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Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

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    Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

    I am a disabled veteran that lives in a housing program for disabled veterans. The private organization administering the grant receives funding from the US Veterans Administration and one of the requirements is to maintain sobriety (zero intake of alcohol or drugs that the Federal government do not allow, regardless of state law). It also does not allow possession of any such substance at any time (the above also comes into play if another person claims to see purchase, possess or use any such substance).

    I am curious how programs like this get around religious practices and the Bill of Rights 1st Amendment as to any religious practices involving any such substance such as either offerings of wine or consumption of wine, beer, mead (since these are legal to purchase and use, generally).

    A client of the program doesn't have to have a substance abuse issue to be impacted by this, but programs other than this generally don't exist in my area TO MY KNOWLEDGE. Regular housing grants for the completely disabled seem to be few and demand exceeds availability for about 10 years now.

    When I've brought this issue up, the case managers have stated that its a blanket policy because they can't segregate people based upon tobacco, alcohol or substance use issues and therefore suites of rooms have the policy applied equally.

    They also have the issue of not allowing service animals amongst any residents or emotional support animals of any kind (can visit but not stay overnight).

    Anyone have knowledge of the law regarding these types of issues or have good resources for them? Casual knowledge is not helpful here, thanks, because I can do basic internet searches myself and haven't come up with anything on point.

    #2
    Re: Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

    I'd imagine because alcohol (or even tobacco) is seldom a requirement that can't be substituted for, or where it can't be used elsewhere.
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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      #3
      Re: Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

      Originally posted by thalassa View Post
      I'd imagine because alcohol (or even tobacco) is seldom a requirement that can't be substituted for, or where it can't be used elsewhere.
      I'm curious as to how you know that it can be substituted and it still be pleasing as an offering, especially if it becomes a permanent substitution... If its a harvest-related libation, obviously grape juice might be pleasing but if a specific god is pleased by wine, there is no assumption that they would be pleased by grape juice, since altered state of consciousness isn't produced by grape juice as it is by wine.

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        #4
        Re: Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

        My only opinion would be that many gods would be forgiving under your circumstances, as long as the intent is there. And an altered state of consciousness can be produced by things other than alcohol, such as meditation, depending on your own personal skills.
        ThorSon's milkshake brings all the PF girls to the yard - Volcaniclastic

        RIP

        I have never been across the way
        Seen the desert and the birds
        You cut your hair short
        Like a shush to an insult
        The world had been yelling
        Since the day you were born
        Revolting with anger
        While it smiled like it was cute
        That everything was shit.

        - J. Wylder

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          #5
          Re: Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

          I was Pagan in college (Wiccan specifically) and Pagan onboard a ship during deployment (at that time, I'd migrated to a more polytheistic but not reconstructionist path)--neither of those places let you have alcohol, though tobacco is allowed in certain places. I've known plenty of people (including myself) to have successful relationships with a variety deities from several pantheons, and make quite pleasing offerings without alcohol or tobacco. It really only requires creativity, research, innovation, and negotiation. There are many, many reasons why someone would choose not use alcohol for an offering--from allergies to dependency issues to difficulty of acquiring it to storage problems. If someone can't come to an understanding with their deity over the use of a non-alcoholic offering, then there's a problem...but that problem isn't the lack of alcohol or tobacco.

          I'm sorry, but I just don't consider the use of yeast secretions to be a religious liberty issue. I think there are far bigger religious liberty issues to be concerned about, and in this case, I'd be far more pissed about the service animal problem, myself.
          Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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            #6
            Re: Question Regarding Religious Practice & Federal Subsidized Housing

            After having sworn off alcohol nearly 28 years ago, I can attest to offerings not, specifically, having to be alcohol. Though, in some instances I imagine it could depend on the deity. I know my non-alcoholic offerings to Odin, for instance, haven't brought me under fire, even though his taste for alcohol is pretty well known. The only time I've used tobacco as an offering was to the fae, of my late daughter's acquaintance. I've found incense, and even certain extracts or oils, to be seemingly well received.

            For me it isn't so much WHAT I share but THAT I share. If it's something I love, and give freely, it seems to be appropriate. Judging by the lack of hissy fits of the gods, anyway.


            YMMV




            "Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it." - Ayn Rand

            "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius

            "The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice." - Mark Twain

            "The only gossip I'm interested in is things from the Weekly World News - 'Woman's bra bursts, 11 injured'. That kind of thing." - Johnny Depp


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