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Getting Out : Inside Out
I am not a Robot | from steam - Friday, November 25, 2005
accessed 1450 times A pledge for current Family members. I was thinking of the way so many members of "The Family" are offended by being called "Robots". I thought of a short and simple pledge that you could give to any friend or relative that is a current member of "The Family" that they would need to sign to give them the right to say they have made an informed decision of their own free will and after signing they would have the right to say "I am not a robot". This could also be given to the media and anyone who wishes to speak for The Family, but claims to be uncontrolled would either have to sign or refuse to sign it, which would expose whether they are robots or not. The following is a quickly written badly structured crude first stab at such a statement. I would encourage any who have the time or inclination to improve as I am sure it could be vastly improved.
The I am not a robot pledge.
I would like to state for the record that I am a member of The Family of my own free and informed will. I state categorically that I am open to hearing all sides in any debate regarding The Familys history and past and present practices, because I agree that only an informed decision that has seriously considered all sides of a matter can be considered a decision arrived at (as much as possible) without being driven by emotional bias. And only if a person is willing to consider all sides can a person fairly claim that they consider the truth to be paramount. I would consider anyone who simply refused to look at more than one side of a story, to be displaying signs of robotic allegiance to the belief system that they hold. If ever I was presented with evidence that convinced me personally that Berg had pedophile sexual relations with minors (including his own biological children) under the age of fourteen, and further encouraged the same, and further that he had criminally tortured a minor and that His wife Zerby and Her current Husband Kelly had been aware of and participated in this behavior, and if further I was convinced that there was overwhelming evidence that Zerby and Kelly currently know both the location and history of some who committed criminal pedophile acts, and are not willing to surrender the information to law enforcement, and further if I saw evidence that I believed to be unmanufactured that when they publicly renounced the promotion of pedophilia, Zerby secretly lamented the fact they had to pretend they saw these things as wrong to protect themselves from criminal prosecution. I would categorically denounce both their behavior and their authority to be the channels that decide what is from God and what is not. I am offended at even the ridiculous suggestion of this behaviour, however for the sake of clarity of my position. I will sign this statement.
Signed: ___________
(Member of The Family International
Date: ___________ |
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Reader's comments on this article Add a new comment on this article |  from Eileen
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 00:15
(Agree/Disagree?)
To my parents and elder brothers I presented this as my final argument: If IT (abuse of minors) really did happen and you were given strong evidence of multiple cases would you still remain a member of this group, still believe in what they say and support them financially?
The answer I got from all was that mistakes WERE made and those responsible have been "dealt with", AND ("Here's your cherry dah'ling, be quiet now.") Peter PUBLICALLY apologized for any abuse that happened.
I really think the common members would need to have those who have been guiding them & forming their opinions for them since they were teenagers or yound adults(their "shepherds, the leadership) break down and admit having made gross errors of judgement in order for them to believe that's what really happened.
To show this I recently overheard a conversation between my mum (cult member) and another cultie in which she mentioned the overly strict punishments of the group (pre-'95) and when the other cultie questioned this my mum said "Well, they admitted it, honey, it must have been going on." For crying out loud, this woman was witness to the Mene-Trial! I saw what I believe to be a relatively recent publication entitled: "All These Things Do Not Move Me". I think that says it.
(reply to this comment)
| from mia1
Monday, November 28, 2005 - 15:57
(Agree/Disagree?)
sounds like to whole plege my life and loyaty to the david stuff I memorized years ago if you ask me. Personally I don't see any fam signing that as they are "to cool" for that kind of thing. Would you sign it???
(reply to this comment)
| | | |  From steam
Monday, November 28, 2005, 18:05
(Agree/Disagree?)
I know I did not do a perfect job, but it requires a person to take a stand as to whether or not they agree with it. I had to take a little of a Family members perspective in order for it to work, but if it is polished up right it would make it perfectly clear to the media, that anyone who does not agree with the statements concept is not interested in "the truth" at all, and cannot reasonably claim to be. It has nothing to do with "cool" for a Family member, they sign pledges all the time. But when they refuse to, you can ask them to formulate a reasoned response as to what they disagree with in the statement. It makes them look at the big picture for a second.(reply to this comment) |
| | From FreeYourMind
Monday, November 28, 2005, 19:20
(Agree/Disagree?)
I think you did a good job; Family members always try to hide from the real issues. I think the central question in your statement is this:
To Family members: If you had strong evidence that Berg had sexual contact with children and that the current Family leadership knew and enabled this, would you continue to support them?
They can't agree to this, because they know this happened. (At least ALL the Fga's know this.)Never mind the "detractors" and the "vindictive apostates", it's spelled out right in the official "MO letters".
Berg came right out in favor of child abuse, both in his personal life, and in his public teachings, and "Mama and Peter" were right there for the worst of it. The rank and file current members of the Family need to remember this. (reply to this comment) |
| | | | | | | | From ESJ
Tuesday, November 29, 2005, 19:00
(Agree/Disagree?)
I think this is a great idea. It's basically the same thing I asked the NZ 60 Minutes reporter to ask Paul Hartingdon when she interviewed him. ie: "In light of the fact that you know your wonderful prophet David Berg taught, condoned and even practiced pedophilia himself, and in light of the fact that he and his off-siders extensively taught and sanctioned the abuse of TF's children, how can you as a 'conscientious parent' and a professing Christian possibly continue to follow and represent and cover for this man and his successors? Where is the logic in this?"
Although they didn't have time to include it in the finalized report, she said he was absolutely stumped by the question, couldn't answer a word, and after about 45 seconds asked for the camera to be turned off.
I think asking Family members - especially SGA's, some of whom genuinely haven't seen or heard of the past teachings and pubs - to sign such a pledge, and then showing them copies of some of the worst things Berg, Zerby and Kelley have come out with over the years, would really bring it home to them just how unblanced and denial-based TF's mind set really is. And, they would then be forced to either put their money where their mouth is and agree to reject such abusive teachings and practices, or show their true colors by reneging their pledge and choosing to stay in denial. Either way, they will be confronted with the truth, which is always ultimately transformative.(reply to this comment) |
| | From Joey
Wednesday, November 30, 2005, 02:22
 (Agree/Disagree?)
I lived with Paul Hartington in India for a number of years and when my parents decided to leave TF and where in a hotel waiting to leave India to return to Australia he and his wife 'Maria' (at the time) came to try and talk them out of it.
When I spoke to Steve Rice from 60 mins Australia I was in Ireland on holiday and was so dissapointed I couldn't be a part of the story he produced. You don't know what it means to me to hear that that sort of question was posed to that man and that it floored him. He was one of those authoritarian types that took great pleasure in dreaming up new ways to punish kids. Let's just say he was good at it!
As he has been presented to us as the 'Australian' leader he becomes the prime target for attack from justice seekers. Steve Rice asked me if I saw with my own eyes 'Paul' sexually abusing minors. My reply was that if there was a girl in any home he lived in that was over age 12 then it was not a question but a certainty.
I don't get how TF says they stopped the abuse in '86! Where did they come up with this date from? That is the time they started the read and burn letters but that was it.
There are too many of us. the question I'm asked the most is, "Why when there are so many of you that speak against it, do they still survive the test of time?" What answer do I have beside, "We are too scattered and hurt, shy and guilt ridden to stand up on mass"!
IS THIS STILL THE CASE?(reply to this comment) |
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