Case snapshot
For decades, the Children of God cult indoctrinated thousands of followers with teachings that normalized sexual abuse, including the exploitation of children. Founded by David Berg in 1968, the group operated under a theology that justified rape, incest, and child molestation as divine acts. By the time survivors began speaking out in the 1990s, the abuse had already destroyed countless lives across multiple continents.
The prophet and his doctrine
David Berg started the Children of God in Huntington Beach, California, recruiting young hippies searching for purpose during the counterculture movement. He positioned himself as a prophet receiving direct revelations from God, which he distributed to followers through letters called “Mo Letters.” These writings became the foundation for decades of systematic abuse.
Berg’s theology was explicit and disturbing. He preached that sex with children was not only acceptable but spiritually beneficial. He called it “sharing” and claimed that traditional sexual boundaries were oppressive constructs of a corrupt society. His writings described detailed sexual scenarios involving minors and encouraged adult members to view children as willing participants in what he framed as expressions of God’s love.
The cult grew rapidly through the 1970s, establishing communes in over 100 countries. Berg remained largely hidden from public view, communicating through his letters while moving between secret locations. He surrounded himself with young female followers he called his “queens,” many of whom he sexually abused. His own granddaughter later testified that he molested her repeatedly starting when she was a toddler.
Flirty fishing and systematic exploitation
In 1974, Berg introduced a recruitment practice called “flirty fishing,” instructing female members to use sex to attract new converts and raise money. Women were told that prostituting themselves was a form of missionary work. The practice lasted over a decade and resulted in the births of hundreds of children within the cult, many with unknown fathers.
Children born into the Children of God faced unspeakable horror. The cult operated schools and childcare centers where systematic abuse occurred daily. Adults were encouraged to sexualize children from infancy. Teenagers were subjected to “teen training camps” where they endured physical punishment, sexual assault, and psychological torture designed to break their will.
Berg published “The Davidito Book” in 1982, a manual that documented the sexual exploitation of his own son from birth. Presented as a childrearing guide, it contained graphic descriptions and photographs of adults performing sexual acts with the child. Copies were distributed to communes worldwide as instructional material.
The walls begin to crack
Throughout the 1980s, rumors of abuse within the Children of God began reaching authorities in multiple countries. In 1987, Spanish police raided a commune and removed dozens of children, though most were eventually returned after investigations failed to produce sufficient evidence for prosecution. Similar raids occurred in France, Argentina, and Australia.
Berg died in 1994, and leadership passed to his widow Karen Zerby and her second-in-command Steven Kelly. They rebranded the organization as “The Family International” and issued statements claiming they had reformed their practices and rejected Berg’s teachings on child sexuality. Former members insisted the abuse continued.
What truly broke the cult’s facade wasn’t a raid or investigation. It was violence that erupted from within.
Ricky Rodriguez and the breaking point
Ricky Rodriguez was the boy featured in “The Davidito Book.” Raised as the cult’s chosen one and subjected to documented sexual abuse throughout his childhood, he grew into an adult consumed by rage at what had been done to him and others. After leaving the group in his twenties, he struggled with drugs, depression, and an inability to function outside the only world he had known.
On January 7, 2005, Rodriguez went to an apartment in Tucson, Arizona, to meet Angela Smith, a former cult member who had abused him as a child. He stabbed her to death. Hours later, he drove to Blythe, California, checked into a trailer park, and shot himself in the head. He was 29 years old.
Before his death, Rodriguez recorded a video explaining his actions. He spoke calmly about his intention to murder cult leaders, specifically his mother Karen Zerby. He detailed the abuse he had endured and expressed regret only that he wouldn’t be able to kill more people responsible for his suffering. The video circulated online and became impossible for the cult to suppress or explain away.
His death forced media attention onto the Children of God abuse scandal in a way decades of survivor testimony had not. Major news outlets covered the story. Former members began speaking more openly. The cult’s carefully maintained public relations strategy collapsed.
The survivors speak
In the years following Rodriguez’s murder-suicide, hundreds of survivors came forward with accounts of their experiences in the cult. They described childhoods defined by constant sexual assault, often framed as religious ritual. Many reported being forced to participate in group sex sessions with adults starting in early childhood. Refusal brought severe punishment.
Actress Rose McGowan, who spent her early childhood in the cult, spoke publicly about the abuse and trauma she witnessed. Actor Joaquin Phoenix and his siblings were also born into the group, though their parents left when the children were young, disturbed by the increasingly explicit sexual teachings.
Survivors formed support networks and advocacy groups. They pushed for investigations and accountability. But prosecuting decades-old abuse that occurred across international borders proved nearly impossible. Many perpetrators had died or couldn’t be located. Evidence had been destroyed. Witnesses were scattered across continents.
The cult had been careful in its operations. Members moved frequently. Children were often not registered with governments. Abuse occurred in private homes and isolated communes where outside observers had no access. By the time survivors were old enough to report what had happened, years or decades had passed.
The Family’s response and evolution
The Family International issued statements condemning the abuse and claiming it had instituted policies to protect children. They excommunicated members found to have engaged in sexual contact with minors, though critics noted these expulsions often came only after public exposure. The organization maintained that Berg’s most extreme writings had been misunderstood or taken out of context.
Internal documents leaked by former members told a different story. Letters from leadership in the 1990s and 2000s showed continued devotion to Berg’s teachings and attempts to frame survivor accounts as lies spread by disgruntled apostates. The group’s protective policies appeared designed more for legal defense than actual child safety.
By 2010, The Family International had fewer than 1,500 active members, down from a peak of over 10,000. The organization officially disbanded as a centralized movement in 2010, though some communities continued operating independently. Karen Zerby and Steven Kelly disappeared from public view entirely, their whereabouts unknown.
The lasting damage
Former members of the Children of God report high rates of PTSD, depression, and suicide. Many struggle with substance abuse and difficulty forming healthy relationships. Those raised in the cult often lack formal education and job skills, having spent their childhoods in isolated communes rather than attending school.
The Children of God abuse scandal exposed how religious organizations can use belief systems to normalize atrocity. Berg created a theology that reframed rape as worship and presented pedophilia as divine love. Followers accepted these teachings because they were embedded in a larger framework of faith, community, and purpose. By the time members recognized the abuse, they were often too psychologically damaged or financially dependent to leave.
No one has ever been criminally prosecuted specifically for abuse committed under Berg’s directives within the Children of God. The cult’s international structure, frequent relocations, and destruction of evidence made legal accountability nearly impossible. Survivors have pursued civil cases with limited success.
Ricky Rodriguez’s final act brought attention to a horror that had been hiding in plain sight for decades. His death forced a reckoning that the cult couldn’t spin or suppress. But for the thousands who survived the Children of God, justice remains elusive. The organization may have disbanded, but the trauma it inflicted continues to shape lives decades later.
Where to dive deeper
- Documentary: “Children of God: Lost and Found” (Cinemax)
- Book: “Heaven’s Harlots” by Miriam Williams
- Book: “Not Without My Sister” by Kristina Jones, Celeste Jones, and Juliana Buhring
- Podcast: “Children of God” (“Cults”, Parcast Network)
