RU: Labor Exploitation For Jesus - Part Six

This next section of the handbook covers what people need to bring with them for their 6 month stay at the RU School of Discipleship.

The clothing section seems to imply that the men will be working on some kind of physically demanding labor crew along with some kind of white collar job while women will be working in some kind of white collar job.  Based on the schedule from earlier in the handbook, I also suspect that women are in charge of laundry duties because I can't figure out when anyone would have time to wash their clothes.

How RU saves money:

• When I was at Pine Rest, I brought my own comfortable clothing, personal hygiene items, slippers and a book or two to read before I fell asleep.  Pine Rest, however, provided ALL of those things if you needed them.  You could also make local phone calls for free - and without monitoring.
• Things that were provided by Pine Rest that RU makes the patients bring:
• Towels
• Alarm Clock
• Bedding
• Pre-paid phone cards
• Office Supplies.
• When I was in Pine Rest, I did ask for Pastoral Counseling.  One of the chaplains was an elderly retired priest who was a big supporter of psychology and psychiatry.  He asked me if I wanted a Bible.  I did and mentioned I liked the NRSV.  He gave me a copy of the NRSV Bible that I still have to this day.   The fact that the staff at RU makes people bring their own Bibles - and paper - makes me feel sad as well as angry that RU is passing off normal business costs onto the patients.
• Why do you need two forms of ID?  All I've ever needed in medical situations are a single, picture ID and in emergencies you'll get treatment without it.  In fact, the only time I've ever needed two forms of ID was for a job..... hmm.  Fuckers.

1 Corinthians 6:19 is oddly fitting: " Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" since you're turning over your whole life to RU.

Most of these prohibitions make sense.   A few don't.

• I'd like to know who is in charge of deciding which medicines are authorized and which are not.  Does this person have advanced medical training?  Are they legally liable for any negative side-effects if someone goes off a medication at their behest?
• What is the obsession with jewelry?  I doubt that a man who is addicted to meth is going to be cured by not wearing a necklace or removing an earring.   In a medical setting, jewelry is discouraged for reasons of personal safety or theft, but if you aren't suicidal, no one cares if you are wearing a necklace or three earrings in each ear.

RU's communications policy is in blatant violation of the rights of mental health patients in Illinois.

• Patients may communicate freely with any persons they want without monitoring or interference of staff.
• Patients must be given access to phones and writing materials if they cannot afford them on their own.
• Communications can be restricted only to prevent "harm, harassment or intimidation".

Compare those rights with the program handbook:

Another way of looking at this: 

• In Phase 1, you get a 6 ten minute monitored phone calls for a total of 60 minutes of outside contact to pre-approved people across six weeks.
• In Phase 2, 12 ten minute phone calls for 120 minutes (2 hours) across six weeks.
• In Phase 3, 18 ten minute phone calls for 180 minutes (3 hours) across six weeks.
• In Phase 4, 24 ten minute phone calls for 240 minutes (4 hours) across six weeks.

You get to talk to your family for 10 hours across six months.

When I was in Puerto Rico for 16 days, I talked to my husband for close to 10 hours by just having 30 minutes of talk most days and a few longer talks when I had had a hard day.

I don't trust programs that limit contact to outside human beings.