Maria created Berg alright

In Reply to: Re: I agree with you totally, Maria is power drunk posted by Kathy Johnson on June 05, 2002 at 16:55:24:

>I think Berg would have been nothing without her. I think in many ways,
>she created him and made him what he was. He fed into her fantasy, and she fed into his.....
>Who was always there with the tape recorder when Berg rambled? Who published all the
>letters and edited them and chose what went into them? I think she absolutely thrived
>on the lies he was telling us.

To that, I offer the following repost:

Maria (Karen Zerby) has said that one of her favourite Mo Letters is "Birthday Warning" (ML 215). In "Our Questions & Maria's Answers!" (DO 1797, para.7), is the following question-&-answer session with Maria: Could you also tell us what your favourite full Mo Letters is? I think that the most beautifully written ones are those which are entirely direct prophecy like "Birthday Warning"... which are also classic milestone Letters. Maria was, is fact, the one who added the phrases in parenthesis such as (weeping and tongues:), to help describe Berg's actions during that "prophetic session". So let's have a look at the night of February 18, 1973, not through Berg's words, but through his actions as described by Maria: "BIRTHDAY WARNING" (David groans and cries in agony, gagging as if about to choke.) para.8 (Tongues. Sits up and burps:) para.14 (Holds bottle up and looks at it.) para.17 (Looks at bottle again.) para.21 (Laughs as if it's all so foolish:) para.26 (Laughs:) para.33 (David laughs long and loud, almost hysterically, then tongues:) para.34 (Laughs.) para.39 (Weeps.) para.42 (Weeps and agonizes in another language.) para.46 (David laughs and picks up the bottle again.) para.49 (David laughs long and loud.) para.51 (Outstretched arms.) para.60 (Blows nose, laughs, and then holds up the hanky.) para.61 (Wipes eyes with hanky.) para.61 (Holds up hanky again.) para.61 (Lays hanky slowly and sadly aside:) para.62 (Laughs:) para.66 (Weeping and tongues:) para.71 (Kisses into the air.) para.71 (pounds on bed with fists and speaks vehemently in tongues:) para.83 (explodes in tongues, clapping hands, and pounding fists) para.84 (angrily) para.85 (Strong tongues and crying:) para.90 (Tongues:) para.101 (Laughs) para.102 (Holds out hands:) para.103 (Prayer in the Spirit:) para.104 (in foreign accent) para.109 (Later in strong foreign accent--probably Abrahim:) para.112 (Tongues and weeping) para.115 With this "classic" Letter stripped of Berg's self-glorifying utterances, we are left with the silent movie of a pathetic old man in a drunken stupor the night of his birthday, clutching a wine bottle and alternately gagging, burping, weeping, laughing hysterically, and pounding his bed in rage..