I was pretty amazed today when a person on a mailing list I am on posted the following message—about David Allen—author of “Getting Things Done” - a personal productivity method that is quite popular with a lot of geeks I know and admire [and one that I am trying to use more in my daily life]:

“I’ve just learned that David Allen is a “Senior Minister” in a cult
called MSIA. All of his employees are cult members as well.

Google David Allen MSIA. “Aura adjustment”? No wonder people can’t get
GTD to work for them. Phooey.

This finishes it for me. I just threw my copy of the GTD book in the
trash. I regret having contributed to this MSIA cult by buying the
book, and I regret having ever suggested GTD to anyone else.”

To my knowledge, David has never made his religious views a secret—and even talks about them in a forum post on his website. Quite publically at that—without any “drink the Kool-Aid” speeches of any sort.

Do I feel like I am being drawn into some sort of evil religious cult because the author’s personal, spiritual beliefs fall “outside of the norm” of what most people in the United States believe in?

No.

Do I feel like it’s rather sad to have [as this person in the e-mail above] such a harsh, closed-minded view about the personal religious/spiritual beliefs of someone who has done some amazing and helpful work to make thousands of people more productive in their lives?

Yes.

Religious beliefs and spirituality are personal things. You share them with who you want, as you want to. They are your own personal beliefs—and should have little to do with your professional life, [I guess unless of course, your occupation is that of a religious nature].

Overall, I suppose this e-mail frustrates me—as to how people can be so black-and-white about life. Why can’t they accept personal decisions about religion or spirituality? Why can’t they remember that those decisions are personal decisions?

I’m not saying that this person is wrong in how they feel. Because feelings are feelings, and beliefs are beliefs. Myself, I’d rather experience a wide variety of people, their thoughts, and their beliefs in life—who might differ from my own—and not shut them out in the cold.