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In Reply to: Celeste posted by General Public on August 07, 2007 at 00:06:47:
I think you're right on. I don’t think you have anything in your post to apologize for. We all know that people who left before FF’ing or when it got started, when Berg publicly began going over the hill, those exmembers can be credited for that.
I think it’s another story for those of us who stayed in the Family throughout the 80's when the most of the sexual abuse took place. Even if someone lived in a single family home as I did with just my wife and kids for part of that time period, and I didn't personally see what was being practiced in many homes everywhere in the world, it’s essential to note that Berg promoted adult/child sex in letters to the whole Family that were first published in the early 80's, for ex. “The Devil Hates Sex” in 1980, the “Davidito Book” in ’82. There is no way I can make an excuse that I didn’t know about it. Why didn’t I leave or do anything about it? I don’t have an excuse only an explanation. Even though it seemed to me that something was terribly wrong with it, in my twisted mind I thought that something was wrong with me. I sincerely believed that I wasn’t free enough in the Spirit and in the truth, that I had not been purified enough by the washing of my sins in the blood of Jesus, and as a result I did not have the so-called purity of love that Berg touted in the development of his ‘scriptural’ doctrine to justify his own perversions. Needless to say, I was one hell of a f****d-up cultie dude who believed God’s chosen End-Time Prophet couldn’t get it wrong:
“THE ONLY WAY TO GET FREE FROM HIM AND HIS LIES AND HIS PROHIBITIONS AND GUILT COMPLEXES ABOUT SEX is to get rid of his lies and his lying propaganda, his anti-sex propaganda, and believe the Lord and His Word and His Creation and God's Love and His freedom! That there's nothing in the world at all wrong with sex as long as it's practiced in love, whatever it is or whoever it's with, no matter who or what age or what relative or what manner!”
“… the only way to get freedom is to know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Praise God! In which all things are lawful, Paul said so! WHEN HE SAID, "ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL UNTO ME, BUT ALL THINGS ARE NOT EXPEDIENT" (1Co. 6:12), he was as good as saying, "I can indulge in any kind of sex I want to, but I've got to watch our for the system because it's against the law!" (Maria: At least not let'm find out if you do it!) Yes. He said, "Against such there is not law" (Gal. 5:23)-against those things that are done in love.” (Excerpts from the “Devil Hates Sex”)
Even if I thought there was something wrong with my salvation, at the same time I still sensed that there was something seriously wrong with Berg, but unfortunately, sadly, lamely, I compartmentalized all of Berg’s writings on the subject, as well as the Davidito Book and the other pubs, many of which made it clear that not only did Berg practice what he preached he meant for his followers to do the same.
The only conclusion to make is that I’m responsible ….I “ignored” what was going on. I’ve done, and I do, what I can to make imperfect amends.
I have a daughter with whom I was not able to communicate for some time because of what she and her peers went though growing up in the Family. The only reason we now have a positive communicative relationship is because I learned to take it on the chin when she’s lashed out at me about FG responsibility for everything that’s gone down. I learned not to say a single word other than acknowledging that she is in the right and has every right to despise the environment she grew up in with all the damage and tragedy that has ensued. The facts are the facts and they can’t be rationalized.
