Activated explanation of THE FAMILY

Following is the text of a class/publication that Family Members give to new members of ACTIVATED. It is interesting to see the spin control -- no mention of sexual abuse of minors. They are scared stiff of that.


GETTING TO KNOW THE FAMILY!

WHAT MAKES THE FAMILY DIFFERENT?
Every movement has features that set it apart from others. Following is a very brief explanation of doctrines that distinguish The Family from most traditional Christian denominations.

The Gift of Prophecy
When the Lord speaks and gives a message through one of His people, either directly or by means of one of His agents (such as an angel or a departed saint), we refer to such inspired utterances as prophecy.
Throughout the Bible the Lord spoke to His people this way, inspiring His prophets to give His words and messages to those for whom they were intended.
Not all prophecies have to do with the future. One dictionary definition of ¡§prophecy¡¨ is ¡§a divinely inspired utterance.¡¨ In other words, it¡¦s receiving a message from God, whether it concerns the past, the present or the future.
The Bible states that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. The Family believes in and uses the gift of prophecy. We do not reserve prophecy only for special occasions, but try to practice it on a daily basis, seeking Jesus¡¦ direction and guidance in the choices that we face. Many if not most members of the Family have the gift, as do many other Christians. We believe this is something that the Lord is emphasizing now in these Last Days prior to Jesus' Second Coming:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18; see also Joel 2:28-29)
We also believe that God on occasion uses the spirits of departed saints to minister to and deliver messages to His people. We believe that the good spirits of godly people who have passed on are sometimes allowed to assist, influence, and communicate with their loved ones and other Christians left behind, examples of which are found in the Bible.

¡§Thank God, He's not a silent God who shut up when the Bible was finished 2,000 years ago! He's a living God, a talking God, and He still speaks and has been speaking ever since then ¡X talking to His people and His prophets and His children down through the ages, ever since the days of Jesus and His Apostles and the Early Church.¡¨ ¡VDavid Berg

n For more on this subject, please see our publications, Hearing from Heaven and Communicating with Heavenly Messengers.

Prophets of the Endtime
Members of the Family accept that our founder, David Brandt Berg (1919-1994), was a prophet sent by God. This does not mean that he was infallible, nor did he claim to be, nor that his every utterance was inspired by the Lord.--But we do believe that God sent him to establish and lead our movement and to teach and expound on aspects of doctrine from the Bible.
David¡¦s parents were both active Christian pastors and evangelists, and his early years were spent traveling with them in evangelistic work. In 1941, shortly after being drafted into the U.S. Army, he nearly died of pneumonia. After determining to rededicate his life to Christian service, he experienced a miraculous healing.
For most of the next 27 years he worked as a pastor and in various evangelistic endeavors until, in 1968, he received God's call to take the Gospel to the hippies of southern California. There he and his then teen-aged children began a ministry to the youth that grew and eventually became known as the Family.
David retired early on from public life and withdrew from the running of the Family, preferring to live in seclusion, devoting most of his time to prayer and writing. His communications with the Family were largely in the form of letters (written sermons or lectures).
After David¡¦s passing in 1994, his wife Maria whom he trained as his successor took his place at the head of the movement. We believe that the Lord has anointed Maria, and her new husband Peter, as prophets and leaders of our movement.


n For more on this subject, please see our booklet, A tribute to David Berg.

Law of Love
The Law of Love is the term given to the divine principle by which all aspects of our Christian lives are governed. It is based on Jesus¡¦ teaching that the sum and substance of the Mosaic Law and the essence of the prophets' messages are contained in the simple two-part admonition to love God and our fellow man. This is the rule by which we believe all of our thoughts, motives and deeds should be measured. The scriptural basis for this doctrine comes from the words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul:
Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:35-40, NKJ) [See also Romans 13:9-10]
It is our belief that Jesus, through His sacrifice on the cross, freed us from the Old Testament's Laws of Moses. However, we also believe that under Jesus¡¦ Law of Love the saved believer is bound by an even stricter code of moral conduct than that imposed by the myriad of rules in the Mosaic Law. The believer now has to be ruled by love in all his dealings, including those with whom he may not even like.
What sets The Family apart from most other Christians on this issue is that we believe the Law of Love also applies to adult sexual relationships, provided they are in accordance with the above Scriptures. A key verse for applying the Law of Love to sexual relationships is "Love does no harm to a neighbor" (Romans 13:10, NKJ). Thus the conditions for partaking of sexual freedom under the Law of Love are that our relations be governed by the unselfish, sacrificial love of God, hurt no one, that those involved take responsibility for their actions and have the full consent of all parties directly concerned, including spouses in the case of extramarital sex. If those conditions are met, we believe that loving heterosexual relations between consenting adults are no sin in the eyes of God.
At the same time we realize that sexual activities must have fixed boundaries to prevent hurt or abuse. Our communities have adopted a code of rules and restrictions regarding sexual activities, outlined in our governing Charter and other Family publications. These guidelines serve as safeguards to help ensure that everyone is acting in accordance with the Law of Love, thereby avoiding any abuse of those liberties and guaranteeing that no one is hurt or harmed, most especially our children and young people. Family rules explicitly prohibit any sexual contact between adults and minors.
While the application of the Law of Love to sexual behavior generates considerable interest, this aspect is far from being the primary focus of our lives! The totality of the Law of Love is living in love and harmony with others, doing no harm to your neighbor and loving your neighbor as yourself. It is about sacrificial living, giving of yourself to others and helping those in need. These are the guiding principles for our lives and the motivation for our missionary work.

n For a more complete explanation, please see our leaflet: The Family¡¦s Foundation: God¡¦s Law of Love

Flirty Fishing

As explained above, we believe that loving sexual relations between consenting adults are not a sin in the eyes of God, as long as they are motivated by genuine unselfish love, and do not in any way hurt anyone else.
Taking this doctrine a step further, David Berg believed and taught based on the Scriptures that it would also be no sin in the eyes of God if a member were to voluntarily choose to have heterosexual relations with a non-member, providing the motivation was to sincerely try to demonstrate God's love and care for them, and ultimately to lead them to receive Jesus as their Savior. This became known as "Flirty Fishing" (or "FFing"), a term derived from Christ's invitation to the fishermen of Galilee to "follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).
This experimental ministry was officially discontinued in 1987, due to the Lord showing David more fruitful outreach methods, and also as a precaution against the emerging AIDS epidemic.
Our communities have adopted a code of rules and restrictions regarding sexual activities, outlined in our governing Charter and other Family publications. Family rules explicitly prohibit any sexual contact between Charter Members and non-Charter Members.

Loving Jesus
The "Loving Jesus" Revelation, a series of articles for the Family's full-time adult membership, was written in December 1995 and published in January and February 1996. The series embraces what religious scholars term "bridal theology," which places special emphasis on the biblical portrayal of Christ as the Bridegroom, and His Church as His Bride.
The main purpose of the "Loving Jesus" revelation is to provide a means whereby adult Family members who desire to can develop a closer and more personal relationship with Jesus.
The Bible repeatedly refers to the Church ¡X that is, all Christians both collectively and individually ¡X as the Bride or Wife of Christ. This is a belief held not only by the Family, but also by many Christians worldwide. The essence of the "Loving Jesus" revelation is that as individuals, we can develop this relationship in a more personal and intimate way.
One of the Family's basic beliefs is that natural, normal sex is God-ordained and a beautiful part of His creation. It is also one of the most wonderful ways of demonstrating one's love for another. Finding a loving, intimate relationship with another human being is one of the ultimate joys in life, so why not develop a similar relationship with our Creator?
Implementing the "Loving Jesus" revelation to this extent is completely up to the individual. It is for adult Family members only; it is not meant for children. It is to be practiced in private only.
It should be noted that loving Jesus intimately in this manner is only one facet of our relationship with Him. We also worship Him in many other ways, including prayer, praise, song, etc.

n For a more complete explanation, please see our booklet: The ¡¥Loving Jesus¡¦ Revelation


FAMILY FAQs
¡XAnswers to some of the most common questions we are asked!


When did The Family get started?
In 1968, David Brandt Berg, a former pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, began a Christian outreach ministry to the counter-culture youth in Huntington Beach, California. By the end of 1969, the group of converted youth had grown to about 100 members and began to receive national attention in the USA. They were first called ¡§The Children of God¡¨ by a newspaper reporter. By 1972, there were 130 Children of God ¡§colonies¡¨ in dozens of countries on every continent.
Berg formally dissolved the Children of God organization in the spring of 1978, due to misuse of authority and violation of fundamental principles by some regional leaders. A new group, ¡§The Family of Love¡¨ was formed. About two-thirds of former Children of God members remained with The Family of Love.
In the early 1980s, the group¡¦s name was shortened to the Family.
David Berg passed away in late 1994. His wife of 25 years, Maria, now leads The Family, assisted by her second husband Peter and other co-workers.

Where does the Family stand with
mainstream Christianity?
The greater parts of the Family¡¦s fundamental beliefs are in line with those held by millions of Christians the world over. We respect other Christian denominations as different and differing parts of the Body of Christ, each with their own particular emphasis, doctrines, and sphere of influence.

„Y ¡§The Family is representative of American Protestant Evangelicalism, and in the majority of its beliefs and practices is indistinguishable from literally thousands of independent evangelical denominations and organizations.¡¨ ¡VDr. J. Gordon Melton from the Institute for the Study of American Religion, author of the Encyclopedia of American Religions.

Has The Family ever had legal problems?
Acting on malicious complaints and spurred on by sensation-seeking media, in the period from 1989 to 1993, massive pre-dawn police raids were launched against our communities in Spain, Australia, France and Argentina.
Though the specific details of the raids differ, the pattern was very similar. At each of the homes, scores of policemen barged in (often violently breaking down doors), accompanied by child protection agency representatives and the media. Shocked and bewildered mothers and fathers were ordered not to interfere as authorities cold-heartedly awoke and rounded up hundreds of our children, in some cases at gunpoint, snatching them from their beds and out of their mothers¡¦ arms and hauling them away to undisclosed locations. In a few of these incidents, adults were toted off to prison without even being notified of the charges against them, and were prevented from contacting their lawyers for days after being incarcerated. Traumatized children, who had been aggressively whisked away to detention centers by protection agencies, were not allowed to contact their parents, being told their parents had no desire to contact them.
In each of these incidents the media had been given advance notice of the raids, and TV
cameras were rolling as soon as the action began, thus guaranteeing maximum coverage of the spectacle, accompanied by interviews with anti-cult representatives proclaiming our members guilty of horrific crimes.
A protracted battle was then waged, with child protection agencies fighting to maintain guardianship of the children for as long as possible, while they examined, interrogated and observed the children they had ¡§rescued,¡¨ frantically searching for some shred of ¡§evidence¡¨ of any conceivable form of abuse. In every case, they came up empty-handed.
Over 500 children of Family members have been subjected to such government-sanctioned incarcerations and subsequent examinations by a wide range of medical, psychological, educational and legal professionals appointed by courts around the world. In each case the courts concluded that not a single child was found to show any evidence of any kind of abuse, sexual or otherwise.
In each of the sensationalized raids that the Family has been subjected to, the courts have clearly vindicated the Family of all wrongdoing, even decrying the horrific treatment of Family members and the violation of their rights. Some have been deeply disturbed by the paramilitary-style action taken against the Family without any evidence to support the allegations of wrong-doing, as is evidenced in their rulings. Judges, educators and psychologists have repeatedly gone on public record, stating that our children are above average in intellect, behavior and socialization in comparison to their peers in society at large.
Unfortunately, the facts of our vindication never receive the same coverage in the press as do the initial public presentations of the false accusations, and thus many people are not aware that we were exonerated in each of these cases that went to court!


What does The Family believe about
marriage?
Marriage, according to the Scripture, is the union of a man and a woman, as husband and wife. Members may freely marry within the Family. Those who choose to marry enter into a covenant together between themselves and the Lord, committing themselves to love, care, and be responsible for one another and their children, in a Christ-centered union that glorifies God. Those who enter into such a covenant or contract should do so with the commitment that they will remain married and continue to function together as a married couple permanently, although in extraordinary circumstances a mutually-agreed divorce is permissible.
We believe that besides accepting Jesus as their Savior, getting married is probably one of the most important decisions a person will make. Before a couple marries, they should determine in their hearts before the Lord and express one to another that they are committed to one another permanently, unless or until the Lord shall call them to be apart.
The commitment of marriage is a commitment to love and a commitment to the responsibilities of love.¡XThe responsibility to love and care for your partner in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, even if your emotional attachment lessens over the years. Marriage requires God's love, that ever-enduring love that forgives, that overcomes bitterness, familiarity and failure, love that carries us through life's difficulties and keeps on loving.


Who runs each community?
How do you decide what to do?
Each community, or Home, is self-governing and self-supporting. The Home¡¦s members vote on which members they want to pastor and manage the Home. Members over 18 also decide through voting the financial decisions of the Home, such as how to raise financial support and how those funds are spent.
Individual members are expected to find the will of God for themselves, in counsel with others, but the decisions are their own to make. Members are free to move from one Home to another providing the receiving Home agrees to take them.

Who is the leader of The Family today?
In October 1994 our founder, David Berg, passed on and was succeeded by his wife, Maria. She and her second husband Peter preside over World Services, which is the administrative body of The Family responsible for the overall organization and doctrinal teachings of the movement.

Is the Family accepted by society?
Due to public suspicion of non-conventional religions, in some countries our members keep to themselves and avoid publicity. However, they are not under any legal restraints, and The Family has not been banned in any country where religious rights are established. The court cases that followed the notorious ¡§raids¡¨ in the early ¡¥90s in Spain, France, Argentina and Australia all concluded in favor of the Family, absolving our members of any crimes.

n For more details, see our leaflet: Religious Persecution¡XThe Test of Religious Freedom

Where can I find independent information on the Family?
The Family has been the subject of in-depth studies by a number of respected academics, theologians, historians and other professionals who specialize in the study of new religious movements (NRMs). They have conducted independent studies, stayed in our Homes, interviewed our members, observed our children and written papers outlining their findings.
The following organizations can be contacted for independent information on The Family.

n INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements)
London School of Economics (LSE), Houghton Street, London WE2A 2AE, England
E-Mail:
Web site: http://www.inform.ac/infmain.html
Phone: +44 171/9557654 Fax: +44 171/2420392

n CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions)
10 via Confienza, I-10121 Torino, Italy
E-mail: Web site: http://www.cesnur.org

n HRWF (Human Rights Without Frontiers)
Avenue Winston Churchill 11/33, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Email: mbl('info','hrwf.net')"> Web site: http://www.hrwf.net')

BOOKS ABOUT THE FAMILY
n The Endtime Family--Children of God. William S. Bainbridge, 2002, SUNY Press, ISBN0791452646
n Life in The Family. James D. Chancellor, 2000. Syracuse University Press, ISBN 0-8156-0645-I
n Sex, Slander and Salvation¡XInvestigating The Family/Children of God. Edited by James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, Center for Academic Publication, ISBN 0-9639501-2-6

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The Family is discussed in each of the following:
n The New Believers. David V. Barrett, 2001, Cassel and Co, ISBN 0-304-35592-5
n The Sociology of Religious Movements. William Sims Bainbridge, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-91202
n Children in New Religions. Susan Palmer and Charlotte Hardman, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 0-8135-2620-5
n Perspectives on New Religious Movements. John A. Saliba, ISBN 0-225-66787-8
n New Religious Movements. Professor Eileen Barker, 1995, Her Majesty's Stationery Office publication.
n Encyclopedia of American Religions, Volume 2. Dr. J. Gordon Melton, McGrath Publishing Company.
n Pour En Finir Avec Les Sectes. Edited by Massimo Introvigne and Gordon Melton, Dervy Publishing House, ISBN 8885237118 (French)
n Atlasul Religiilor si al Monumentelor Istorice Religioase din Romania (Religious Atlas and Religious Historical Monuments of Romania). Dr. Constantine Cuciuc, Editura GNOSIS, ISBN 973-97660-4-8. (English and Romanian)
n Sectas o Iglesias (Sects or Churches). Isabel Lagarriga Attias, Elio Masferrer Kan y Carlos A. Cedillo, Gloria M. Cruz, Plaza y Valdes, ISBN 968-856-579-2 PYV. (Spanish)
n Dai Bambini di Dio a The Family (From the Children of God to The Family). J. Gordon Melton, edited by Massimo Introvigne and Pierluigi Zoccatelli. Elle Di Ci, Leumann (Torino) 1997, ISBN - 88-01-01000-1 (Italian)
n Religious Movements Home Page, University of Virginia: http:/cti.virginia.edu/~jkh8x/soc257/nrms/Family.html