#karenzerby

[ex-cogtfi]

This is part two of a look at the context of the word “security” in the cult.

The Family International (formerly the Children of God and the Family of Love) have spent over 50 years avoiding prosecution for their crimes, conning donors, and developing and honing strategies to handle legal attacks and combat public criticism.

They’ve worked to create a carefully curated image of a wholesome missionary group, misunderstood by the public and maligned by detractors. Through setting up charitable fronts, befriending people with influence, and coaching members to practice the doctrine of “deceivers yet true”, TFI have attempted to publicly distance themselves from policies that resulted in the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children. TFI has been so successful in their rebranding campaigns and coverups that they were invited to perform at the White House during the administrations of two United States presidents.

Meanwhile, TFIs internal publications show that the cult’s leadership have no remorse for the harms they have and continue to cause. Internal documents by the current leader and co-founder Karen Zerby explicitly state that the cult still believes there is nothing inherently wrong with adult-child sex and adult-child sexual interactions.

(The content of these posts has been adapted and excerpted from articles on exfamily.org, especially “The Family - Official Policy on Lying & Deception”. Underlining is consistent with the original cult publications.)

#deception #cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivor #karenzerby #davidberg #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #groupthink #coercivecontrol #indoctrination #cultpropaganda #freedomofmind #theinfluencecontinuum #theBITEModel #undueinfluence #gaslighting #trauma #igotout

[ex-cogtfi]

To close 2023, we're sharing this heartfelt poem by COG-TFI survivor E.S. @poetry_catharsis that traces the impact of psychological and emotional abuse inflicted upon children, the devastating repercussions, and the reclaiming and unlearning we choose as survivors. The choices we make each day to choose self love and freedom, to rewrite the messages ingrained in us. To take back what was stolen from us before we were born.

May 2024 be a year of continued healing and awareness, as we support survivors in telling their stories and healing, and shine a light on cults and cultic abuse.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #childrenofgod #davidberg #karenzerby #cultsurvivor #coercivecontrol #emotionalabuse #childabuse #psychologicalabuse #trauma #traumarecovery #poetry #poem #cult #igotout

[ex-cogtfi]

This post outlines COG-TFI’s long, consistent, and ongoing history of denying sexual abuse, including a public denial of child sexual abuse in 1988 that they were forced to walk back in 1994 when compelled by a UK court to acknowledge that because of cult teachings and writings, more children in the cult than outside it had become victims of child sexual abuse.

The cult’s campaign of denial and coverup included brainwashing and training children to deny the abuse perpetrated against them. With cult literature and comics that children were forced to read from a young age, children were taught to be watchful of their words around non-members to avoid disclosing abuse. Internally, COG-TFI continued to defend its sexual practices and sexualization of minors, even as it declared to the world that it had completely renounced such doctrines and strived to falsely portray such abuse as a thing of the past.

Moreover, little known to the public is the 2004 publication “Renewal: Amnesty” by current COG-TFI leaders Karen Zerby and Steven Kelly that proves ongoing sexual abuse in the cult and leadership’s awareness of it. In an effort to motivate members to confess to offenses including sexual abuse against minors, Zerby and Kelly enacted a period of “amnnesty” for excommunicable offenses including what in many jurisdictions is statutory rape, and the sexual molestation of minors. This "amnesty" also allowed excommunicated sexual offenders back into the cult. The cult’s awareness of the criminality of these offenses is seen in its statement in the aforementioned 2004 publication that this amnesty “does not absolve anyone from legal ramifications of breaking laws of the country in which they live”.

(The content of these posts has been adapted and excerpted from an article on exfamily.org: “The Family - Official Policy on Lying & Deception” and references the 2004 COG-TFI publication “Renewal: Amnesty” found at pubs.xfamily.org)

#deception #cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivor #karenzerby #davidberg #stevenkelly #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #groupthink #coercivecontrol #indoctrination #cultpropaganda #freedomofmind #theinfluencecontinuum #theBITEModel #undueinfluence #childsexualabuse #childabuse #gaslighting #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

Have you ever felt like you had a chance to be reborn, to see the world with fresh eyes? Verity Teri Carter, a second-generation survivor of the COG-TFI cult, describes the intense emotional rollercoaster she experienced after escaping the cult.

Although she had to contend with many struggles after starting her life over, the challenges did not diminish the sheer joy of having the freedom to make her own choices and forge her own way, in contrast with the coercive control of the cult infrastructure. Finding freedom is not without its cost, but it is worth it!

Please read, share, and take a moment to sign the petition (in bio) to bring current leader of 'The Family International' (formerly known as 'The Children of God') to justice.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #coercivecontrolawareness #cultsurvivor #religiousabuse #childabuse #igotout #cults #survivor #freedom #healing #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

Mary Mahoney, a first-generation survivor of the COG-TFI cult, describes the emotional devastation of coming to terms with spending much of her adult life in a cult. Coupled with guilt and regret for the decades devoted to an exploitative organization was the struggle of unlearning years of propaganda and manipulation. Over time, Mary has found healing and is grateful for each day now spent in freedom.

Read more of Mary’s writings on Medium https://mary-mahoney.medium.com/

and on her blog, where she shares her journey: https://comingtogripswith.blogspot.com/. Read about her experiences in COG-TFI in her memoir, Abnormal Normal: My Life in the Children of God.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #coercivecontrol #cultsurvivor #religiousabuse #childabuse #igotout #cults #survivor #freedom #healing #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

TW child abuse, religious abuse

February 18th. On THE DATE that the cult of COG-TFI is still celebrating as the "birthday" of the cult and its late pedophiliac founder David Berg, COG-TFI survivors are speaking out in The Sunday Mail and on Episode 2 of the explosive documentary series Prayed Upon by the Courier Mail.

We are incredibly proud of these brave survivors for speaking out, as it is an emotionally intense, vulnerable, and demanding experience to go public with such personal and painful stories. Please support COG-TFI survivors and help us raise awareness by sharing this post and signing our petition to bring COG-TFI cofounder and current leader Karen Zerby to justice (link in bio).

#cogtfisurvivors #couriermailaustralia #davidberg #karenzerby #cultsurvivors #thefamilyinternational #childrenofgod #childabuse #childsexualabuse #medicalneglect #physicalabuse #childtrafficking #religiousabuse #justice #cults #igotout #tw child abuse #tw religious abuse

[ex-cogtfi]

February 18th, the birthday of COG-TFI’s late founder David Berg that doubles as the cult's self-appointed "birthday", has been a day of cultic rituals and forced declarations of devotion, but in 2002 it became a very different anniversary for second-generation COG-TFI survivor Whisper James ( Whisper Wind ). Instead of a day devoted to a cult that oppressed and abused the most vulnerable, it became the day that Whisper James found her freedom. In this post, she describes the many obstacles, psychological and physical, that she bravely overcame to gain freedom for herself and for her children. Despite the cult’s mechanism of forcing cult women into coerced reproduction and childrearing to keep them enslaved to the cult and its ideology, Whisper found the strength to become a Cycle-Breaker, taking herself and her children away from the cult’s clutches forever.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #coercivecontrol #cultsurvivor #survived #survivorstory #religiousabuse #traumahealing #breakingfree #igotout #cults #free #survivor #freedom #healing #trauma #cycle breaker #september 11 tw

[ex-cogtfi]

February 18th is a loaded day for many COG-TFI survivors in terms of memories, associations, triggers, and even flashbacks. This post explains why.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #stevenkelly #coercivecontrol #religiousabuse #traumahealing #breakingfree #cultsurvivor #religiousrituals #cultleaders #fasting #igotout #cults #free #freedom #trauma #feb 18

[ex-cogtfi]

This piece reflects on the unequal power dynamic and oppression many second-generation cult survivors experienced being raised in the cult of COG-TFI. Children raised in the cult were of value only in their potential to serve the cult’s interests, not for their inherent worth as human beings. As many cult members watched large numbers of second-generation adults choosing to leave the cult, some cult parents became fixated on guilting and trapping their children into staying in the cult. This piece uses the relationship between a tyrannical empress and a slave girl to portray the dictatorial control children and youth in the cult went through. After a long struggle, freedom is sweet, as it would have been to a slave girl bidding farewell to the empress who enslaved her.

Credit: image by pngtree

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #coercivecontrol #cultsurvivor #survived #religiousabuse #traumahealing #childabuse #breakingfree #igotout #cults #free #survivor #freedom #healing #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

Have you ever been shunned by the people you loved the most because of your personal decision? This account by a second-generation survivor of the COG-TFI cult describes the immense determination and strength it takes for those born and raised in a cult to leave, as it often means the loss of family, friends, and any support system they may have known. Children in COG-TFI were raised to be God's Endtime soldiers and taught that furthering the cult's mission was their life's sole purpose. Thus, leaving was seen as the ultimate betrayal, and shunning by family members was institutionalized through explicit edicts from COG-TFI leaders Karen Zerby and Steven Kelly. With little education and no financial provisions or connections, the outside world was frightening and the transition often deeply difficult and painful. Still, this survivor bravely chose to break free.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #stevenkelly #coercivecontrol #cultsurvivor #survived #survivorstory #religiousabuse #traumahealing #childabuse #breakingfree #igotout #cults #free #survivor #freedom #healing #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

In this personal account, a second-generation survivor reflects on the day she left the cult of COG-TFI. She describes her realization of freedom in having her own room, being able to come and go without permission, being free to have and express emotions. Basic needs such as privacy and personal space were not guaranteed for children in COG-TFI; overcrowded and unbalanced living conditions were more common than not. From infancy, most children in COG-TFI were policed in every aspect of their lives from matters such as shower duration and clothing to emotional expression. Although recovery is a daily struggle and the pain of trauma is long lasting, freedom makes it all worthwhile, as this survivor celebrates on her Freedom Day each year.

#cogtfisurvivors #thefamilyinternational #davidberg #karenzerby #coercivecontrol #cultsurvivor #religiousabuse #emotionalabuse #childabuse #igotout #cults #survivor #freedom #healing #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

This poem by second generation COG-TFI survivor, activist, and author Natacha Tormey , “Nameless”, powerfully describes the lost childhoods of second and third generation survivors who were victimized and dehumanized by cult practices and abuses. Instead of being valued as individuals, children born into COG-TFI were treated as cult members in training, valuable to the cult only as long as they served its corrupt purposes. Although it is impossible to recover all we survivors have lost, we can unite to support one another and expose the crimes of those who exploited the young and vulnerable.

#cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivor #karenzerby #davidberg #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #trauma #traumarecovery #poetry #poem #childabuse #healing #igotout

[ex-cogtfi]

This December, we are celebrating COG-TFI survivors by featuring original art and poetry created by survivors. We are excited and honored to start by sharing this powerful poem by COG-TFI survivor Jemima L Farris . Jemima’s poem captures the strength, resilience, and courage shown by survivors, and we’re sure survivors from many different journeys will relate to these heartfelt words.

#cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivor #karenzerby #davidberg #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #trauma #poetry #recovery #healing #risingagain

[ex-cogtfi]

#Cogtfisurvivors are survivors of the notorious cult of the Children of God / The Family International, known worldwide for its history of prolific child abuse, child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and victimization of cult members young and old. In our mission to raise awareness about the cult and bring cult abusers to justice, it is often necessary to share difficult content and discuss intense and painful topics. It's never easy for us to put out these posts, and we deeply appreciate each person who chooses to hold space for survivors, validate our experiences, and learn more about the reality of COG-TFI through our posts.

As 2023 draws to a close, we want to celebrate the spirit and strength of the COG-TFI survivor community; the resilience and courage that refuses to be destroyed by the trauma and the lifelong impacts of abuse; the beauty and soul that shines through the art and poetry created by survivors, which we will be featuring this month.

Celebrate survivors with us.

#cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivors #karenzerby #davidberg #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #coercivecontrol #trauma #poetry #art #recovery #healing #survival #igotout

[ex-cogtfi]

Following threats of legal investigation due to reports of sexual abuse of minors in COG-TFI, cult leaders Steve Kelly and Karen Zerby decided that children and teenagers in the cult needed to be indoctrinated to lie to protect the interests of the cult.

The infamous “Deceivers Yet True” comic was thus written, with strategies learned from military campaigns, to teach children that lying about the cult's practices and beliefs was a righteous act in God’s eyes. The comic used Scriptures and Bible stories (some of which were fabricated) to support this idea. The concepts in the “Deceivers Yet True” comic became an integral part of drills and role plays that the cult forced children to undergo in preparation for possible police raids and interaction with legal authorities, and became integral to a cult culture of incessant deception and suspicion of non-members.

(The content of these posts has been adapted and excerpted from an article on exfamily.org: “The Family - Official Policy on Lying & Deception”. The full comic referenced in these posts can be found at xfamily under “True Komix - Deceivers Yet True”. Underlining in the comic excerpts is consistent with the original publication.)

#deception #cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivor #karenzerby #davidberg #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #groupthink #coercivecontrol #indoctrination #cultpropaganda #cultliterature #freedomofmind #theinfluencecontinuum #theBITEModel #undueinfluence #childabuse #gaslighting #trauma

[ex-cogtfi]

In 1992, a custody battle between a COG-TFI member and her mother over the custody of the former's child resulted in a lengthy legal investigation into the cult by Lord Justice Ward. In his judgment, he details his experience of dealing with COG-TFI members, children born into COG-TFI, and COG-TFI’s legal representatives.

Notably, he repeatedly found COG-TFI leadership and members to be obscuring the truth, twisting facts, and outright lying under oath in order to prevent the court from knowing the full extent of the cult’s practices and doctrines. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence, COG-TFI denied the sexual abuse that took place in the cult on a massive scale and the sexually explicit content it had created for its members. Lord Justice Ward found COG-TFI leaders and members to be completely untrustworthy.

(The content of these posts has been adapted and excerpted from sources on exfamily.org: “The Family - Official Policy on Lying & Deception”, “The Family - Lying Under Oath”, and “The Judgement of Lord Justice Ward”.)

#deception #cogtfisurvivors #cultsurvivor #karenzerby #davidberg #childrenofgod #thefamilyinternational #groupthink #coercivecontrol #indoctrination #cultpropaganda #freedomofmind #theinfluencecontinuum #theBITEModel #undueinfluence #childsexualabuse #childabuse #gaslighting #trauma