Tuesday 24 December 2013

Deborah Armstrong interview - Dwight's Daughter

An amazing hour-long interview with Herbert Armstrong's niece, Deborah, conducted by Troy Fitzgerald, author of Cults and Closets. Here's an excerpt from the blurb.
Hymn composer Dwight Armstrong
Deborah is the niece of the founder of the cult the Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong; and her father, Dwight, was the composer of the church’s hymnal...
Deborah shares about her abusive childhood, troubled relationship with her parents, impressions of her uncle Herbert, and her non-typical experience growing up in the church under the shadow of Armstrong. She also shares about her time attending the church’s Ambassador College, employment as a writer for the church’s The World Tomorrow telecast, and time spent in Russia on behalf of the church’s educational and cultural foundation working in television, which is where her doubts about the church and religion were solidified.
Upon her return from Russia, she left the church, and after further exploration and research, became an atheist and secular humanist. She shares her opinions — and the views of several in her family — about Herbert and allegations that he committed incest with his own daughter, her views on religion and society in general, as well as her recommendations for those who are having doubts about their own faith.
This is an absolutely fascinating conversation for those who "did time" in the old WCG. Riveting listening.

Troy has a number of other interviews with refugees from various high demand religious movements - LDS, Jehovah's Witnesses, and a former Gay member of PCG, all at http://secularsafehouse.org/coming-out-conversations/.

5 comments:

  1. I took the bait, and am glad I did. It was time well spent, gaining some insider perspectives from a member of the Armstrong family. I continue being impressed with how cool some of the Armstrongs actually are. It would be so unfair to assume that all of them were cast from the HWA mold. The podcast creates the impression that Deborah and Troy are visiting with the listener in his livingroom, and sharing casual conversation.

    There are definitely some details not normally known or discussed on our forums and blogs, and the hour invested passes all too quickly. This interview has the BB stamp of approval. Highly recommended!

    BB

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  2. Thank you, Bob, for your kind comments. I am grateful Deborah agreed to do the interview and hope what she shared helps many see things from a different perspective. I am hopeful I'll be able to interview another Armstrong in the near future. I'm working on it. Thanks again!

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  3. Keep doing what you are doing, Troy! Your contributions are both significant and enjoyable!

    BB

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  4. I remember Deborah. We were at AC at the same time. What an interesting experience, to hear her voice after all these years -- I can see her face even now and she had a great laugh and a great smile. It's true that she was not "in the mold" of a typical AC student. She always seemed slightly untethered from the matrix -- in a good way, though. And time seems only to have sharpened her intellect and character. Very cool interview.

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