Children of God

The Children of God (COG), later known as the Family of Love, the Family and now the Family International, is a new religious movement that started in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, USA. It was part of the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s, with many of its early converts drawn from the hippie movement. Due to its unusual emphasis on total commitment it triggered the first organized anticult group (FREECOG) and was among the movements prompting the cult controversy of the 1970s and 1980s in the United States and Europe.

Beliefs

:Main article: Beliefs of the Children of God

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Theologians have placed the Family's basic theology within the historical Christian tradition, along with some unorthodox beliefs.

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The Family International states they believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and sacred revelation. David Berg is regarded as a prophet by them, in the understanding of one who passed on the message of God, not so much as a predictor of the future, though he frequently attempted to predict future events with varying accuracy. They believe his "mantle" passed to his wife, Karen Zerby, at his death. They regard the officially published writings of both of them, but not everything they have written, as part of the Word of God. While there is an understanding in the movement that all word is not on the same level of significance, nevertheless all word is important to read and take heed to.

Related Topics:
Bible - David Berg - Prophet

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They hold that the Great Commission of evangelizing the world is the duty of every Christian and that their lives should be dedicated to the service of God and others. They have several levels of membership and the most committed, "Family Disciples," live communally. They also encourage the having of children. While birth control was initially highly discouraged, the choice is currently left to the individual and is not uncommon in practice.

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A central tenet to their theology is the "Law of Love," that simply stated maintains that if a person's actions are motivated by unselfish, sacrificial love and are not intentionally hurtful to others, such actions are in accordance with Scripture and are thus lawful in the eyes of God. They believe that this tenet supersedes all other biblical laws. They say that God created human sexuality, that it is a natural emotional and physical need, and that heterosexual relations between consenting adults of legal age is a pure and natural wonder of God's creation, and permissible according to Scripture. It is their understanding of the Scriptures that the followers of Christ are His bride, called to love and serve Him with the fervor of a wife. Members are expected to have sex freely and willingly with any member who is "in need", a practice known as "sharing". Teenagers above the age of 16 are also encouraged to "share" with other teenagers their own age, sex between minors and adults being strictly forbidden.

Related Topics:
Human sexuality - Heterosexual

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They believe that they are now living in the time period known in Scripture as the "Last Days" or the "Time of the End," which is the era immediately preceding the return of Jesus Christ. Before that event, they believe that the world will be ruled for seven years by a government headed by a man known as the Antichrist. At the half-way point in his rule he will be totally possessed by Satan and that will precipitate a time of troubles known as the Great Tribulation. This will be a time of intense persecution of believers as well as a time of stupendous natural and unnatural disasters. At the end of this period believers will be taken up to heaven in an event known as the Rapture that is shortly followed by a battle between Jesus and the Antichrist commonly known as the "Battle of Armageddon". The Antichrist is defeated and Jesus Christ reigns on Earth for 1000 years.

Related Topics:
Last Days - Antichrist - Satan - Great Tribulation - Persecution - Rapture - Armageddon

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The Family's official statement of their beliefs can be found here: http://www.thefamily.org/dossier/statements/faith.htm

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Recent Teachings

The Family's recent teachings center around beliefs that they have termed the "new spiritual weapons." The Family believes that they are soldiers in the spiritual war of good versus evil for the souls and hearts of men. Although some of these beliefs are not new to the Family, they have assumed greater importance in recent years. Some of these are:

Related Topics:
Spiritual war - Good versus evil

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Prophecy: In Family jargon, the traditional definition of prophecy— a prediction of the future—has been expanded to refer to any message received in the spirit from Jesus, deceased founder David Berg, or another "sprit helper"(see below). A great emphasis has been placed on each member using prophecy directly and regularly to guide their daily lives. Although prophecy, also referred to as "channeling," has been a part of the movement from the beginning, it has assumed greater significance in recent years. It has been noted by scholars that the Family is unique among new religious movements in its decentralization and democratization of divine guidance from God.

Related Topics:
Prophecy - Channeling

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Spirit Helpers: These include angels and departed humans who are sent to give instruction and to fight in the spiritual warfare taking place in the spiritual dimension that Family members believe is coexistent with the physical world that surrounds them. These helpers are believed to relay the divine messages they receive in prophecy and also are engaged in spiritual combat with Satan and his demons.

Related Topics:
Angels - Satan

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The Keys of the Kingdom: The Family believes that the keys referred to in the biblical passage "and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19), have assumed greater significance today.

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Loving Jesus: This is a term that members of the Family use to describe their intimate, sexual relationship with Jesus. The Family describes the "Loving Jesus" teachings as a radical form of bridal theology http://www.thefamily.org/dossier/statements/lj.htm. They take bridal theology a step further by encouraging members to imagine that Jesus is having sex with them during sexual intercourse or masturbation. Male members are told to visualize themselves as women "in the spirit".

Related Topics:
Jesus - Bridal theology

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The Family continues to stress the imminent Second Coming of Christ, preceded by the rise of a worldwide government led by the "Antichrist". These doctrines regarding the "End Time" influence virtually all long-term decision making.

Related Topics:
Second Coming of Christ - End Time

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