Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 36
the use of a ―stick or rod‖ when disciplining children (Berg, 1983, cited in Kent, p. 62). Kent
discusses Berg‘s granddaughter, Merry, and the abuses she experienced (as discussed in
Kent and Hall, 2000). In addition, he notes that when Merry left the group to live with her
aunt (Deborah), Berg dismissed her, stating that she was ―possessed.‖ Moreover, in a
publication, he conceptualised her as a vampire—an image that the group drew on to
debase future critics of the group (p. 64).
An important part of Kent‘s discussion is his assertion that media and judicial pressures
resulted in the demise of the Victor camps, and that
The Family, in response, burned controversial documents, published public
denials of sexual impropriety between children and adults, and created media
homes containing carefully selected teens who rehearsed probable questions
and appropriate answers before reporters or academics arrived. (p. 65)
Thus, Kent provides another facet to the police raids and their aftermath. Furthermore, he
notes that the teens endured ―serious discrepancies between the group‘s public posture and
their own private experiences‖ (p. 65). Importantly, he observes that group policies and
publications of this period attempted to deflect the blame away from leadership and onto
the children. In this way, for instance, Maria blamed the girls for their own molestation. By
the early 1990s, many of the second-generation youth were so disillusioned with their lives
in the movement that they left. These ex-members hoped to receive some kind of justice
for their abuses. Disturbingly, as recently as 2002, Maria and Peter issued a publication in
which they demonized the former members, illustrating them as ―blood-dripping grotesque
demons named Vandari‖ (p. 68).
Kent‘s article is important for several reasons. First, it addresses the concerns of the second
generation that other researchers have alluded to but failed to focus on. Second, it provides
further context to the raids on COG/The Family homes and reveals the movement‘s efforts
to negate the extent and impact of child abuse. Third, it gives credence to the concerns of
the second generation, many of whom continue to deal with the torments of their
upbringing (as Rodriguez‘s death clearly illustrates). Fourth, it removes the responsibility for
those abuses from the children and onto the adults who carried them out.
“Accommodation and Reformation in The Family/Children of God,” by Gary
Shepherd and Gordon Shepherd. In Nova Religio, 9(1) (2005)
In this article, the authors review and discuss COG/The Family‘s ability to adapt and evolve
in the post-Berg era. Shepherd and Shepherd identify that external and internal pressures
have contributed to some of the many changes that have occurred during the past decade
or so. The authors present their findings based on interviews with the movement‘s current
leaders (Maria and Peter), a viewing of The Family video material, and a close reading of the
group‘s publications (p. 69).
The crux of this article reveals an interesting paradox: As a means to overcome its problems
and accommodate society, the movement has embraced a form of ―democratic corporate
rationality‖ (p. 68) that has revitalised and sustained it. Simultaneously, however, the
leaders have instituted a ―significant reformation (or purification) motif‖ (p. 68) to address
the unintended and undesirable consequences that the institutional changes have brought
about (for example, less communal living and more interaction with secular society). This
dilemma affords an interesting research topic that the authors address with an in-depth
examination of the external and internal pressures, the changing features of the relationship
between The Family and the rest of society, the group‘s ongoing core beliefs, the
implementation of The Love Charter, the changes in membership status, and the new
structural conditions (as manifested by The Family Board Vision and related councils). In
addition, Shepherd and Shepherd examine specific responses to increased member

Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 37
interaction with the outside world, such as ―retrenchment publications‖ (p. 78) the
implementation of membership contracts for some levels of membership and increased
governance, regulation, and surveillance. At the same time, Maria and Peter have had to
legitimate their positions of authority in the wake of Berg‘s death, as well as grapple with
the effects of failed prophecies and millennial expectations. Hence, the authors explore a
substantial range of adjustments.
In their discussion of external pressures, the authors identify that ―the most significant
stemmed from charges of child abuse made by disgruntled former members in collaboration
with anticult organizations‖ (p. 70). Like Melton (2004), Shepherd and Shepherd use
language that attempts to delegitamize the rights of the second-generation children to tell
their accounts of sexual abuse. One might expect that, after having endured sexual
molestation (and perhaps also the harsh discipline of either the Teen Training Camps or the
Victor Programs), one would be ―disgruntled‖ to say the least. Nonetheless, the authors
rightly assert that the public and police interest that the movement received at this time,
and the subsequent raids that they endured, generated negative public perceptions of the
group that the leadership had to address. Thus, The Love Charter emerged as the main
organizing document for the group, outlining disciples‘ ―rights, responsibilities, and
membership requirements‖ (p. 71).24
The authors do a good job of explaining the other changes that have taken place within
COG/The Family. In particular, their discussion of previous and current membership
statuses is useful. Shepherd and Shepherd explain that the newer category of ―outside
members‖ has been pivotal to the injection of new life into the movement. These members
are individuals who are currently familiarizing themselves with the movement with a view to
become part of a Family Home, those who subscribe to the movement‘s publications, and
those peripheral members who donate money to the group‘s missionary efforts (p. 74).
Concurrent with the expansion of this category of members is the development of churches,
congregations, and pastoral positions for first-generation members. The authors note that
this development is in stark contrast to Berg‘s disdain for organized religion, particularly
―Churchianity.‖25 Indeed, Shepherd and Shepherd note with interest that the very concept
of ―church‖ is assuming a more central role in COG/The Family‘s evolution (p. 75).
Critically, ―Family leaders are aware that membership expansion has the potential to
diminish an intense sense of collective identity and core purpose‖ (p. 75). Hence, Maria and
Peter have established The Family Board Vision, an administrative body comprising regional,
national, and international boards, as well as councils. The purpose of this managerial
network is to ―oversee and approve policy recommendations‖ dealing with a range of issues
including child rearing, adolescent guidance, home schooling, ―church growth and
missionary outreach programs,‖ monitoring of Family Homes, and ―public relations‖ (p. 76).
The authors identify the Board Vision as ―a corporate model of organizational decision-
making and control under the centralized authority and ultimate direction of Maria and Peter
and their World Service advisors‖ (p. 77). Moreover, they analyze the ramifications of a
bureaucratic structure such as this within the context of a movement that previously
rejected some of these concepts.26
According to the authors, there are several sources of internal pressure. For example, a lack
of ―revolutionary motivation of the second generation,‖ change of leadership following
Berg‘s death, an aging first generation, and the failure of endtime prophecies to materialize.
Moreover, accommodation to society has brought a weakening in commitment and belief so
that Maria and Peter began distributing ―retrenchment publications‖ and a number of
mandates in order to instill and reaffirm some of the original characteristics and beliefs of
the movement.