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In Reply to: But do you understand what I'm saying? posted by Bystander on August 24, 2002 at 15:24:52:
To Zerby, Kelly, and F. leadership
Posted by Open letter from Daniel on June 24, 2002 at 07:44:20:
To Zerby, Kelly, and Family leadership
My name is Daniel. My parents are Ado and Kanah. My sister is Regina. I understand she has lived in your home. I will not pretend to speak for all the young people who left The Family. There are those who doubtless will disagree with all or some of what I have to say. I do believe however, that there are enough who do agree with me, to give the thoughts and opinions in this letter some weight.
You damaged a generation of children. You and your constantly changing experimental religion carved a bloody path through the lives of your very own children. I do not believe in god. But if he does exist, he must look down in anger and dismay at the havoc you’ve wreaked in the lives of your own children. Let us be clear here. You have many many enemies. We are not speaking of your parents who’s life style you choose to surrender. We are not speaking of the religious leaders who disagree with your dogma. We are not speaking of press who find you bizarre, nor of the governments who find you dangerous. We are speaking of your children; children who you abused, whose education you neglected, and who you worked to support your “mission.” This is not religious persecution. Don’t kid yourselves.
Semantics aside, we know the truth. We know what the letters said. We know how we suffered and are suffering as a consequence of your (and Berg’s) letters. Some of us were media spokespersons. Some of us lived in your homes. All of us were touched by insanity you foisted off as religion. We cannot be appeased and confused by the “party line” that you feed academics and the media. The Catholic Church is beginning to learn that crimes against children cannot be swept under the rug forever. They are learning that the leadership bears responsibility for the crimes they allowed and covered up. You will too.
You err in judgment if you believe that our not wishing to lose our relationships with our parent will protect you. Your prayers are useless. You have done nothing to address the real abuses that occurred. You have consistently blamed them on others, on Berg, on the “rare person who took the Family’s writings to the extreme”. The ranks of those who hold you and the Family leadership personally responsible are growing. There will be an accounting. Crying “ foul” and “ religious persecution” will not protect you from your children.
We have grown up. We are becoming educated. We are helping to educate our siblings. We are networking. We are learning from others. We are becoming lawyers, doctors, and business people. We are fighting our battles against ignorance and poverty, and as time passes, many of us are winning.
It is your best interest to work feverishly to make amends. Don’t let your history of arrogance and hubris stand in your way. Do not patronize us with your prayers and prophecy. Work as if your survival depended on it: it does.
There must be an accounting. There must be profuse and sincere apologies. There must be ownership of the blame. There must be concrete steps taken to help the poor children you’ve cast by the wayside. There must be efforts to identify the abusers and seek prosecution.
Trying to pass of the Family, as a loose “Christian missionary organization” will not save you. We know the truth.
Prepare yourselves for a future of fighting for your very survival as an organization. The tidal wave will grow. You will be washed away.
And lest you think (as usual) that there is a small group of people with “nothing better to do than attack the family because they are bitter about their own failings, I will tell you this: We have lives, loves, careers, children, homes, businesses, school, dreams, plans. We have good and bad in our lives. We have victories and defeat. Confronting the demons of our past will not destroy our future. Don’t kid yourselves. Fighting you does not make our lives sad or miserable or meaningless. The few minutes a day we may spend on you are by no means indicative of the rest of our lives. Unlike you, this we will do and not leave the other undone.
One thing can be said, you taught us how to survive anything….prepare to reap the whirlwind.
Daniel
