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analysis than any other academic. (Of course, journal articles and book chapters by their
very nature typically focus on narrower topics.) Researchers of COG/The Family need to
accept that the voices of the abused are just as important as the voices of those who
experienced no abuse (or were abused, but managed to work through their pain to find new
meaning in the group). Academics should consider that each person‘s experience is
different, that not all disciples were abusers, and not all children were abused. The group‘s
future, however, is not completely discrete from its past—and the movement‘s past was at
times highly abusive, leaving a legacy of pain and emotional turmoil for some former (and
perhaps some current) members. The structural conditions of the group have at times
encouraged and facilitated these abuses but as some researchers have shown, these
conditions have changed and continue to change. How the movement responds to the
problems that Shepherd and Shepherd outline remains to be seen. The Family‘s future likely
shall continue to engage the interest of those scholars who have already dedicated much of
their time to studying it. For new researchers to the field of NRMs generally, and to
COG/The Family specifically, I hope this article helps to bring together some of the central
themes of study thus far.
Notes
1. For example, most of the major news networks carried the story. In addition, magazines such as
Rolling Stone published lengthy accounts of the group‘s history in relation to Rodriguez‘s death (see
Wilkinson, 2005).
2. Flirty Fishing (FFing) was a practice whereby female members engaged in varying degrees of sexual
contact with potential male recruits as a method of proselytization.
3. Academic research on the movement began in the 1970s thus, a large body of literature precedes
the works that this article discusses. See, for example, Davis and Richardson (1976), Enroth, Ericson,
and Breckinridge (1972), Kent (1994a), Kent (1994b), Lewis and Melton Eds (1994), Melton (1991),
Wallis (1981), Wallis (1983), Van Zandt (1991), and Wangerin (1993).
4. Williams Boeri (2005) discusses the sexual socialization process in detail.
5. Of course, one might agree with Melton that FFing simply was a form of ―evangelicalistic outreach‖
(Melton 1994b:74, 2004:13), or with Millikan, who frames his discussion of FFing in terms of ―Women
as Heroes‖ (Millikan, 1994:215–217). Note that Williams also did not initially find problem with the
practice (Williams, 1998:96) until the effects of FFing began to take a toll on her both psychologically
and physically.
6. Berg termed contemporary society and the institutions that are a part of it the ―System.‖ He named
people who were a part of the System ―Systemites.‖
7. See Bromley (1998) for a discussion of apostasy.
8. Band homes housed the group‘s musicians and dancers. Berg placed fewer restrictions on these
homes because the members brought significant funds and positive attention to the movement.
Williams provides a good account of one such home in France.
9. Note that Williams does apply a critical feminist perspective in her 2002 article.
10. The GSS is a data-gathering tool designed to garner American public opinion on a variety of
domains of social life.
11. For example, Bainbridge starts the book with an account of the raids on COG/The Family homes in
Argentina, Australia, France, Spain, and Mexico. He raises some very important concerns about police
brutality, criminal negligence, and the inappropriate separation of parents from their children. He does
not discuss, however, COG/The Family‘s abuses against children and adults in the movement thus,
we are left with a very unbalanced picture. A discussion of the events and circumstances that led up to
the raids would have provided the uninformed reader with much-needed background information.
Mishandling and mistreatment of adults and children are certainly not acceptable under any
circumstances, but readers need to know the context of the raids, and that COG/The Family also has
directed abuses at its own members. I return to a discussion of the raids in my review of J. Gordon
Melton‘s (2004) book. For Chancellor‘s (2000) discussion of the raids, see pp. 195–204.
12. The book is most likely designed to be an introductory text to the group. The publication is one of
many brief texts that the Centre for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) has published in conjunction
with Signature Books. It appears from the publication information that the book was first published in
Italian. Melton (2000) has also produced a text on Scientology as part of this series.
13. For an expansion of this discussion, see Melton (1994a).

Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 41
14. Note that Berg reviewed the topic of sexually transmitted diseases in the Mo Letter ―Afflictions‖
(Berg, 1976a:4188–4219). In the letter, he claimed that he had considered stopping the practice of
FFing because of the risks it posed to the women. As he contemplated the issue, however, he
concluded that Jesus likely had contracted a venereal disease at some point, too hence, there is no
shame in it. He argued that just as Jesus suffered disease and, more importantly, crucifixion, the
female disciples should continue to surrender their bodies, ―even at the risk of afflictions!‖ (Berg,
1976a:4219). When the reality of venereal diseases became evident, Berg finally ordered an end to
FFing.
15. Note that although Melton‘s book first appeared in Italian in 1997, this edition is published in
2004 thus, opportunities for revisions existed.
16. Noted sociologist Roy Wallis (who researched extensively both COG/The Family and Scientology)
commented on his Scientology research, ―Had I wished for an analysis of the content of the
documents, I would have conducted a content analysis. But something said only once in a body of
documentation may have as much influence on organizational and individual behaviour as something
said a thousand times‖ (Wallis, 1977:vii).
17. Other contemporary accounts comment also on the group‘s countercultural appeal to idealistic
youth when they discuss the group‘s early history and conversion motifs (for example, Chancellor,
2002:38–39, 41, 54 Williams, 1998:25), as have others in the past (for example, Bromley and
Newton, 1994:42 Davis with Davis, 1984, pp. 36–43 Wallis, 1981:98–100 Wangerin, 1993).
18. Miriam Williams Boeri is Miriam Williams‘ (1998) married name.
19. See Kent (1994b) for one perspective on Berg‘s own sexuality.
1 Note that Stephen Kent (2001b) integrated components of this article in his contribution to Zablocki
and Robbins‘ edited volume, Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field
(2001a).
20. Prior research favourable to the brainwashing thesis includes Kent (2001a), Kent (2001b), Scheflin
and Opton (1978), Singer and Lalich (1995), and Zablocki (2001). For research critical of the
brainwashing model, see Anthony (1990), Anthony (2001), Bromley (2001), and Dawson (2001). For
a brief history of some key court cases in which brainwashing theory has played a role, see Melton
(2002).
21. Note that Chancellor (2000:180) rejects the brainwashing hypothesis and instead uses the term
―indoctrination‖ on several occasions (pp. 58, 210, and 244). He does not define indoctrination.
22. See http://www.icsahome.com/infoserv_topic_collections/tpcol_acadialog.htm and
http://www.cesnur.org/testi/se_brainwash.htm for two different perspectives on the brainwashing
disputes.
23. Note that The Love Charter still includes some controversial material in terms of child sexuality.
For example, the Mo Letter ―The Devil Hates Sex!‖ is still ―priority reading‖ (The Family, 1995:205).
This publication contains a dialogue between Berg and his mistress, Maria, in which they discuss
societal taboos against incest. Maria states, ―Well, we‘ll just have to tell the kids that it‘s not
prohibited by God...‖ (Berg, 1980:7696). After a brief discussion, Berg adds, ―I DON‘T KNOW WHAT
THE HELL AGE HAS GOT TO DO WITH IT‖ (Berg, 1980:7697).
24. Likely a play on the word ―Christianity,‖ Berg coined the term ―Churchianity‖ as a derogative way
to refer to mainstream, traditional religion.
25. For a discussion of COG/The Family‘s early organizational structure, see Davis and Richardson
(1976).
26. From the earlier body of academic scholarship, Van Zandt‘s Living in The Children of God (1991) is
a comprehensive and balanced account. Van Zant spent a month undercover as a member in the
1970s, then spent several more months researching the group, with its permission.
References
Anthony, Dick. (1990). Religious movements and brainwashing litigation: Evaluating key
testimony. In Thomas Robbins and Dick Anthony (Eds.). In gods we trust (2nd ed.)
(pp. 259–344). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.
Anthony, Dick. (2001). Tactical ambiguity and brainwashing formulations: Science or
pseudo-science. In B. Zablocki and T. Robbins (Eds.). Misunderstanding cults:
Searching for objectivity in a controversial field (pp. 215–317). Toronto, ON:
University of Toronto Press.
Bainbridge, William Sims. (2002). The end-time family: Children of God. Albany: State
University of New York Press.