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.

Criticism

The group has often and heavily been criticized by the press, the anti-cult movement, and the Christian countercult movement. In 1971, an organization called FREECOG was founded by concerned family members of followers, including deprogrammer Ted Patrick, to "free" them from their involvement in the group.

Related Topics:
Anti-cult movement - Christian countercult movement - 1971 - FREECOG - Deprogrammer - Ted Patrick

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Frequently, critics of the movement cite the writings of David Berg and/or specific incidents and behavior of certain individuals, including members of the leadership. Family members meanwhile argue that the entire volume of writings of Father David do not reflect either the fundamental beliefs (contained in the "Statement of Faith") or the organization's policies (contained in the Charter, published in 1995). Likewise, they reject the concept of the entire group being blamed for the alleged wrongdoing of individuals.

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The controversy over the movement has generated strong feelings in both current and ex-members. An example of the contrasting interpretations of Family life can be seen in the accounts of second generation members: former members at Movingon.Org and (mostly) current members at MyConclusion.com{{fn|8}}.

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