By Benjamin Van Nynatten –Rio, Brazil

This will be brief, I promise. I wouldn’t subject anyone to my writing if there was any other way around it, but extreme circumstances require extreme measures so please bear with me, just a little, while I attempt to express my thoughts on this issue.

I will not try to impress you with my style or choice of words, as that would just not be possible even if I sat here all night. Actually, the reason I am writing this is because after reading over the many postings on this site, I can’t wait to get my name on the list as well. If someone is throwing mud at you, well, I want some thrown at me too! If we’re being slandered and lied about, they can’t forget me! And I heard something about a tidal wave that’s coming for us, well hey, I brought my swim trunks just in case. Whatever it is, I’m having a part in it! I’m here to stand by each of you to the end, I’m proud to be counted in the company of the elite.

My name is Benjamin Van Nynatten, and I am 29 years old. I guess this means I was raised at about exactly the same time and, I suppose, in similar surroundings and the environment some claim was abusive and detrimental. It’s been said a thousand times and I want it on my record that personally I was never abused or mistreated in any way during all my years in the Family– my whole life, really. Not only that, but I can say with conviction that I never saw anyone else suffer any sort of maltreatment in all the communities I’ve lived in. The fact of the matter is, if I were to get into telling you of all my positive experiences growing up as a missionary, I could go on for a long, long time. I won’t get into it but I will say I’ve chosen to raise my own two children in the group. I want only the best for these kids and I will go to any lengths to see to it that they get the best upbringing that I can possibly give them, and the best opportunities as far as education and anything else is concerned. The loving and caring environment that our communities in The Family offer is, in my opinion, unequelled anywhere else and this is without even mentioning the exceptionally high standards of our homes in all physical aspects as well.

My question now is who would have the nerve to tell me that I’d subject my kids to abuse or just stand idly by, pretending nothing is happening? I guess maybe the people who post this kind of stuff don’t have a family of their own to care for. (This would explain all the time they have to post crap on the Internet.) I’ll tell you one thing they don’t know, and that is what it means to try and hurt one’s personal family. And that is what you’re doing when you spread fabrications and rumors that in turn cause negative press awareness and could, eventually, cause authorities to take my kids away from me.

Which brings me to another point. You’re saying my parents are child molesters and the like? Does anyone think they can insinuate this stuff and insult the very people that mean the world to me? You’re saying that about my mother. And believe me, no one in their right mind says stuff like that. And I’ve just hit another topic now, “right mind;” that may be the problem with some of you guys. Just be careful, ‘cause if you play so close to the edge you just might fall off, as your friend did.

If you are guilty of atacking the ones I love, either verbally or in writing, I am not going to take this laying down. If you talk, so will I—even louder. If you write, I will also (believe me I could bore you to death—hmm, that could be another way of fighting back). And if you try anything else, I’ll be waiting here for you because it’s my God given duty to protect the ones I love from harm, cruelty and abuse. I will do for my little ones what my parents did for me, and that is, defend them from any and all harm.

It’s funny, because I’m the kind of guy that wouldn’t hurt a fly even if I wanted to. I believe in peace, and this is what I live for. I decided at one point in my life that I would dedicate this short, and sometimes what seemed like a meaningless, purely physical life, here on earth, to try and make a difference. Not a huge difference, that sounds a little silly, the kind of difference I have in mind is one of touching, in any way I can, the lives of others for the better. Little by little, heart by heart, just one life at a time. In essence, spreading the gospel of peace. I live for peace, like I said, and thit is all I want for myself and my little family.

Deep down inside though, I know this peace won’t be forever. There will always be someone to speak evil of our good because they have nothing to live for, or because they threw away their own happiness, and yes, some will even go so far as to try and stop me. It’s in the Bible; revealed, we will be “persecuted for righteousness sake,” and on the list goes. So go ahead and talk, that’s easy, any fool can sit and write, (take a look at me…) and it’s especially easy when you don’t sign what you write, like you’re ashamed of it. What takes a little more effort is actually getting in there and doing something useful, and in the process of helping someone, you’ll actually forget about your own problems and life will take on a whole new meaning.

Are you a part of the solution or a part of the problem? I’ll hand you this, just the fact that you are taking your time to sit and read this shows there might be some hope. I, for that matter, have no interest in reading a single line of what you have to say, but the day I hear you’re trying to help someone or something, it can even be the whales, I don’t care, only then will I stop and give you my time. But for now, I’m on the wall, building and fortifiying my city for the battle ahead. In one hand I have my tools and in the other, yeah, you guessed, my sword (the Word of God), so don’t come near here and try to get me off, because you will only be faced with unmeasured resistance. If you want to help me build, that’s fine, otherwise stay away.

What comes to mind is that, like the bullies you are, you figured you could pick on us safely, and that’s all there would be to it. Oh, that’s what bullies do by the way, always choosing the weaker and smaller targets than themselves to mess with. They don’t really like a good fight. Now what you all didn’t remember is that we have a big older brother. He’s bigger and badder than you think and he is gonna come and teach you a lesson or two. He’s loving and forgiving, but don’t you poke your finger in his eye.

I don’t mean to offend anyone, I have a brother and sister that are no longer in The Family and they’re great. They’ve moved on with they’re lives, and not only have they moved on, but they use all they’ve learned in The Family to lead successful secular lives.

In closing I will quote Luther, as I dont think I could express any better what I feel:

“Peace if possible; truth at all costs.”

I’m willing to pay the price. Are you?

Benjamin Van Nynatten is a second-generation member of The Family International