Coming here to the ExFam webpage, and understanding the gist of what it stands for is quite simple, to the point of being, and I say this with all due respect to the Coordinators, a sort of “Ex-Cult Member Webpage for Dummies”.
It's a no-brainer.
In other words, to come here and assume that there is any other theme or intention than that of an unofficial worldwide grouping of ex-members of a particularly nasty little sub-Christian cult wanting to redress grievances shared in common regarding that cult’s disingenuousness and fraud for economic gain and personal power over others, both in the past, and continuing today, and expressing the desire to prevent those acts by the cult to continue to be perpetrated and justified under a false banner of “freedom of religion” would be stupid beyond belief.
An online dictionary defines “stupid” as
1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse. 2. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes. 3. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake. 4. Pointless; worthless: a stupid job.
The first item on ExFam’s webpage that catches the eye is an old COG-days “Prophet Bus”, with a picture of an early ‘70s hippie standing there looking stupid like his false prophet leader told him to, and trying hard to look like an old-timey prophet of sorts, with a short description of the cult’s intent to deceive written underneath.
That, of course, is the main theme of the website, and there are sidebar references to many news media sources which have already proved this intent to deceive by everyone associated with the cult as a member of any type.
About the third item you see on the Home page asks the rhetorical question:
“Would you • “trust "missionaries" who believe in lying about their true identity, beliefs & secret practices?
• donate to "charities" which use most of your money for their own living expenses?
• allow your tax dollars to benefit producers of anti-Semitic hate literature?
• support volunteer organizations with a history of sexual abuse of minors claiming to "help youth & children?"
• follow the teachings of an alcoholic leader who led his members into sacred prostitution?
An offering of personal testimonies follows, as well as links to other proofs of what the cult is known to have always believed and practiced, since its inception in 1968.
A third column shows links to more exposés on the character of all its current members, and past and current leaders, and the fifth item in that column links to an exposé that is a reiteration of what was proposed as an unworthy object of trust in the main body, or second column, denoting that trust is not warranted, because The Family International funds its operations to its top headquarters.
As is true of any extant document-based religion, TFI’s beliefs from its start to its current beliefs and practices can easily be proven to be what its so-called detractors say about it.
And, one of those items of truth about the overall organization is that the doctrine of “Deceivers Yet True” allows TFI members to tell lies both great and small with an equal sense of “innocence” justified by a quick and dirty self-justification of the end justifying the means.
They can literally say anything to the public, as one of their core doctrines, and can therefore NEVER be trusted to be telling the truth; ESPECIALLY when it immediately pays them to lie, protects known criminals in TFI, or especiallyperpetuates in the public's eye the false view of TFI as a bona fide religious organization.
One of the most recent developments, but still most major, in regards to PR and fundraising, is the established fact that TFI leadership has come up with what it has called “TV Homes”, where all occupants are intent on purposely proving falsely to the public what the second column of the webpage warns about; these people try to give the lie to the fact that the ENTIRE organization is made up of phony “"missionaries" who believe in lying about their true identity, beliefs & secret practices”, in order to get the unsuspecting public to “donate to "charities" which use most of your money for their own living expenses”.
What I also propose is that the intent to deceive has also recently undergone a major change, one of the most insidious, yet.
That change is the purposeful creation of Homes where the members have ALL been purposely deceived by their own leadership, and have been told that TFI’s actual beliefs and practices have changed worldwide, when they simply have not.
It is merely the most current PR ruse—TFI is willing to deceive its own members, as Berg was originally, when he pretended to offer his first followers a "new way" to become disciples of the real Jesus Christ. He never came through, and neither has his organization; ever. He and his most ardent followers were financially parasitic from the very first--Berg's Mom was a false evangelist, and so was he; as well as a megalomaniacal pervert of the worst sort.
The cult literally became his own nasty little life; writ large.
The diet of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” defines them. That applies to Berg, Maria, Grant, and every other TFI leader, ever, and all of the willing current follower.
They consume “sheep”. Sheep are probably the stupidest members of the animal kingdom—fortunately; they CAN learn to NOT follow a false shepherd. “Deb” has begun that process.
I applaud “Deb” for having left the cult, and I will personally pray for her continued societal normalization and post-cult recovery process, with her husband and children.
I hope she comes back to post, and I look for progressive changes in her understanding along those lines. She seems very spirited and independent-minded (at least for someone recently out of the cult).
I consider the posts of “afriend”, and some others here, definitionally “stupid”; along the lines of what I wrote above, as well as any defenses stylized along the lines of “MyConclusion.com’s” PR crap (the cult’s exemplarily stupid online version of the use of the “Deceivers Yet True”/TV Homes/New Lied-To-And-Deceived-Members phenomenon, IMO).
“afriend’s” post at http://www.exfamily.org/chatbbs/genx/posts/26827.htm, to me, shows an incredible willful ignorance, and, yes, the result of years of stupid choices regarding the true nature of the cult—the comments are a waste of bandwidth, except for being an amazingly good example of rank and willful cultish stupidity.
I personally hope that ALL TFI’s financial resources suffer the result of being exposed as fraudulent PR used to support its completely parasitic members of all levels, and its criminal leadership. I hope the rank and file wake up and leave, and I hope the leaders are all caught, and have to do real prison time! I'd also like to see financial reparations, especially to SGs and TGs.
Here’s what Texas Ray said four years ago (and I completely agree with him); again, regarding Tim Peters:
”I do believe he is sincere, (as are many family members) and that he probably is not an ardent supporter of the family's weird doctrines. Very likely his association with the family is limited to his tithe and reading and disregarding the letters.
Nonetheless, as a nationally publicized "good work" of FCF, the publicity would serve to reinforce the pretense that FCF is a charitable organization doing all sorts of good things all over the world (when in fact FCF taxes 10% of the donations and uses the publicity to provide a luxury lifestyle for a few family leaders).
Sincere people (and even corporations) are being duped into supporting not Tim but FCF, believing that it is a good cause.
FCF is using Tim's interview to appeal for donations. While some donations might be earmarked for Tim, most would be just given to FCF and there is big money in tax-free donations.
If the FCF scam is not exposed and they are allowed to develop a glossed over "charitable good works" image, the money will come rolling in.
Corporations and rich donors will give what would otherwise just go to taxes thinking they are helping an international charitable organization, when in fact they are simply supporting the family (and in particular a few big shot leaders like Maria and Grant).
If we are serious about wanting to see the end of the family and it's abuses, the key is in exposing and thereby deactivating its fund raising mechanisms, so that they will be driven to allow members to get jobs for support.
Financial independence is the key to leaving the family.
Maria's demonic "Possession" jesus (no capital for that one) will lose his power once folks taste a bit of freedom. The only thing holding the SGAs in the family is that they are so cut off from the world that they don't know how to break free.
For their sakes I encourage everyone to work toward exposing all family money making schemes now.
You are not hurting individuals in doing so. Any project that supports the family in any way is doing more harm than good.
Timothy might feel his ministry is being destroyed, but as he himself said in his testimony there are many Christian groups doing more or less the same thing. Anyone who wants to give to help feed the North Koreans is not going to be deprived of the chance.
Tim's own personal income is from his "tentmaking" job so that he is not being hurt in any way. The only real difference is that the family won't get a 10% cut of the donations, and more importantly, it won't get the publicity allowing it to pretend to be a bona-fide charitable organization.
To Timothy, (I'm pretty sure you're reading this)
I'm sure you are a great guy and a dedicated Christian. You're just in the wrong camp. We were all there once too. And one day we all had to admit that we had been duped. There's no shame in realizing this, the shame is in refusing to see it. Do some research here on this board and at ex-cog and others to see why we have taken such a stand. I'm sure the Lord has been trying to show you the truth for a long time. But like all of us you fought it thinking it was "doubts".
Read the Lord Justice Ward's report and the testimonies by Mercy, Mene, Davidito, Watchman and others. Then ask the Lord if the family is really God's movement.
It's a hard pill to swallow to realize that years of your life have been thrown away following a false shepherd who led thousands of sincere young people not to God, but into sin, perversion and abuse. It's hard, but it's the first step towards getting delivered from such horrible strong delusion.
We're here to help.
with love, Texas Ray “ _________________________________________________
Me, too.
Sincerely, OT2 (OldtimerToo)
PS I heartily agree with most of Moonshiner’s and CB’s sensitive and intelligent comments (except for CB's last-minute support of Peters).
And, when he can curb his anger, I look forward to more explanatory comments from Tom Buckley—it seems that his story might include some statements showing Peters to be typical TFI leadership after all—I think, personally, that Peters is hardcore TFI, all the way.
