Children of God alias Family (International)
I don’t wonder, why they have changed their name several times. This cult is so notorious of its misdeeds that there is probably reasonable from their point of view to try to get rid of the past by changing names. The Children of God or Family is considered a sex cult – and as in many other sex cults there appear to be abuse and isolation.
The CoG was originally inspired by the ideas of hippie movement or Jeesus-hippies. One of the main idea among of the hippies was the free love. That game the important idea in CoG too.
The problem is that while sexuality is considered natural, the children are often involved in sexual practises right from the early childhood. The cult is very secretive, because it considers the public not to understand their life style and religious views. They lured the participants whit close community, where there was other wise warm, loving athmosphere.
Before the age of AIDS they also used prostitution (flirty fishing 1974-1987) as a method of recruiting new members and get funding. The children born from these practicies were called “Jesus babies”. According the records of the Family over 200 000 “fish” were loved from 1978 onwards. Also graphic photoes and films were produced sometimes involving also small children.
If christianity in general is often told to be sexually prohibiting, this cult has gone to the extreme opposite direction. As it is involving not just adults but also children it is a problematic situation. There are plenty of children grown up that have publicly gone against their former community. Due to this there has been several sexual abuse cases have been filed.
The most famouse former members are the Phoenix-siblings (Joaquin, River, Rain etc.), whose parents were missionaires in South America (joined CoG 1970), before leaving the cult when their kids were still young in 1977. While being part of the cult they lived in powerty and children performed to earn some money for food. The parents apparantly opposed the practice of flirty fishing (sacred prostitution). Also River Phoenix did admit loosing his virginity in the cult.
The teachings of the cult raised from the literal understanding of some of the bibels allegorial text and misunderstanding the biblical use of word “seed” as seamen, when in bible it is liberally the grain (seed). There was also strong expectation of second coming of Christ and world wide government led by antichrist.
Read More:
http://www.movingon.org/
http://www.exfamily.org/
http://www.isotsurvivors.info/
Just a Cultivated Monkey 
June 12, 2008 at 10:10 am
I was in The Children of God as a young adult 1971 through 1973. Got tired of the rigidity of the organization and knew it was no place to raise a family, even though I found a wife in the organization.
August 1, 2008 at 12:53 pm
i just wanted u to know that this is a little messed up, as much as u may be former members and as much as u may have experienced, the fact remains that if u want to let your public know the truth of what is happening u can judge the family from your past point of view, as that would not be an accurate description of what is going on now. The fact remains that i was born and raised in the Family and have dedicated my life to this cause which i consider noble. And i have never been in anyway abused. I firmly believe that the family is not a place for everyone and if you chose to leave that is your own choice. i have brothers that left and i love them all the same for it
August 2, 2008 at 2:29 pm
It is nice if you have not been abused. I am not a former member, but one comment to you: “the good tree does not carry bad apples”. If one organisation has created so much this kind of bad thing and if it has been semi-formal and accepted – then it cannot be something good. But is it possible that something good grows up from something this bad – maybe… I cannot say.
Yet there is so much evidence that I would not just say that family is not for everybody – at least once it was for no child. But yet again I was no member myself. If you would have red my other posts you might have noticed that I wrote about other groups too. I am firmly disgusted about abuse in the name of religion – and at least once in the recent history: that was what family was about. I am sorry if the truth hurts your feelings.