Re: coolguy

[Guest guest]

No, your logic is wrong here.

You have to consider diffusion, and temporal process. For

example, at one time virtually all the steam engines in the world

were to be found in England. Does that show that 'steam engines' are

a uniquely 'English' technology?

No. The technology is actually relatively neutral when it comes

to most of the differences between, say, English culture and American

culture. It took awhile, but eventually the U.S. ended up with MORE

steam engines than Britain.

Stepping is a newer idea in Israel than in the U.S. How far it

will spread is at this point unclear. What IS clear is that the

GOVERNMENT has adopted Stepping as a basic means of dealing with

criminal rehabilitation.

Anyway, my focus was mostly on the spread of Stepping into the

American Jewish community, and not into Israel (where, by the way, I

found several, not one, 12-STep treatment programs.) Here in the

States, stepping has penetrated quite deeply into the Jewish

community, and seems to be spreading like wildfire.

Rita has drawn an anti-12-Step position from her own reading of

Jewish history and tradition. I never quarreled with her about that,

and, in fact, our values overlap.

What I did insist on was that Stepping was a major threat to Jews,

too. That it was being promoted by many, many rabbis, and other

leaders in the Jewish community. And that many very learned persons

have been trying to blend Jewish tradition with 12-stepping. I cited

more than a little evidence for all this, and have a lot more I could

cite.

Jews are not protected from Stepping because they are not

Christian, because Stepping ITSELF is not really Christian. It is a

Spiritual Movement, a heresy that stopped being Christian even before

Bill W. picked up these ideas. And this heretical deformation is

quite capable of inserting itself into, and deforming, many religious

traditions. In this way, it is very like fascism (a point I have not

expanded on in this forum).

I wonder - since my position has been seriously distorted by

several posters - if, instead of being offended by anything

inappropriate on my part, you are not offended by the FACT. The fact

is, Jews are not uniquely protected, nor ethically more enlightened

as a population, when it comes to this issue. Isn't it a little bit

arrogant to assume that others may be 'weak' enough to be attracted

to Stepping, but Jews will be wiser, or better, and thus avoid the

mistake?.

But Stepping does not spread because people are dumb, or bad. It

spreads when people are stressed and worried. It offers a false

panacea, and it 'infects' their worldviews in an incidious way

(again, like fascism - I MUST post some of my data on this!)

If you refuse to look at the tiger, he will still eat you.

If you care about the Jewish community in the U.S., the best thing

you can do is accurately and honestly measure the Stepping threat,

and then speak out against it. (To her credit, Rita says she plans

to do this). Denying that the problem exists won't solve it.

> > > > >

> > > > > How about 12-Step inpatient treatment in Israel?

> > > > >

> > > > > Just write to " Ha Derech - Substance Abuse and 12-Step

> > > Center, "

> > > > > located at Kibbutz Gesher Ha Ziv, Israel.

> > > > >

> > > > > And, YES, '12-Step Center' is actually part of the

> official

> > > title

> > > > > of the facility. (I found it through a google search,

during

> > > which

> > > > > my total time invested on all this stuff amounted to 45

> minutes

> > -

> > > > > versus about 3 years or so of Rita's baloney).

> > > > >

> > > > > It doesn't take long to check facts - IF you want the

> facts,

> > > > > instead of self-serving B.S.