Where divine love became a weapon—and innocence was the price.

They began with flowers, guitars, and the language of peace. But within a decade, they became one of the most disturbing religious cults of the 20th century.

The Children of God, founded in 1968 by David Berg, emerged at the crossroads of the Jesus Movement and the American counterculture. Berg, a self-declared prophet known as “Moses David,” attracted vulnerable youth with promises of spiritual liberation, communal living, and unconditional love. What began as a fringe Christian sect quickly evolved into something far darker.

By the mid-1970s, Berg introduced a doctrine that would define the group’s infamy: Flirty Fishing. Female members were instructed to use sex to recruit new followers, described as “sharing God’s love” in the most literal way. These directives were outlined in internal documents known as Mo Letters, where Berg wrote extensively on sexuality, including disturbingly detailed endorsements of adult-child relationships.

Children born into the cult were raised in communes across the globe—often in isolation, under strict control, and without access to formal education. Reports of physical punishment, psychological manipulation, and systemic sexual abuse became commonplace in survivor testimonies. In 1986, former member Davidito (Ricky Rodriguez) was presented as the model child of the movement. Years later, his story would end in tragedy: after escaping the cult, Rodriguez murdered a former member and died by suicide in 2005. His act, documented in a farewell video, was his final attempt to expose the crimes that shaped his life.

Despite widespread condemnation, the group continued. In the 1990s, it rebranded as The Family International, issuing public statements of reform and rejecting its former practices. Yet the scars endured. Former child members speak of lifelong trauma, cycles of guilt and shame, and a struggle to reconcile faith with the horrors they survived.

While some members found healing and justice, others remain silent—bound by fear, confusion, or loyalty. And Berg’s writings, archived and disseminated among the faithful, still echo a theology where control masquerades as compassion.

The Children of God serves as a case study in how spiritual devotion can be twisted into fanaticism, and how divine language can be used to sanctify the unthinkable.

Not all demons dwell in darkness. Some wear robes, carry Bibles, and promise salvation—through sin.