Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005, Page 14
teen camps‖ for the most recalcitrant second-generation members. Initially, leaders called
these difficult young people ―delinquent teens‖ (see Sara, 1986:73) and put the boys on a
―Back to the Basics Boys‖ program (or BBB team), also called the group‘s ―Detention Teens
or Hard Labour Crew‖ (Family Services, 1989:6). Accounts that I have recorded from former
members also indicate that many teen girls did hard labour in various locations (such as in
Brazil, Macao, and Mexico [Kent and Hall, 2000:66-67]). In 1989, Children of God leaders
changed the name of these resistant teens from the ―Back to the Basic Boys‖ to the ―Rotten
Apples‖ (Family Services, 1989:7), a term that incorporated both sexes and that shifted
responsibility for their rebellion onto the shoulders of a few deviant individuals and away
from the organization, its policies, and its practices. According to dehumanizing labels, the
individuals were flawed, not the charismatically dysfunctional environment in which the
teens grew up and against which they now resisted. While Stahelski considered only that
cults and terrorists would dehumanize out-groups, it also is clear that ideological groups
sometimes will do the same thing to in-group deviants, including the young.
Demonization
As a final phase in social-psychological conditioning, claims by terrorist groups and violent
cults that ―the enemy is in league with the devil and cosmic evil‖ may prevent ―the
occurrence of after-action killing remorse‖ (Stahelski, 2204). Stahelski saw this process
occurring within terrorist groups, but a distressing example of demonization probably being
used to prevent remorse involved the 1995 murder of two recent defectors and their infant
son, by Order of the Solar Temple members. Apparently, one of the Solar Temple leaders,
Joseph Di Mambro, was ―outraged‖ that, without his permission, the couple had a child and
gave him a name (Christopher Emmanuel) that resembled one of the leader‘s daughters,
Emmanuelle. In retaliation, the leader identified the child as the Antichrist, and when the
two members of the group‘s assassination team killed the family, they ―used a wooden
stake in the ritual slaying, driving it though the infant‘s heart‖ (Farnsworth, 1995). This
form of murder was in accordance with Temple ritual instructions about how to kill the
Antichrist (Hall and Schuyler, 2000:139).
A less dramatic but still disturbing example of demonization occurring against rebellious
children took place in the Children of God organization. Although leaders were inclined to
see the devil behind all of the teens‘ rebellion (Berg, 1988), two particular attempts to
demonize them are especially noteworthy.
The first attempt targeted David Berg‘s granddaughter, Merry Berg, in the late 1980s and
early 1990s. Merry Berg had developed doubts about his leadership and reputedly divine
connections ―as she repeatedly saw him drunk, depressed, unable to eat properly (because
of throat and stomach damage from his alcohol consumption), contradicting himself, and
making unfulfilled prophecies, all the while assaulting her‖ (Kent, 2004a:63). Rather than
facing the wisdom of her perceptions, Berg and his inner circle declared that she was
afflicted with demonism (Davidito, 1987) and put her through ―six months of intense and
forceful efforts to dissuade these doubts, which included exorcisms, lengthy prayer sessions,
spankings, head-shakings, threats of severe beatings, and various humiliations‖ (Kent,
2004a:63, see 64).
These acts of violence failed to remove Merry‘s doubts about her grandfather, so he sent
her to an abusive delinquent-teen training camp in Macao where, ―for three and one half
years, Merry endured sexual and physical assaults, hard labour, constant humiliations, and
obligatory study of her grandfather‘s teachings until a nervous breakdown landed her in a
mental institution‖ (Kent, 2004a:63-64). In essence, Berg and his inner circle demonized his
own granddaughter, and through that demonization committed extraordinary acts of abuse
and violence against her.
teen camps‖ for the most recalcitrant second-generation members. Initially, leaders called
these difficult young people ―delinquent teens‖ (see Sara, 1986:73) and put the boys on a
―Back to the Basics Boys‖ program (or BBB team), also called the group‘s ―Detention Teens
or Hard Labour Crew‖ (Family Services, 1989:6). Accounts that I have recorded from former
members also indicate that many teen girls did hard labour in various locations (such as in
Brazil, Macao, and Mexico [Kent and Hall, 2000:66-67]). In 1989, Children of God leaders
changed the name of these resistant teens from the ―Back to the Basic Boys‖ to the ―Rotten
Apples‖ (Family Services, 1989:7), a term that incorporated both sexes and that shifted
responsibility for their rebellion onto the shoulders of a few deviant individuals and away
from the organization, its policies, and its practices. According to dehumanizing labels, the
individuals were flawed, not the charismatically dysfunctional environment in which the
teens grew up and against which they now resisted. While Stahelski considered only that
cults and terrorists would dehumanize out-groups, it also is clear that ideological groups
sometimes will do the same thing to in-group deviants, including the young.
Demonization
As a final phase in social-psychological conditioning, claims by terrorist groups and violent
cults that ―the enemy is in league with the devil and cosmic evil‖ may prevent ―the
occurrence of after-action killing remorse‖ (Stahelski, 2204). Stahelski saw this process
occurring within terrorist groups, but a distressing example of demonization probably being
used to prevent remorse involved the 1995 murder of two recent defectors and their infant
son, by Order of the Solar Temple members. Apparently, one of the Solar Temple leaders,
Joseph Di Mambro, was ―outraged‖ that, without his permission, the couple had a child and
gave him a name (Christopher Emmanuel) that resembled one of the leader‘s daughters,
Emmanuelle. In retaliation, the leader identified the child as the Antichrist, and when the
two members of the group‘s assassination team killed the family, they ―used a wooden
stake in the ritual slaying, driving it though the infant‘s heart‖ (Farnsworth, 1995). This
form of murder was in accordance with Temple ritual instructions about how to kill the
Antichrist (Hall and Schuyler, 2000:139).
A less dramatic but still disturbing example of demonization occurring against rebellious
children took place in the Children of God organization. Although leaders were inclined to
see the devil behind all of the teens‘ rebellion (Berg, 1988), two particular attempts to
demonize them are especially noteworthy.
The first attempt targeted David Berg‘s granddaughter, Merry Berg, in the late 1980s and
early 1990s. Merry Berg had developed doubts about his leadership and reputedly divine
connections ―as she repeatedly saw him drunk, depressed, unable to eat properly (because
of throat and stomach damage from his alcohol consumption), contradicting himself, and
making unfulfilled prophecies, all the while assaulting her‖ (Kent, 2004a:63). Rather than
facing the wisdom of her perceptions, Berg and his inner circle declared that she was
afflicted with demonism (Davidito, 1987) and put her through ―six months of intense and
forceful efforts to dissuade these doubts, which included exorcisms, lengthy prayer sessions,
spankings, head-shakings, threats of severe beatings, and various humiliations‖ (Kent,
2004a:63, see 64).
These acts of violence failed to remove Merry‘s doubts about her grandfather, so he sent
her to an abusive delinquent-teen training camp in Macao where, ―for three and one half
years, Merry endured sexual and physical assaults, hard labour, constant humiliations, and
obligatory study of her grandfather‘s teachings until a nervous breakdown landed her in a
mental institution‖ (Kent, 2004a:63-64). In essence, Berg and his inner circle demonized his
own granddaughter, and through that demonization committed extraordinary acts of abuse
and violence against her.
