Hi everyone, I am completely new to this site but decided to join particularly because of discussions that were taking place about this dangerous man.
I would like to recount my indirect experiences of him which transpired as a result of a friends involvement with FDR.
My friend (who shall remain anonymous) has been listening to FDR podcasts for two years now. He views FDR as an on-line 'university' and Stef as 'friend' and mentor.
I began to notice that all his conversations became geared towards the fundamental principles of 'reason and ethics' which at first I believed couldn't be a bad thing surely? They are two principles that when used correctly can help an individual to lead a morally virtuous and happier life. From this standpoint he would march headlong into moralistic tirades against the family unit, using the word evil, often I felt, in a totally unjustifiable manner. I began to believe that the thoughts he was having surrounding his child hood, may not actually be totally his own (or he had at least overblown the manner with which the events had seemingly caused him so much harm).
I tried to approach the subject with him from a rational standpoint, explaining that misgivings on behalf of parents happen all the time, and that for the majority of parents try their utmost to do their very best even if they come up short. I even explained to him the background of my family, and how I was victimised by my mother and often blamed for any wrongs that the family were experiencing, and how this had a truly detrimental effect on my development. My mother is a hyper aggressive person (due in no small part to the abuse she received at the hands of my grandfather) but she is human and I know she loves me. As a rational individual can see the links in the chain of behaviour, so therefore I choose to forgive her. My friend was astounded and said I should check out FDR and that while it was good for me to be able to recognise and forgive, I should look at my experiences with true reason and ethics and realise that my parents had visited a great evil against me.
At this point everything came together for me regarding what was going on. I have no formal background in psychology and philosophy but I am highly empathetic individual with a fairly good moral compass and it dawned on me that FDR is a cult and Stef is the leader.
I tried a different tac with my friend and told him that far from freeing people from emotional torment, FDR was actually compounding the problems and fuelling them. For all Stefs rhetoric regarding the family and how to solve emotional torment he was actually anchoring people within it...this seemed to me the act of an arch manipulator.
It later came to my attention that Stef morally blackmails (I don't use the word lightly) his followers, asking for donations based on the 'value' of his teachings, and that my friend paid a subscription.
I asked him if he considered Stef a friend (he often refers to Stef as 'Stef', as if he were a personal acquaintance) he said he did. I posed the question: "if over the course of our friendship you gained many insights and learned many things that enriched your life directly from our friendship, would you feel the necessity to make a monetary donation because of this fact?" his answer was a short...no! However this did not seem to perturb him from the idea he was being emotionally blackmailed in some way (I even tried to use the analogy of it being like the catholic church and the plate) but he stood firm in his belief in FDR teachings. From this point I refused to entertain conversation regarding FDR with him, stating that I disliked it greatly from an emotional standpoint.

I would like to finish by saying my friend is 37 years old (I know most who managed to read this much, probably thought I was taking about a younger person) and here in lies the problem; If Stef and FDR can manage to convince a highly intelligent 36 year old man to DEFOO, then what chance do impressionable youngsters have of escaping this form of brainwashing?
I am 29 but grew up far quicker and I am more emotionally intelligent than my friend but even I was taken by Mr Molyneux and some of his arguments. He does so well because a lot of what is on FDR is of worthy discussion and investigation, however there lurks in the background the ugly mechanism of the DEFOO with which Molyneux snares his victims, and of this everyone should be aware.

Welcome, Luca

lucakovacs wrote:

However I believe the argument that people postulate against Stef is that his moral ethics are so rigid in their construction, that it becomes extremely difficult for people to accept apologies. This I believe takes us away from the realms of humanity to becoming automated slaves to our logical faculties.

Not just extremely difficult, but impossible and that is deliberate. Stef does not want his followers to accept apologies from their friends and family members, he wants them to be cut off permanently.

lucakovacs wrote:

Incidentally am I correct in believing Stef has cut himself of from many or most of his relationships in the real world? I would like to see how a society (even a stateless one) would function if we all followed his enlightened doctrine.

Yes, Stef has cut himself off from his family members and former friends. He has his new family, Christina and Izzy, and his new friends, who give him donations to signify the value of their friendship and even give him dinner on a Sunday night, if they are local.

Your friend will need you as he gets the rest of the "evil" people out of his life.