Name: Aigo Shimonaka Age:22
Currently not a member of the Family but hope to rejoin ASAP, and still consider myself a member at heart.

This isn’t about the recent deaths of Ricky and Angela, as I think enough’s already been said on that topic to last this lifetime and most-likely the next as well. This is about yet another desperate attack to demoralize, divide and hopefully conquer.

Some of you people on the MovingOn site keep referring to Mama, Peter, their “entourage", and indirectly, the rest of us Family members and friends as the Scribes and Pharisees. (for details see disclaimer “scribes and pharisees” from Banshee. www.movingon.org)

Firstly, the Scribes and Pharisees never came to Jesus or the people they wronged and apologized–the Family has!-Countless times, by word of mouth, in written statements, GN’s, etc! And the Scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus, and finally crucified Him–we love Him! It was their disgusting stinkin’ hypocritical self-righteousness that Jesus couldn’t stand, not the fact that they had sinned. If the Scribes and Pharisees came before Jesus, repented of their ways and started living a life in accordance with Jesus’ New Law of Love, instead of self-righteously clinging to the Old decrepit Laws, then He would have heartily forgiven them, just like He has any one of us.

So you can go ahead and put a full-stop to your accusations, and do a 180 on your heel because there’s absolutely NO connection between the Scribes and Pharisees and Mama, Peter and the Family. It’s ridiculous to go into an in-depth rebuttle on each of those verses you have up there somehow trying to connect them to us. But let me just keep it short by saying that yes, those verses of course apply to us, but they also just as much apply to you as well.

“If you know these things, happy are ye if you do them.” John 13:17. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:” James 1:22, 23.

We don’t wanna be deceivin’ ourselves now do we? If you know the Truth, then you’re accountable as well! Take care that you don’t unwittingly (and accusingly) use the Scriptures against us without realizing you might just dig your own grave with it. (A wee bit late for that piece of advice) And for your own good, why don’t you take a closer look at those verses but this time, OPEN YOUR EYES!

Have you ever wondered if the very things you accuse us of, you may yourself be guilty of? It was the self-righteousness and hypocrisy that Jesus spoke of as the “weightier matters of the law". No, it’s YOU who are the self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees, not us! It’s you who are still self-righteously clinging to justice and the law and refusing to forgive no matter how many sincere, heartful apologies are given. If that’s not hard evidence of Pharisaical linkage, then I don’t know what is. I honestly don’t see how you can have the nerve to post such a shot-up, hole-riddled, and obviously non-factual statement.

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God", and the Family is not denying what has in fact happened. But honestly, what do you want us to do? Launch private investigations from the four corners of the Earth?? You’ve gotta be kidding! The guilty parties will like you said, have to stand before God and give account of those things. So I think we should just leave it there, forgive and forget, and let God do what you know you and we just can’t do!

As it says in Acts 5:38,39; “for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”

Fighting against God? Hmm, not a happy thought. I’d watch my step if I were you!

These incidents of which you speak were few and far between(’cause I’ve never even heard of that sorta stuff happening, much less experienced it). The Family is moving on, and members have likewise come and gone, there’s no way we can track it all down. You’ve gotta be realistic! The best and only thing we can do right now is make sure it doesn’t happen ever again, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of ensuring that.

Do you recall what it says in Matthew 10:36? “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”

I never would’ve imagined this verse to apply to some of you of the second generation. But yes, you have successfully taken over the 10:36er scene, behind which your grandparents faithfully stood, and are now sounding the bugle call (by way of your web site) to any and all who would come to your aid. Don’t kid yourselves! Who are the bigots of today?–YOU, and all who take part by agreeing with you!

All I know is that the safest place on this planet is in the center of God’s will, and the Family is that place for me, preaching the Gospel and doing what He called us here to do! There is no way I will be convinced of the things you accuse us of, so my humble advice to you would be to save your precious self-righteous breath for people who might actually listen to you.

And just for the record, Angela was a martyr and I would like to add that I’d be honored to die for Jesus any day, and I’m sure there are many others of like-mind. Don’t think you can scare us by your violent threats and verbal barrage of garbage, because you might be in for a nastier ride than you thought. There’s still time to bail out, but you’ve gotta hurry. Like they say, If you can’t lick’m, join’m.

Think about it.

Aigo Shimonaka is a second-generation former member of The Family International