Charity File

• PDF format — print ready (letter format 8½" x 11" paper)

Have you ever been approached by representatives of Family Care Foundation, a California - based charitable foundation? Or by individuals who are part of Activated Ministries? Or have you purchased religious CDs, videos, posters, or other materials from Aurora Productions AG?

If so, you have probably been interacting with members of The Family, a high demand religious group. And if you have purchased their products and services or facilitated their fund- raising, you have almost certainly helped financially support The Family, an organization with a history of promoting criminal and immoral conduct that includes the sexual abuse of children, religious prostitution, and sexual promiscuity.

The Family

Some Facts
David Brandt Berg (1919 - 1994) founded The Family (formerly known as The Children of God) in 1968. Supposedly a fundamentalist Christian movement, The Family gradually implemented several harmful practices that Berg promoted. These include:

Adult-child sexual relations
In a 1980 internal Family publication, Berg instructed his followers that:

There's nothing in the world at all wrong with sex as long as its practiced in love, whatever it is, or whoever it's with, no matter who, or at what age or what relative or in what manner.

Berg had sexual relations with his granddaughter and other young girls. For over a decade, adult members sexually abused thousands of children. In a 1995 custody case, Lord Justice Ward of the High Court of England ruled that:

There was widespread sexual abuse of young children and teenagers by adult members of The Family, and this abuse occurred to a significantly greater extent within The Family than occurred in society outside it.

While The Family has stopped the abuse, no effort has been made to compensate the victims, nor prosecute the abusers.

Religious prostitution
For over a decade Berg pressured female Family members to prostitute themselves (also known as Flirty Fishing) in order to win converts, gain influence, and increase financial support. The Family raised millions of dollars in this manner.

Sexual promiscuity
Extramarital and premarital sex is an integral part of The Family's beliefs and lifestyle.

**********

Currently The Family is led by Berg's former companion, Karen "Queen Maria" Zerby and her partner, Steve "King Peter" Kelly, both of who live in hiding and demand unquestioning loyalty from their followers. They too have promoted the sexual abuse of children. In a 1992 internal Family publication, Zerby wrote:

I feel we need to somehow explain to our children and Teens that love and loving affection is not wrong. Having actual intercourse with a child wouldn't be okay, but a little fondling & sweet affection is not wrong in the eyes of God, & if they have experienced the same in the past they weren't "abused."

Family Connections

Due to the controversial history of The Family, as well as its current beliefs and practices, few members identify themselves as such when soliciting donations and fund- raising. Instead, they claim to be "independent missionaries" or representatives of the following organizations, which Family leaders created.

Family Care Foundation (FCF)
EIN 33- 0734917. (www. familycare. org)
A California public benefit corporation, FCF attempts to attract tax- exempt charitable donations for ventures run by Family members.

Activated Ministries
(www. activated. org) Activated holds seminars and publishes several magazines in order to win converts and supporters for The Family.

Aurora Productions AG
(www. auroraproduction. com ) Queen Maria and King Peter control this secretive company. Based in Zug Switzerland, Aurora owns the copyrights to all Family products.

What Can You Do?

Practice responsible, informed charitable giving.
Know where your charitable donations are going and how they will be used. Will any funds be passed on to unnamed secondary groups?

Ask questions and expect clear answers.
Ask representatives of these organizations about their relationship to The Family. If they are Family members, request an explanation about their beliefs and practices and how donations are used. Then decide if you wish to facilitate their fundraising or support them with charitable giving.

To learn more about The Family, Family Care Foundation, Activated Ministries, and Aurora Productions, visit:

• www. movingon. org
• http://countercog.excult.org
• www.geocities.com/magicgreenshirt
• www.exfamily.org
• http://countercog.excult.org/judgment/index.htm
• www.thefamily.org
• http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~skent/childrengod.html

Copyright 2002