let go, he's suing.

[bitterross]

12. That would be a slightly better option. But not much.

It is impossible to read the AA "Big Book" chapter to the agnostic and not conclude the program means the Christian God when it says "Higher Power." This is the program from which all others have been founded. The chapter is entitled "We Agnostics" but is probably only titled that instead of "We Atheists" because of society at the time. It was 1939 and Prohibition had only been recently repealed. Church was still a very, very ingrained part of everyday life. Claiming full-on atheism was really not acceptable.

In my experience, which entails years of attending meetings trying to find one that fits, many of the Twelve-Step meetings are overtly religious. There were many I attended that really turned me off because of their constant Jesus is my higher power and Jesus is what keeps me clean. No, your common sense decision to not mess up your life keeps you clean. That, along with having a meaningful life and prospects for a future. I can go on a lot about addiction and recovery. Twelve-step meetings have their place but they are not the be-all, end-all solution. See the Ted talks and books by Gabor Mate and read the books by Marc Lewis if you are interested.

Dahl must have gotten a better lawyer or his lawyer is taking this more seriously due to all the coverage. In the first article they seemed to double-down on it. Then I read an article where they explained the meetings were actually "activities" at a homeless shelter. While this sounds better, I know of almost no homeless shelter that isn't run by a religious organization. The only ones I know of require people to attend prayer meetings or engage in some sort of religious activity. So they're still forcing religious activity on employees. I have serious doubts these "activities" at the shelter are ones in which people can choose to be free from a specific religion.

This case is particularly interesting to me because we have a very strong recovery community in Oregon. There are Native American programs (NARA) that accept people like Coleman, who is of Native American ancestry. Their recovery programs are far, far different than the typical Twelve-Step based programs. He has every right not want to engage in the "White Man's" God. If I were Native American I'd be pretty damned opposed to the white man's religion even more so than I am as an atheist. Especially given our European conquering of this continent.