In Response to the program “The Family Cult” aired on October 3, 2005

As a spokesperson for the Family (formerly known as the Children of God), I wish to state for the record that I find your coverage of my church to be extremely biased, malicious and clearly aimed at inciting intolerance and discrimination. It is quite apparent that your agenda was to demonize my church and your program was rife with falsities and inaccuracies. One would think that I had not presented you with facts, all of which you ignored and made absolutely no note of on your program.

I find your usage of the label “cult” particularly pejorative. Such labeling is an age-old tactic—Jesus and his followers were also maligned as the “cult of the Nazarenes” in their day. What you neglect to mention is that the Family is a fellowship of independent, self-governing Christian missionaries dedicated to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. The Family, founded in the late ’60s, has expanded into an international missionary fellowship located in over 100 countries around the world, and has led millions to faith in Christ, as well as assisting the needy in a multitude of volunteer efforts (see www.thefamily.org) .

The allegations of widespread, institutionalized child abuse made on this program by former members and Dr. Phil have absolutely no basis in fact. Similar allegations by a few detractors in the early ‘90s resulted in pre-dawn paramilitary raids that traumatized nearly 200 children in Argentina alone, and hundreds more in Spain, France and Australia. Justice prevailed and all children were returned to their parents and released from a nightmare after undergoing invasive state examinations for months. Courts on three continents were unanimous in finding Family communities to be safe environments for children, while finding no evidence of neglect or harm of any kind—hardly corroborative of allegations made on this program of widespread abuse. The detractors that incited these authorities, however, were proved by the courts to have perjured themselves and to have presented false evidence. (see San Martin Court of Appeals, Case 81/89 “Cavazza, Juan C. and others, Federal Court of San Isidro, 1 Sec.2 Of.ce II, Reg. 443. Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 13, 1993.)

Any form of abuse, whether sexual, physical or otherwise is absolutely forbidden in our fellowship. Any infraction of this rule will result in immediate expulsion from our fellowship. While The Family holds to liberal views on heterosexual sexual relations between consenting adult persons, we do not tolerate, condone or permit any inappropriate behavior with our children, whom we consider a precious gift from God to be protected and nurtured.

The Family’s success in protecting our children and ensuring their well being has been documented by court-appointed and independent investigations of almost 700 children living in Family communities. After extensive physical, psychological and educational testing, all of the children were found to be healthy with no sign of abuse in a single case. This total absence of abuse speaks for the efforts made to safeguard children in Family communities. I question whether random investigations would produce similar results in society at large. Not according to the Department of Health and Human Services, that reports a rate of at least 13 cases of abuse per 1,000 in the United States, with British authorities reporting close to 200 cases per 1,000.

Judges compared the draconian measures taken by authorities in the early nineties to the “Spanish Inquisition” and the “concentration camps of those former empires that ceased to be so when human dignity brought down the Berlin Wall.” (Case numbers: 157 to 163/1992 Provincial Court of Barcelona, Spain, Verdict dated May 21, 1992)

Your program apparently seeks to perpetuate such injustice and heinous violation of the rights of thousands of children. Children brought up in the Family over the past three decades are now parents with children of their own and the right to practice their religious beliefs. The Family has clearly codified statutes in place since the mid ‘80s to protect minors from any kind of abuse and to ensure that they are brought up in a loving, nurturing environment—it is quite clear by the findings of courts in the early ‘90s that these have been enforced and adhered to. The courts have spoken and their conclusions are based in fact and investigative research, not hearsay perpetrated by those with a clear agenda of causing harm to a minority church.

Your portrayal of “flirty fishing” has little basis in reality. Flirty Fishing was a personal and intimate form of evangelization. As an outreach ministry, FFing was an extremely sacrificial method to employ in order to try to show a lonely and needy soul that God loved them. However, through this ministry, the Family was able to lead over 200,000 souls to Christ, reaching many hearts with the Gospel who might never have had the opportunity to receive God’s love otherwise. It was practiced by adult Family members for ten years, from 1977 to 1987, at which time it was officially banned as an outreach method for a variety of reasons.

Your repeated claim that people “escaped from the cult” makes for good fiction but has no basis in fact. 32,000 people have exited our movement of their own accord after serving as missionaries. As full-time volunteers, our members have no interest in sharing a household with individuals who do not hold the same goal of preaching the Gospel and assisting the needy, and anyone who wishes to leave one of our communities is free to do so at any time.

Regarding your inaccurate coverage of Ricky Rodriguez, I would like to point out that Angela Smith, who Ricky Rodriguez brutally and premeditatedly murdered, was a human being not a former “cult member”. Ricky Rodriguez never accused her of abusing him in any way. In searching for a motive for this tragic crime, Dr. Phil should take care to not casually write off Angela’s murder and justify the actions of an obviously disturbed young man acting out his misplaced anger. Our society is rife with violence—regularly the public is exposed to violent crimes of individuals that act out the violence they witness via the media, and discuss anonymously via the internet. Such crimes are not particular to religious groups—in fact suicide and acts of violence are virtually unheard of in Family communities.

Your stories of young adults who have no capabilities to function in society are absurd. Second generation members organize large communities, NGOs, charitable work in different countries, create and operate web sites, raise and home school their children, create evangelistic products such as music, artwork, children’s books, and much more. It would have behooved you in the interest of fairness and accuracy to make note of the important fact that approximately half the young people born into the Family continue to be members and tell a very different story than that being aired by a handful of former members. 400+ current second generation members have posted their side of the story on their blog at www.myconclusion.org. A truly investigative report would not ignore their testimonies and the fact that they do not corroborate the extreme accounts of those appearing on your show.

In the interest of fairness, I ask that you post this.
Claire Borowik for the Family