"Look around the Family today"

This was an admonition I noticed from a current member talking to Lydia on another board. He was advising her to take a good look at the F. today and see all the good fruit they have in getting out the gospel, witnessing about Jesus and gosh darn it, just being some wonderful happy people. So I did, I thought about that and it didn't take me too long. I think of my offsprings, I think of the people I've met recently and to me, not a whole lot has changed. Sure, there are many "wonderful" people in the F. - after all, I was wonderful (J/K). And that to me is the saddest part, all these wonderful people trying to do what they think is best and the best for God, giving their all - all the way to the slaughter like dumb sheep.

When I look around the F. today I see the same thing. Members trying to raise funds for their "outreach" and live off of it basically, a little outreach thrown alongside for good measure and good looks. The gist of it, it's all about fund raising. Yet, they have convinced themselves (the result of being emersed in nothing but Berg and Maria letters) that they have the most important job in the world and are the only Christians really doing anything for the Lord. They have swallowed their own lies.

Recently I was reading a Veterans of Foreign Wars magazine. There was an article about a group of young people that volunteer their time for one year and present shows to the Veterans over 200 days out of the year. They do shows nearly every day of the year. There is a fund set up for their shows, but they get paid very little for their efforts. For one year, they put their lives and careers on hold while they give something back to the community and offer joy to a lot of lonely lives. To me, these people are doing more than the piddly little one stop singing shows and clown acts the F. puts on. The rest of the time they are asking for money or making up a PR presentation to sell their products. They are so busy trying to procure supplies and funds for their growing families, their actual time witnessing or helping people dwindles and dwindles. Wow - that's saving the world.

Then, to top it off, they hide their most controversial doctrines. We all know that FFing is still practiced on a limited basis, that sexual sharing amongst married partners (and it's fair game if your single) is encouraged and advocated. In a recent GN, Maria admonished her charges that they cannot forgo this part of their doctrine as that is what makes them set apart and different from the rest of the world (how true). so, they present themselves to the world in one way (a squeeky clean Christian group) and to themselves, they have a whole different set of rules. The deception continues. The children growing up in this group have half brothers and sisters all over the world, some they may have never met and only heard about - one big happy family.

And for this, this member claims, we are supposed to thank David Berg because he offered us salvation. Well, with that analogy, I may as well go and kiss a donkey, because the Bible says that God would even use a donkey if he wanted to. What David Berg led us into after the initial salvation scenario is enough fodder for a horror novel. Excuse me while I barf at the idea of paying homage to David Berg.

Then, of course, we get the obligatory exhortation about forgiveness and not being bitter. What has that got to do with anything? I can forgive, I don't have to be bitter, but it doesn't change the facts, it doesn't stop what they are doing (see all of the above). Actually, it's a good excuse for them to continue on in their deeds because they will have effectively silenced the only voices in protest. How convenient.