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OSA and The Children of God.

Feral

Rogue male
In Australia around the early to mid '90s there was a Government raid on a group called "The Family" or "The Children of God".

They lived communally and the children were kept in a creche under the care of one or two members, their parents were expected to work serving the group, but the upshot was it was believed by the Dept of Community Services (DOCS) based on information provided by defectors that the children were being abused, neglected and sexually interfered with by the adults.

This group believed in free love and the women were expected to "body route" and recruit new members through a technique known as "flirty Fishing". They were regarded highly if they actually slept with the new public to ensure his participation.

Based on the evidence at hand the children were taken away by DOCS in what is now considered a hugely bungled case.

I was briefed at the time about it from an OSA terminal, I think it was Vicki Dunstan, then Hannah. I remember her detailing how it was an attack by SPs on religion and how OSA were in there helping them to defend the case and get their kids back. While most would call it child sex offenses "The Family" called it "loving the children". It seems OSA and the Church of Scientology agreed.

I particularly recall her nodding and telling me how they were "really nice people" (add vacant stare) and how we had an obligation to help them as this attack signaled a potential loss of religious freedom for all Scientologists.

Well, eventually OSA succeeded in getting the kids back from the SP government that was bringing down the darkness of night upon the last freedoms man has.

Now the founder, David Moses Berg had an adopted son who later wrote his experiences outlining his father perversions, his name was Ricky Rodriguez.

Ricky was among nearly 50 of the children who grew up in "The Family" that have subsequently killed themselves. His suicide was more significant than most for two reasons, firstly, as I said, he was the stepson of the Founder (deja vu?) and secondly he sought out his mothers best friend, who was someone who had interfered with him on many occasions, he stabbed her to death before going away and shooting himself in the head. This was in 2005.

The devastation and fallout from this small group is horrible to behold and the scars live on in the recovering victims that were born into and grew up in that nightmare.

Who knows, it well may have been cleaned up by the Govt. here in Australia before the real damage was done without the intervention of the Church of Scientology and the ever vigilant OSA.
 
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anonomog

Gold Meritorious Patron
There is a book called Not Without My Sister written by three sisters who escaped. It is one you can't put down once you start and the similarities with scientology are chilling, and the whole story is heartbreaking. Highly recommended reading.

Here's a link: http://www.notwithoutmysister.co.uk/

The book is well worth reading, well put across, but extremely disturbing.
I picked it up because I was interested in comparing cults.

I did feel that members of he Children of God were probably initially attracted to the sexual freedom/power under the guise of spiritual growth, where as Scientologists are initially attracted to personal freedom/power under the guise of spiritual growth.

But reading feral's comment below, was absolutely chilling. I found it highly doubtful that the majority of Scientologists would agree with this, even if it was to protect the church.

Feral wrote:
I was briefed at the time about it from an OSA terminal, I think it was Vicki Dunstan, then Hannah. I remember her detailing how it was an attack by SPs on religion and how OSA were in there helping them to defend the case and get their kids back. While most would call it child sex offenses "The Family" called it "loving the children". It seems OSA and the Church of Scientology agreed.

But I also think for an adult with an abusive bent, it is a fine line between saying children are thetans in small bodies and thinking of that small body as a sexual person; especially if you can assauge any guilt by thinking that the small person pulled it in.
 

Boojuum

Silver Meritorious Patron
Great Thread

Great job on bringing this to light. Many folks forget or ignor or don't realize the long term effects of abuse. Just because someone gets out doesn't mean the damage is fixed.

The other piece that's surprising but shouldn't be is OSA's readiness to align itself and and defend a completely insane group of abusive people.

Once again the COS proved itself to act in a very stupid way. Stupid people make stupid decisions.
 

AnonKat

Crusader
Great job on bringing this to light. Many folks forget or ignor or don't realize the long term effects of abuse. Just because someone gets out doesn't mean the damage is fixed.

The other piece that's surprising but shouldn't be is OSA's readiness to align itself and and defend a completely insane group of abusive people.

Once again the COS proved itself to act in a very stupid way. Stupid people make stupid decisions.

It was a strategy to support Insane cults so they would look saner at comparrison by the existance of such insane cults.

Cult Survival Strategy
 

Panda Termint

Cabal Of One
It was a strategy to support Insane cults so they would look saner at comparrison by the existance of such insane cults.

Cult Survival Strategy
Scientology's *only* real interest in the Children of God was to prevent or help them derail any investigation into a "fringe religion". The rationale was/is that any such investigations might bring to light revelations which could cause the Australian Government to start looking at other "fringe religions".

It has always been about avoiding/preventing a precedent which might lead to another investigation of scientology practices here in Australia. It been that way since the GO's "freedom-of-religion" operations of the 70s which included infiltration and Covert Data Gathering of the CoG, Ananda Marga, Hare Krishnas etc.
 

Type4_PTS

Diamond Invictus SP
I was briefed at the time about it from an OSA terminal, I think it was Vicki Dunstan, then Hannah. I remember her detailing how it was an attack by SPs on religion and how OSA were in there helping them to defend the case and get their kids back. While most would call it child sex offenses "The Family" called it "loving the children". It seems OSA and the Church of Scientology agreed.


First time I had heard of this story. It's pretty shocking that CoS would come to the defense of this group. :omg:
 

OliviaZero

Patron with Honors
A really good documentary about Children of God here (this is part 1 of 7 on youtube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud4Z9xkre6g

Ricky Rodriguez's story is tragic and heartbreaking. I can't imagine what he and the other kids had to endure. (As an aside, River Phoenix's family also used to belong to this cult when he was a child.)
 

Sharone Stainforth

Silver Meritorious Patron
Free to Shine wrote;

There is a book called Not Without My Sister written by three sisters who escaped. It is one you can't put down once you start and the similarities with scientology are chilling, and the whole story is heartbreaking. Highly recommended reading.

I bought this book shortly after meeting two of the sisters and a brother. I have recommended it to a number of people, including my daughters.

I thought if they read this they might better understand why I feel like I do.

Trouble is, mention the word cult to my children and they either completely switch off or go off the deep end and Mother is crazy.

So we don't talk about it and it will all go away, wrong, it will not go away, it does when I am at work or doing something different and I may go a couple of days without thinking about these things, but then it comes back.

I think it keeps coming back, because it is still happening today.

Sometimes for my own sanity, I have to switch off, be it all temporarily and like it or not I can empathize with those who do not want to speak about what happened in their life.For all of us, there are things we do not want to discuss and for all of us there are things that we may never understand, no matter how hard we try.

So, do we sweep it all under the carpet and pretend like it never happened. I have tried that and that dust just keeps on coming back, again and again,getting thicker and thicker, I say, lets sweep it, clean.
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Free to Shine wrote;



I bought this book shortly after meeting two of the sisters and a brother. I have recommended it to a number of people, including my daughters.

I thought if they read this they might better understand why I feel like I do.

Trouble is, mention the word cult to my children and they either completely switch off or go off the deep end and Mother is crazy.

So we don't talk about it and it will all go away, wrong, it will not go away, it does when I am at work or doing something different and I may go a couple of days without thinking about these things, but then it comes back.

I think it keeps coming back, because it is still happening today.

Sometimes for my own sanity, I have to switch off, be it all temporarily and like it or not I can empathize with those who do not want to speak about what happened in their life.For all of us, there are things we do not want to discuss and for all of us there are things that we may never understand, no matter how hard we try.

So, do we sweep it all under the carpet and pretend like it never happened. I have tried that and that dust just keeps on coming back, again and again,getting thicker and thicker, I say, lets sweep it, clean.

Sharone, we are pretty much in the same mindset hey? :)

It was this book that helped one of my kids to understand how deep the mindset goes. Just leave the book lying around, perhaps someone will pick it up.
 

Sharone Stainforth

Silver Meritorious Patron
Free to Shine wrote;

Sharone, we are pretty much in the same mindset hey? :)

It was this book that helped one of my kids to understand how deep the mindset goes. Just leave the book lying around, perhaps someone will pick it up.

Free to Shine, we most certainly are.:)

Reading that book, upset me a great deal, especially as I had met two of the sisters and also a brother.One of the sisters didn't want to be involved.

This evening I have watched the video diary that Noah did about 'the family of God'. It was heartbreaking.:bigcry:

Recommended watching for anyone interested in mind control and cults.
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Free to Shine wrote;



Free to Shine, we most certainly are.:)

Reading that book, upset me a great deal, especially as I had met two of the sisters and also a brother.One of the sisters didn't want to be involved.

This evening I have watched the video diary that Noah did about 'the family of God'. It was heartbreaking.:bigcry:

Recommended watching for anyone interested in mind control and cults.

Wow, you got to meet them! What brave people they are. I have the utmost empathy for that family.

It seems The Children of God is much more extreme than scientology, but it is not. It's just that the concentration is more on sex. In fact in the book it says some of the ways they operated were based directly on scientology techniques.
 

Sir Facer

Patron with Honors
Flirty Fishing...WTF!

A really good documentary about Children of God here (this is part 1 of 7 on youtube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud4Z9xkre6g

Ricky Rodriguez's story is tragic and heartbreaking. I can't imagine what he and the other kids had to endure. (As an aside, River Phoenix's family also used to belong to this cult when he was a child.)

This is just unbelievable how cults pray on the individuals who are truly lost & easily manipulated.

I mean "Flirty Fishing"!!! What a load of total crap, however its similar to Sea Org antics, I watched many Sea Org use their sexuality to entice its members to buy courses, join the Sea Org or donations to the IAS etc.

So this was not a major shock to me! However the good thing is people wake up & then tell their stories & thats how these cults get exposed!

Cant wait to watch the rest, and WOW!

Thanks for posting this subject Feral, I Laughed out load at the convo you had with Vicky on this cult, I could see her expression and can imagine how dumb she would have looked explaining this! I remember something about it too when OSA were speaking of this this cult & how it was being attacked, just didnt realise they backed them up so much....:omg:

thanks OZ for the you tube doco OZ:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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