Stumbled across this link. Some of you might have come across the
Children of God in Goa in the 'seventies and 'eighties. FN

http://neirr.org/profile_familylove.htm

Profile: Family of Love (Children of God)

Founded:   Late 1960s, by former Christian and Missionary Alliance
Pastor, David Berg (1919-1994). (Referred to by those in his group as
David "Moses", or just "Mo"). 

Current Organization:   The "Family" has as many as 6,000 full-time
adult workers who labor at spreading their message in 100 countries.
Since the passing of "Mo" in 1994, "Maria" (Karen Zerby, one of Berg's
multiple wives) has been leading the group. 

Description:  The Family of God aka Children of God are perhaps the
quintessential sect representing the high and low points of the Jesus
movement. During the 1960's, Berg had developed a strong
antiestablishment, counter-cultural facet to his Gospel presentation,
one that appealed to the young seekers in Huntington Beach California.
His early followers deemed themselves as "revolutionaries for Jesus" and
were quick to forsake all in their devotion to God and to their cause. 

As early as 1969, however, Berg began his slide into controversial
sexual escapades, first with the announcement through a prophetic word
that he was to take additional wives besides his first wife of
twenty-five years, Jane. Before long much of the Children of God
leadership was involved in "wife-sharing" or "free sex" although this
was hidden from the rank and file members. Much of his theology seems to
have followed his new revelations in sexuality. Berg taught that Mary
was actually impregnated by Gabriel the angel, and that Jesus had sexual
relations with the sisters Martha and Mary. Perhaps the most infamous
teaching of Berg in this area is perhaps the practice that was known as
"Flirty-Fishing" or "FFing" for short. In a "Mo" letter published in
1976, Berg outlined how it was the spiritual duty of the female members
of the group to use their sexuality to entice prominent people to their
cause, and when possible, get financial compensation for their
"services". In short, there were to become prostitutes for "The Family".
This order wasn't rescinded until the late 1980's when AIDS began to
take it's toll on members of the group. 

Berg also had a number of other theological idiosyncrasies, including a
belief in spirit guides, astrology, reincarnation, and some other New
Age practices. Although the Family publicly espouse mostly orthodox
Christian beliefs today, they still acknowledge that they believe that
communication with departed individuals in possible. Despite the current
move by the leadership of the family to be more palatable to mainstream
society, they are still dogged by issues of child sexual abuse and
incest. 

ALIASES: The Family Care Foundation, Aurora Productions, Activated
Ministries. 

 

Official Website:  www.thefamily.org

News Stories:        

Articles: The Watchman Article by Ruth Gordon           

Links: www.exfamily.org 



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