People Magazine
Letter to the editor
Re: Article on the The Family International, July 18th issue, pg. 87

I just finished reading the article on “The Family International” in
your 7/18 issue and I had to laugh. Daniel Roselle says he “only had
a first grade education at age 20″? Seriously. I grew up in The
Family and he was one of my childhood friends between the ages of 10
and 18. He was an extremely bright person. When he “came out” he
“didn’t know how to do long division?” Spare me. I could do that at
age 9 and I had essentially the same upbringing he did.

Look, I respect his choice to pursue a secular career. I get the
point that he doesn’t like his parents and thinks a high-commitment
religious life is not for him. But don’t you think he’s pushing the
envelope a bit to make his story a bit more dramatic?

It would be funny if the kind of accusations and insinuations he
makes weren’t so serious. I’m 30 years old now, married with 3 kids
of my own, and running a successful business. My religious beliefs
might be classified as “fringe", but no more so than hundreds of
others groups here in California where I live. I want a safe, happy
and productive life for my children, just like any other Dad. They
are not only ahead a grade level in their studies, they’re
well-adjusted and have friends and family both in and out of our
group.

I am proud of the way that our organization has established effective
safeguards to the point that any kind of abuse is a non-issue today
and has been for years.

I only wish you had quoted some of us who are second-generation
members of The Family as extensively as you quoted Roselle and Co.
Only seems fair. Since it’s too late for that, you’ve got my 2 cents
here.

Thanks,

Mike Moore
2nd generation member of The Family International San Diego, CA