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consistency that the transition from political protest to spiritual engagement with the COG
afforded. Centralising the role of youthful idealism17 in an era in which anything seemed
possible, he notes: ―Idealistic youth—sometimes propelled by the perceived shortcomings of
their own generation, and always compelled by promises of dramatic social change—chose
to commit themselves to high-demand beliefs that always rested upon supernatural claims‖
(p. 150). Likewise, Williams (1998) observes the role of idealism, remarking that although
she had never met Berg,
Whenever doubts entered my mind about following a ―personality,‖ I
reminded myself that it was the ideal [italics in the original] I was following,
not the person who expressed it.... I thought the ideals he preached could
change the world. (Williams, 1998:38)
Kent turns his attention to the movement again in the concluding chapter, where he
discusses the group‘s millenarian position (p. 154), as well as their ―...manipulative use of
feminist rhetoric against women...‖ (p. 163). On this latter point, Kent explores the
apparent paradox that emerged: At a time when women were striving to achieve social and
political gains, many of them were joining very patriarchal groups (such as COG/The
Family), where they had to rescind their hopes for equality for positions of subservience.
The rhetoric of Berg‘s works illustrates this paradox. On one hand, he described his female
followers as ―Revolutionary Women.‖ On the other hand, in at least two Mo Letters he
expressed his disdain for the women‘s movement: He commanded women to ―PROVE YOUR
LOVE WITH SEX‖ because ―THEY [MEN] GET FED UP WITH THESE SICKENING SELFISH
WOMEN‖ (Berg, 1976b:4134). The ―sickening selfish‖ women he refers to are the women
who were part of the feminist movement. He criticized them for not looking after men
―properly.‖ Likewise, in ―Real Mothers,‖ Berg derided ―THIS WOMEN‘S LIB IDEA!‖ Maria and
Berg wrote that women had been ―brainwashed‖ into liberation, and that it was their
[COG/The Family‘s] duty to ―brainwash‖ them back into motherhood (Berg, 1975:3521).
Kent‘s discussion deals with a specific era, and he explains well why the youth of that time
joined this particular NRM. His work does not address the appeal that the movement held
for converts in the late 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s, and the contemporary period. Has the
movement replaced the rhetoric of protest and revolution with other equally appealing
positions during these periods? Should Kent or other researchers choose to tackle this and
other questions, we will have a more complete picture of the reasons for the group‘s
continued appeal to new converts.
“The Children of God” by Miriam Williams Boeri in Sex and Religion (2005),
Christel Manning and Phil Zuckerman (Eds.)
Williams Boeri18 returns her attention to COG/The Family in her chapter, ―Children of God‖
in Christel Manning and Phil Zuckerman‘s edited volume, Sex and Religion (2005).
Positioning COG/The Family within the history of communal experimentation, Williams Boeri
identifies The Family‘s sexual ethos as a part of a larger tradition of sexual experimentation
in such social groups (p. 160). She expands her discussion (from 1998) of the socialization
process that facilitated and legitimated the acceptance of overt sexuality paired with
Christian-inspired doctrine. She discusses the combined effects of Berg‘s charismatic
leadership and the tight COG/The Family hierarchy of authority, as well. Critical to this
power structure was the public humiliation (via Mo Letters) that Berg instituted as a
powerful form of punishment for dissenting leaders at all levels. Coupled with this discipline
was the resocialization of new disciples, a process that Williams Boeri describes using
Rosabeth Moss Kanter‘s discussion of commitment (pp. 162–163).
Then we get to the heart of the discussion—sexuality in the Children of God. Williams Boeri
examines the sexual mores of the group and identifies that the shift from ―marriage and
sexual chastity‖ to ―sexual liberation‖ mirrored ―parallel developments in the life of the

Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 31
group‘s leader‖ (p. 165). She comments, ―The frequent reversals on official sexual practices
are consistent with Berg‘s early writings that claim that ‗all things change‘ in the Children of
God/Family‖ (p. 167). Williams Boeri addresses many aspects of sexuality in the movement,
including the sexual revolution (pp. 165–167), homosexuality (p. 167), FFing (pp. 167–
169), contraception (p. 169), sexual teachings and children (including a specific
examination of The Book of Davidito) (pp. 169–172), Teen Training Camps, and the Justice
Ward case in the United Kingdom (pp. 172–174). The main strength of her discussion is that
she brings together an analysis of all aspects of sexuality in the group in a concise format
that outlines clearly the progression and development of Berg‘s sexual vision for the group,
and how he implemented the socialization of his vision, via the Mo Letters and through his
hierarchy of leaders. Like Chancellor (2000), Williams Boeri‘s discussion of abuse is
authoritative—she leaves no room for doubt about the reality and extent of the problems.
In her analysis of The Book of Davidito, Williams Boeri comments that some mothers and
their teens believe ―that the Davidito letters gave adults who desired sexual activity with
children the freedom to do so‖ (p. 171). I would like to see Williams Boeri, Chancellor, and
others explore this facilitation process further (although Williams Boeri does refer to ―sexual
opportunism‖ [p. 174]). A large body of research on child abuse, incest, and pedophilia has
emerged over the past few decades, and much of it explores the many and varied
rationalization processes that adults engage in when they sexually abuse minors (for
example, see DeYoung, 1982 DeChesnay, 1985 and Mayer, 1985). Moreover, eminent
sociologist of child abuse, David Finklehor (1984), has discussed child abuse in group
settings. He posits that often in these contexts too much research focuses on the alleged
psychopathology of the individual. He argues in favour of a model that looks to the social
conditions that facilitate child sexual abuse. He claims, ―It is clear that cultural forces can
modify the propensity of large numbers of adults to be sexually interested in children‖
(Finklehor, 1984:35). Finklehor‘s insights may help to explain why some group members of
COG/The Family engaged in sexual relationships with children (specifically those adults in
the group who would not otherwise have engaged in sexual relationships with children had
Berg not sanctioned it). Simply put, it may be the case that because Berg advocated adult-
child relationships (and within a religious framework), he made it an acceptable practice
within their closed group culture.19
Williams Boeri closes her chapter with some comments on scholarship focused on NRMs.
While recognizing that scholars should approach their subject matter carefully and not cause
any unwarranted alarm or criticism, she posits that over-caution ―...risk[s] obscuring or
downplaying real violations of members rights...‖ (p. 174). Williams Boeri explores these
problems from the perspective of a sociologist, while having the additional insights of a
former member.
“The Family,” in The Rhetoric of Religious Cults: Terms of Use and Abuse (2005)
by Annabelle Mooney
Mooney‘s approach to COG/The Family is somewhat unique—she is not a scholar of religion
rather, she is a linguist. In her chapter on COG/The Family, Mooney draws on linguistic
analyses to deconstruct the Mo Letter, ―The Big Lie!‖ In this way, she identifies the specific
ways that Berg employs language as a means to appeal to his readers in a manner that is
both emotionally attractive and manipulative. She identifies that emotion alone is not
enough as a rhetorical technique, but that it must be paired with other strategies ―such as
arguments from character‖ (p. 108). Moreover, implicit in Berg‘s dialogue is a
―perlocutionary effect‖—that is, he intends his words to have a particular purpose. In this
case, the purpose is that the reader should develop a positive opinion about the group and
its beliefs because of this particular Mo Letter (p. 109).