Posted by anovagrrl on January 29, 2003 at 14:17:47
I'm thinking about doing a (very) brief psychological profile on Zerby--something along the lines of Kent's "Lustful Prophet." To do this, I need to talk to people who have actually spent extended periods of time with her and observed her behavior in different situations. Also, has she written anything about her childhood in that volumn of verbiage she puts out? Finally, can anyone give me the history of her and Peter Kelly? How long have they been together?
About me: I'm an ex member from 30 years ago. Since my COG days in the early 70s, I've raised a couple of kids, done clinical social work with abused children, and published a dissertation on how social workers perceive and define sexual abuse in different cultural contexts. Now I do mental health research, which puts me on the web most of the day.
I'm fascinated by Zerby's sociopathy. My main impression of the woman from 30 years ago is that she's not very bright...as in, she lacks much capacity for critical thinking or original ideas. Stuff I've seen from "Loving Jesus" seems like the clone of Berg. Other writing--where she purports to speak for Jesus--is pretty cheesy when you compare it to the stuff that's put out by class-act channelers. My general impression is that she's very, very anxious, fearful, and paranoid. Not unusual for an abused spouse...
Anyhoo, I'm starting a lit search on abused women who assist and support their perpetrators in victimizing vulnerable people (i.e., their own children). It's an attachment disorder similar to that of women who turn tricks for their pimp, which of course, Zerby fits. The biggest single population of women who fit this profile are found in prison.