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In Reply to: Steven David -- Can anyone add to this? posted by Researcher on November 27, 2005 at 17:44:22:
--In Toronto Stephen David did not share the same limelight as M.E. and A. After Aaron’s death Stephen David became more and more of a charismatic Family inspirationalist leader and “prophet”. This devotion the “music of the spirit” as defined by Berg (ML #32 ‘Sock It To Me, #92 ‘Inspired and Uninspired Songs’, led Stephen D. to declare himself a guardian of the Family’s musical heritage. With a group of ‘followers’ he received prophecies to do a sackcloth vigil in the Family’s ‘Poorboy Club’ in Rome against a Family’s band and the ‘worldly’ music they were playing to attract potential new disciples to the club. The vigil took place and caused a major division between Stephen & his followers and Silas and Timothy Concerned who were the leaders in Italy at the time.
--By 1976 Stephen, Mother Eve & their team had begun to pioneer Tunisia. He began his own news magazine called the “Land of Not Too Much”. He published and preached to Family members to drop out of the “Chain of Cooperation” in order to be free to pioneer new countries, especially North Africa. The Chain of Cooperation was the leadership structure Berg had established in the publication of the “New Revolution” series (MLs # 328-329). There were no letters from Berg to Family members concerning these acts of independence. As a result many followers were recruited and border base homes were established in Malta, Italy, Switzerland and France. These homes were free from the literature quotas that existed in homes under the leadership structure of the Chain of Cooperation.
--As the leader and prophet of the “Drop out of the Chain” movement, at times Stephen D. was extremely dictatorial and harsh. Once he was seen violently losing his temper with John who had become Mother Eve’s partner. John and Mother Eve had made some plans Stephen D. disagreed with. Stephen D. would have sex with the wives of others behind their husbands’ backs. He was a manipulator. Very much true to David Brandt Berg’s style of leading.
--With time, followers of Stephen D. and Mother E. began to defect and to rejoin the Chain of Cooperation.
