Courts, AA and God discussed by panelists

The conference was sponsored by The Faith and Society Project, a center at The Sage Colleges dedicated to looking at the role of beliefs in public and private life. Christopher Ringwald, a Catholic and director of the center, moderated the discussion, which featured several speakers:

* Robert Isseks, a Middletown attorney who has successfully argued that mandating 12-step program participation is unconstitutional;

* Barbara Gaige of Albany's Next Step Inc. Recovery Home for Women; and

* Judge Stephen Herrick of Albany, a former drug court administrator.

In court

"It's a compelling and important issue," said the director, who has written a book titled "The Soul of Recovery: Uncovering the Spiritual Dimension in the Treatment of Addictions."

At the conference, he said, Mr. Isseks focused on the idea that outsiders looking at AA literature would see its references to God, prayer, making a moral inventory of oneself and confessing that inventory to God (see sidebar) as religious elements.

In conflict?

Mr. Isseks' remarks at the conference also "deepened my appreciation for the danger" to groups like AA when the state sends people to join them, said Mr. Ringwald.

"It's the same issue as [President] Bush's faith-based initiatives," he stated: When religious organizations begin accepting money from the government, it becomes difficult for them to refuse government involvement in how they're run, as well.

Opposing view

"From the beginning, AA has defined itself as non-religious," Mr. Ringwald explained. He said that AA founders -- Bill W. and Dr. Bob S. -- had had negative experiences with religion.

The founders and their successors chose to call AA a spiritual group rather than a religious one, and say the distinction is important. Mr. Ringwald noted that when God is mentioned in 12-step programs, it is as a "personally defined deity," not that of any particular religion.

He said that conference participants from 12-step programs argued that the programs would not have worked for them if God had been specifically defined.

Judge's view

Mr. Ringwald concluded: "To mandate someone to [a 12-step program] directly amounts to an establishment of religion."

(The Faith and Society Project is planning a conference in the fall on faith-based social services, examining the question, "Is it the faith or the service that makes the difference?" For information, call 292-1727. Mr. Ringwald's book, "The Soul of Recovery," is available at www.amazon.com.)

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