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GTD 'cult'
duus | Sep 5 2006
so a friend of mine sent me this message. I am a big fan of GTD and find it very useful. I'm just puttin' this out there. [INDENT] Uh-oh. "J-R" seemed like it might stand for John-Roger -- the controversial cult leader and spiritual guru. And it does. http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/msia.html David Allen, his wife, and many of his employees are ministers in the MSIA (Movement of Spritual Inner Awareness), John-Roger's church: http://www.ndh.org/template.php3?ID=65 http://www.davidco.com/coaches_corner/Ana_Maria_Gonz%E1lez/article14.html (employee quoting John-Roger) Anti-cult websites accuse GTD of being part of a program to recruit people into MSIA. Their view seems paranoid to me, but you can read it for yourself: http://forum.rickross.com/viewtopic.php?t=2193 http://forum.rickross.com/viewtopic.php?p=15025&sid=e3195755a2185f9b4710580921d3f527 Now, I'm not saying that Getting Things Done isn't a good book about priorities and organization. David Allen may have very good advice about that stuff. But I am saying don't go to a David Allen seminar, get mixed up with the David Allen Company, or get too involved with the hard-core GTD crowd -- at least not without taking some anti-brainwashing measures. Seriously. This John-Roger character and his followers are not a joke. I learned about John-Roger a long time ago, as it happens, because in high school I read a self-help book called "Life 101" that he "co-wrote" with Peter McWilliams, the poet and anti-drug-war activist. In 1994, not long after I read "Life 101," McWilliams wrote an expose called "Life 102: What to Do When Your Guru Sues You." McWilliams left MSIA in 1994 after 15 years of being brainwashed. It turned out that John-Roger manipulated him into giving him co-authorship in return for keeping McWilliams alive. You see, John-Roger had the power to keep McWilliams alive because -- and this will surprise you -- John-Roger claims to be the incarnation of God on earth. John-Roger has also made headlines in connection with Arianna Huffington -- who admits to being a close friend and who has been accused (though she's never admitted it) of being an MSIA minister as well. [/INDENT] 72 Comments
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 Everything and everyone can become...Submitted by yucca on March 10, 2007 - 2:37pm.
Nozbe;8469 wrote:
Everything and everyone can become a "cult" if you That is not exactly correct. There really are people who get involved in cults without ever intending to do so, and there are negative outcomes for them and their loved ones when this happens. This thread is fair warning that you may not want to get too wrapped up in the GTD seminar circuit as it may take you someplace that you never wanted to go. The situation is not unlike that of alcohol. Most of us can have a few beers or some wine with dinner, and not be harmed in any way. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone. Women with child should not drink at all, and people prone to substance abuse would be better off if they never drink. Wether you agree with the assertions or not, it is a mistake to trivialize them. It only makes you sound like a fan-boy. I don't believe that reading the book, and using its priniples is harmful in any way. In fact, the benefits are worth sharing with others. The problem is that I now feel obligated to mention the MSIA connection involving both DA and DavidCo, and this is enough to put some people off. » POSTED IN:
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