I am writing this after hearing that there are those who feel that we who are members of The Family International have no actual desire to be here and are somehow being manipulated into remaining by “forces unseen”.

I, Jason David Etheredge, can personally attest that were it not for my firm belief that the vocation I’ve chosen is, in fact, bettering the lives of those I come in contact with, I wouldn’t be here. Many of my close friends, family and acquaintances have chosen other paths, and have found careers they are happy with. I congratulate them on their vision and drive in achieving those things they desire, much in the same way I have continued to be a Full-time member and have acquired linguistic skills, managerial qualities, learned business & accounting, automotive mechanics, teaching & a host of other things that although do not provide me with a degree, enable me to live harmoniously with others & “seek the happiness of others above my own.”

I imagine some of you may wonder how all this ties in to recent bizarre events, indeed, at first glance this may smack of a poorly written résumé. No, I don’t seek employment, what I do seek is a chance to assuage the “concerns” of some of the vocal detractors in regards to my beliefs.

I met her, granted, it was only brief encounters, for instance, when I was dropping off donated food to the mission center of the country in which she resided prior to her murder. I remember being caught off guard by her warm & disarming disposition; the way she thanked me profusely for “thinking of them”, I mean, it’s not like I handed her a check for $1,000, even so, her gratitude was on par with a donation of $1,000,000. This isn’t a eulogy either. Angela Smith deserves one far more all-encompassing then anything I could ever muster.

Rather, it’s an attempt to address the problem I believe to be at the core of the issue: The lack of respect for our God-given right of free choice. Who are they to say that we don’t have the right to raise our children in the manner we see fit? To hold to the creed we do & practice our beliefs? Do I tell them, “You can study any career you desire besides modern medicine” because I ( and George Bernard Shaw) believe it to be “the department of witchcraft called medical science”? They would disregard my “close-minded, bigoted claim” & continue with their chosen path. Maybe I’m a few decades late in my desire for equality, but I feel it’s a point worth taking into consideration.

Before I end this “declaration of my ability to think, act & believe of my own accord”.
I would like to touch on the issue of child abuse which seems to get dredged up time & again even after we, as a Fellowship, have been exonerated in a court of law in various countries. I was never abused, I did receive discipline on occasion, only when deserved, oftentimes warranted. In fact, now that I’m grown (somewhat, I realize that at 19yrs. of age I don’t speak from that much experience) I’ve met some of my teachers (if any of you are reading this, God bless you for your patience with me, after being involved in childcare, I have only the highest of respect for you) & I can’t help but think that these individuals were (are) some of the most selfless people that exist. I can only hope & pray that when I marry & have children I’ll be able to raise them in the same fashion I was, with care & concern for even the most minute of details.

I pray for those of you that just can’t seem to relinquish the hate you feel. I hope you find a vocation that is as fulfilling for you as the one I’ve chosen. I have no ill-will or malice towards you, I only ask that you extend me the same courtesy.

Jason Etheredge is a second-generation member of the Family International