I’m Lorie Richards, a second generation member of the Family International. I’m writing to comment on today’s Dr. Phil show, which I have not yet seen, but after reading the brief on your web site, I have a few things to say.

I’m 30 years old and have been in the Family all my life. I currently reside within World Services, helping manage the creation of Family outreach publications.

Jim LaMattery and his daughter obviously have issues, as do their relatives John and China. I’m no psychiatrist, and have no desire to get involved in family squabbles, or give opinions or advice on how they should live their lives, but I’d like to share a few things about The Family International–referred to by these former members as a “cult” and described as a frightening and abusive one no less—and my experience in it.

My life in the Family has been a happy one. It wasn’t “normal,” in the sense that I wasn’t born and raised in my home country of the USA, neither did I receive formal schooling from a public institution, neither did I always live in a house with only my nuclear family, neither did I end up with a “normal”’ salaried job as a grown adult. It was however much better than “normal” in so many ways, some of them being:

–I experienced a variety of cultures from a young age, learned several languages while growing up and traveling from country to country with my missionary parents, and feel that largely because of that I’m quite comfortable interacting with people from any culture and at any level of society.

–I was schooled at home, giving me the chance to learn at my own pace, which was generally a lot faster than that offered at public schools. I was taught by my own parents, which gave me a lot more time to bond and connect with them than had I been sent off to school.—And by the way, my “early education” went to a high school level, and I could have chosen to take it further and attend college, and would have easily had the qualifications to do so, but I didn’t and don’t feel it necessary. I’m sufficiently educated and qualified for what I’ve chosen to do with my life. I also believe that if I chose at this point to change my lifestyle and become part of “normal society” that I’d cope just fine with the life skills training and experience that I’ve had as a part of growing up in the Family. I find it sad that the comments from these former members have given the impression that as a member of the Family “all of your contemporaries, all of your peers, are learning life skills and you’re not.” That’s not the case for me.

–My upbringing has led me to choose a life of voluntary service toward my fellowman, through participation in the Family’s missionary work. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do or be happier doing. I would venture to say the world needs a lot more people doing the kind of Christian counseling and relief work that our missionaries participate in, in over 100 countries around the world.

–I have lived and continue to live in a loving, caring, supportive environment within our communal Homes. And no, I’ve never witnessed nor experienced sexual abuse, or abuse of any kind. “A cult where you’re forced to have sex with strangers” is not the Family I know! I was happy to see the word “alleged” in the blurb about today’s show, as in acknowledging that the “sexual molestation, prostitution and extreme physical abuse” that has been reported by certain individuals is just that—alleged.

The only abuse that my personal family has ever experienced was when authorities in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were incited by some vindictive former Family members to “intervene” and “rescue” some of our children, and my younger sister was roughly dragged from home and forced to spend weeks in a dirty institution, away from her family, while being subjected to highly unpleasant physical and psychological examinations. Examinations which in the end concluded and proved that she and all of the other Family children that were taken in along with her were fine, healthy, mentally sound, and were living and growing up in a nourishing and safe environment. The same has been the case when Family communities in France, Australia, and Brazil, among other countries, were investigated and Family children evaluated.

I can’t agree more that these folks appearing on your show obviously need help and need to move on with their lives. I hope they can find creative ways to do that, rather than continuing to malign the Family, or incite action against us, in hopes it will make them feel better somehow. It won’t help anything or anyone at all.

Please help those who need help, but please don’t let a few messed up, sad, bitter people lead you to believe that our unique and beautiful way of life should be changed or terminated. I love it, and I’d like to keep it, thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Lorie Richards