Posted by Commentator on November 15, 2006 at 16:28:36
In Reply to: Tell the truth posted by More Answer on November 10, 2006 at 19:47:32:
Sex may have been at the center of their doctrines, but come-unions happened only sometimes. Inter-home sharing happened regardless of 1983's "Ban the Bomb," and Zerby tried to revive sexual sharing in the late 90s.
In regards to adult-child sexual contact, I saw something which shocked me a couple of times, 14 year old girls propositioning full grown adult males, because they were considered adults by age 12. But I was told it was because I was an "old bottle." It even shocked me when I was propositioned by a 19 year old (I declined). Convenient, how TF later put the blame on the teens, when they changed their tune, with the "flirty little teens" letter.
As shocking as I found it being propositioned by teens, strangely, I did not find the Davidito book shocking. I didn't have enough references to normal life outside the cult, and having been abused myself as a child, I had somehow been made to see it as normal. It is strange now, nothing I can properly explain. All this to say, I did witness inappropriate contact beween adults and minors, and some of it I didn't understand was inappropiate back then.
I've been going over it again and I think the BAR advisory came out in 1987, but most definitely not 1986 like TF claims. Regardless, Zerby exposed what everybody inside already knew, that they were supposed to play along with the system but not actually believe child-adult sex was wrong. I'd venture to say she realized that whatever she wrote could be turned against her and then decided to really play along with the system, by finally turning around a few years later and conceding that child-adult was wrong. But the wording still lames it on the System's laws.