84 International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 1, No. 1, 2020
the leader. Some cults encourage sexual
promiscuity among members, which also
prevents pair bonding.
Sex has also been used for recruitment
purposes. The infamous “flirty fishing”
practice of the Children of God during its
heyday in the 1970s brought in many new
members, including diplomats. “Flirty
fishing” involved female cult members,
whether single or married, “flirting” and
often having sex with men to bring them into
the fold. In this way, female sexuality was
exploited in the name of Jesus Christ
because, like Koresh, the leader, David Berg,
claimed to have had a vision. Having
molested his own children and “married” his
own underage granddaughter, he reframed
incest as acceptable and his daughter
apparently instructed parents to masturbate
their children (Kent, 2012). Celebrities such
as River Phoenix (who committed suicide),
Joaquin Phoenix, and Rose McGowan grew
up in this cult. Currently, this group appears
to have fizzled out in the United States but
still claims a presence in 91 countries
(Borowik, 2016). It is still considered one of
the most sexualized cults in modern history
(see “Children of God”).
Children of God
In 2005, Ricky Rodriquez, the heir apparent
to lead the Children of God, searched out his
former nanny, shot and killed her, and then
turned the gun on himself. He left a video
recording in which he stated his motivation
was to seek justice and revenge for the rape
and violence perpetrated on him and the other
children who had been raised in the cult,
which believed in sex between adults and
children. Ricky himself was forced to have
sex with his nanny and the granddaughter of
David Berg, the leader of the cult the
granddaughter, Merry, died at age 45 years.
Ricky’s mother was the partner of David
Berg, and his biological father was a man
recruited through the group’s tactic of “flirty
fishing,” which used women to lure men into
the group. Ricky was 30 years old at the time
of his death.
Reproduction
One of the most extreme forms of violence
against women in cults is control over their
reproductive rights. Whether the leader
forces women to have babies or prevents
births from happening, control over women’s
bodies remains in the hands of men. On one
end of the continuum, women in some groups
are expected to have one child per year (e.g.,
FLDS), but men do not feel obligated to
support this large family (Hamilton, 2014).
On the other end of the continuum, women
are prevented from carrying pregnancies to
term. For example, in one therapy cult of the
1970s that encouraged sexual relations
between members, not one child was born to
the 350 members, at least half of whom were
women (Ayella, 1998 Mithers, 1994).
Children who came with mothers were often
sent away to live with relatives outside the
group. More recent accounts come from
Scientology, in which women are forced to
have abortions (Headley, 2016). A variation
on this type of control is that in some groups
women are told they are not cut out to be
mothers, their special talents lie elsewhere,
and they are given other assignments that
meet the needs of the leader rather than those
of the women (ex-member, personal
communication, May 10, 2012).
Assault on Motherhood
One of the most egregious types of violence
against women is the assault on their
motherhood, a transnational occurrence that
happens in cults throughout the world. As
“true believers,” they allow their faith in the
leader to override their maternal instincts to
protect their children. This challenging
position is exacerbated by the fact that
children in cults are often harshly disciplined,
frequently to the point of physical harm. It is
difficult to cope with the knowledge that one
the leader. Some cults encourage sexual
promiscuity among members, which also
prevents pair bonding.
Sex has also been used for recruitment
purposes. The infamous “flirty fishing”
practice of the Children of God during its
heyday in the 1970s brought in many new
members, including diplomats. “Flirty
fishing” involved female cult members,
whether single or married, “flirting” and
often having sex with men to bring them into
the fold. In this way, female sexuality was
exploited in the name of Jesus Christ
because, like Koresh, the leader, David Berg,
claimed to have had a vision. Having
molested his own children and “married” his
own underage granddaughter, he reframed
incest as acceptable and his daughter
apparently instructed parents to masturbate
their children (Kent, 2012). Celebrities such
as River Phoenix (who committed suicide),
Joaquin Phoenix, and Rose McGowan grew
up in this cult. Currently, this group appears
to have fizzled out in the United States but
still claims a presence in 91 countries
(Borowik, 2016). It is still considered one of
the most sexualized cults in modern history
(see “Children of God”).
Children of God
In 2005, Ricky Rodriquez, the heir apparent
to lead the Children of God, searched out his
former nanny, shot and killed her, and then
turned the gun on himself. He left a video
recording in which he stated his motivation
was to seek justice and revenge for the rape
and violence perpetrated on him and the other
children who had been raised in the cult,
which believed in sex between adults and
children. Ricky himself was forced to have
sex with his nanny and the granddaughter of
David Berg, the leader of the cult the
granddaughter, Merry, died at age 45 years.
Ricky’s mother was the partner of David
Berg, and his biological father was a man
recruited through the group’s tactic of “flirty
fishing,” which used women to lure men into
the group. Ricky was 30 years old at the time
of his death.
Reproduction
One of the most extreme forms of violence
against women in cults is control over their
reproductive rights. Whether the leader
forces women to have babies or prevents
births from happening, control over women’s
bodies remains in the hands of men. On one
end of the continuum, women in some groups
are expected to have one child per year (e.g.,
FLDS), but men do not feel obligated to
support this large family (Hamilton, 2014).
On the other end of the continuum, women
are prevented from carrying pregnancies to
term. For example, in one therapy cult of the
1970s that encouraged sexual relations
between members, not one child was born to
the 350 members, at least half of whom were
women (Ayella, 1998 Mithers, 1994).
Children who came with mothers were often
sent away to live with relatives outside the
group. More recent accounts come from
Scientology, in which women are forced to
have abortions (Headley, 2016). A variation
on this type of control is that in some groups
women are told they are not cut out to be
mothers, their special talents lie elsewhere,
and they are given other assignments that
meet the needs of the leader rather than those
of the women (ex-member, personal
communication, May 10, 2012).
Assault on Motherhood
One of the most egregious types of violence
against women is the assault on their
motherhood, a transnational occurrence that
happens in cults throughout the world. As
“true believers,” they allow their faith in the
leader to override their maternal instincts to
protect their children. This challenging
position is exacerbated by the fact that
children in cults are often harshly disciplined,
frequently to the point of physical harm. It is
difficult to cope with the knowledge that one
