River Phoenix and "The Children of God"

by **ParisianAttackMonkey** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 2:51 am

Does anyone have any thoughts on this. I wish I could remember where I found this account. The Family they're refering to is "The Children of God" cult founded by David "Moses" Berg. Since Berg's death in 1994 he's been accused by family members of all kinds of deviant sexual behavior included of course pedophilia. If Berg's group did have wealthy "patrons" as they say then you could probably surmise that River Phoenix would've been seen as a threat. Bad conspiracy theory or is there something to this. The fatal overdose of River Phoenix on Halloween night leaves hanging a host of questions concerning his death. Why is it, for instance, that three days later medical examiners announced that autopsy tests were inconclusive - but ruled out foul play. If the cause of death was unknown, how could the coroner possibly dismiss the possibility of murder? Toxicology tests revealed that the morphine levels of the cocaine and heroin ingested by Phoenix were respectively lethal. The day after he overdosed, the question reverberated on Hollywood streets: "Who killed River Phoenix?" The conclusion that Phoenix died of an accidental overdose seems premature. No one knows how the narcotics were administered. No needle marks were found. The identity of his supplier is known. He is not some shadow melting back into narco-obscurity. Five witnesses, according to unconfirmed reports, accompanied Phoenix to a West Hollywood apartment at 10:40 p.m., on October 30, before departing for the Viper Room. One homosexual Los Angeles tabloid reported that the drug dealer who gave Phoenix the fatal dose "has been seen back in action at the club." If so, why wasn't he so much as questioned by police? Media interest in the Family was eroded by false reports that Argentine prosecutors had been hamstrung by a lack of medical evidence. In fact, the death of River Phoenix coincided with investigations of the Family spreading across Latin America. The last thing the cult needed was a popular junkie film star shattering the news vacuum in the U.S. media by expanding, in some Hollywood fanzine, on his sexual initiation in a cult with notorious international political connections. In fact, River Phoenix had a reputation for talking too much. Here's the quote - "I'm glad I did it when I was young, but I didn't want those & different body parts that were in my face to make me perverse when I was older, so I blocked it all out. I was completely celibate from 10 to 14. You're just born into that reality, and you accept it." In the press, the Phoenix family has distanced itself from Berg's flock, emphasizing their separation from the Children of God. "We were flower children," John Phoenix (River's father, who refuses to tell reporters his true name) told People magazine in September, 1987: "We were full of faith and loved everybody." John Phoenix was so deeply rooted in the cult that he was named "Archbishop of Venezuela" by the group. Rainbow Phoenix, River's sister, told Life in August, 1987 that she debuted as a performer at South American shopping plazas. "We used to sing and hand out pamphlets," she said. "But after two years in Venezuela, the family wanted out of the cult." Arlene Phoenix, River's mother, complained, 'the guy running it got crazy. He sought to attract rich disciples through sex. No way.'" The veneer of bohemian innocence was shattered in 1991 when, in Details magazine, River recalled his childhood in the cult. He admitted in this interview that he had intercourse at age four and sex with other children until the age of 10. River Phoenix violated the cult's stricture of secrecy by discussing his early sexuality with reporters. Two years later, on All Hallow's Eve, at the most critical period in the Family's history, he was poisoned with a drug overdose. Had he lived, River Phoenix could have proven to be a dangerous liability to the cult, confirming reports of sexual abuse and child prostitution circulating throughout South America, but largely snubbed by the domestic press. Moses Berg's Family sleeps with powerful political allies. Did one of them have reason to silence River Phoenix?

by **Joe Hillshoist** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:03 am

I have been reading TISM lyrics for the last 4 hours wondering whatever happened to my old cassette of "Great trucking songs of the Renaissance", and what excuse I could possibly come up with to post some lyrics here. Thank you very much you naughty French monkey you. (In dodgy kenny everet French accent). BTW If Rain doesn't beat me to it I'll see if I can find the aussie Children of God stuff. (You'll Never Be) An Old Man River I'm on the drug, I'm on the drug I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix I saw his body thrashing 'round I saw his pulse rate going down I saw him in compulsive throws I said "I'll have one of those" Hilary had, Hilary had Hilary had it in his veins Hilary had Everest in his veins Armstrong did moon, was not the same Heroes explore to give us hope River pushed back the envelope Drank the slab, drank the slab Drank the slab that Bon Scott drunk I drank the slab that Bon Scott drunk I injected some of Hendrix's junk I booked a seat on Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane Mama Cass' sandwich? I ate the same Now I'm bored, now I'm bored Now I'm bored and there's no stoppin' Now I'm bored and there's no stoppin' I need another celeb to fill a coffin Where will I get my next drug action? Odds on it'll be Michael Jackson I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix I'm on the drug

by **greencrow0** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:43 am

Why doesn't someone ask Joaquin Phoenix, River's younger brother, who was with him the night he died, what happened? or, is that too prosaic? Joaquin has matured into an excellent actor and although I generally don't like to go to movies anymore, I do enjoy anything with Joaquin Phoenix in it. Also, a relative of mine went down to LA a couple of years after River Phoenix died and was walking down Sunset strip around where River died and lo and behold...witnessed another young person overdosing on the sidewalk. Must be a fairly common occurrence down there. But I must say, I do think about River Phoenix from time to time and wonder what kind of an actor he would have turned out to be had he lived. He showed such great promise in "Stand By Me". He had an electrifying stage presence, particularly for one so young. You could definitely put him into the same category as James Dean. GC

by **Joe Hillshoist** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 10:44 pm

Ever come across the name Anne Hamilton Byrne in connection to the pheonix family? She ran the Family in Australia in the 70s and 80s.

by **Joe Hillshoist** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:02 am

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>My mother was Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the leader of a small sect in the Dandenongs called the Family or the Great White Brotherhood. I was a small part of her plan to collect children in what she herself once called a "scientific experiment". Later I discovered it was her intention that we children would continue her sect after the earth was consumed by a holocaust. She saw us as the "inheritors of the earth". I didn't know that then. In those days I was just a child. A child of a guru, but a child no less. Twenty-two to twenty-eight children in all lived at Uptop in its heyday, although the fosters had varying lengths of stay Why did Anne collect all of us children and make this false 'family'? I often wonder just what it was she wanted of us. Was it just to satisfy her ego? To satisfy her great need to be worshipped and adored by those around her? Why did she raise us in almost total social isolation, miles from anywhere, with minimal contact with other humans apart from the sect members who looked after us? Why did she subject us to the bizarre and cruel regimen in which we grew up? I suspect perhaps that there were more sinister motives than these alone. Some of us had multiple birth certificates and passports, and citizenship of more than one country. Only she knows why thus was and why we were also all dressed alike, why most of us even had our hair dyed identically blond. I can only conjecture because I will never know for sure. However I suspect that she went to such great lengths in order to enable her to move children around, in and out of the country. Perhaps even to be sold overseas. I'm sure there is a market somewhere in the world for small blond children with no traceable identities. If she did it, it was a perfect scam. Many ex-sect members have said that they were aware that Anne was creating children by a "breeding program" in the late 1960s. These were 'invisible' kids, because they had no papers and there is no proof that they ever existed. Yet we Hamilton-Byrne children had multiple identities. These identities could perhaps have been loaned to other children and the similarity of our appearance used to cover up their absence. One little blond kid looks very like another in a passport photo. Control was everything then. I'm generally not scared of Anne any more though sometimes the fear of her and her followers still grips me. The motto of the sect is 'Unseen , Unheard and Unknown', and even now the thought of the consequences of betraying that motto still worries me sometimes. I 've had death threats from sect members before. They may try to kill or hurt me for speaking out against Anne, but only under her direct orders. Many sect members have taken a vow to kill those who harm their Master. They will not walk up to me with a gun. But if I mysteriously drive over a cliff one night because my brakes are suddenly not working, or perish in a sudden fire in my flat, it will be them. It may sound melodramatic, but I know that some who were Anne's enemies have disappeared in strange circumstances. Meeting Baba changed our lives. We absolutely loved him. He was kind, he gave us chocolate and little gifts. He lavished upon us his love and attention, he treated us as special and as human beings in our own right. He was the first person that had ever given us something unconditionally, and he completely won us over. I thought he was marvellous. To be shown kindness by an adult was almost unheard of: we were so starved of affection that when he showed us some he had our devotion and love for ever. We revered and adored Baba for most of our childhood: he became a major influence in our lives. We studied many of his teachings and I was a convert to the spiritual path that he taught. We learnt in the ashram how to sing the Sanskrit chants and the Guru Gita, and we carried this on with great devotion when we went back to Australia. I accepted and worshipped Baba as a divine Master and self-realised being, and , unlike Anne, he never gave me any reason to doubt his authenticity. Baba paid us children and Anne a lot of attention when we were with him. I remember when we were in America he would ride his golf-buggy from his ashram over to talk to us in the mornings at our house. He would give us rides in his golf-buggy and laugh, sing with us, and pinch our cheeks in affection. We also had many private 'darshans' with him, where he would talk and laugh with us and give us presents and lollies. He took a great interest in us children and I think Anne was jealous of his attentions to us. He spoke Hindi and had an English translator. Baba is one of few my good memories, and meeting him was, without doubt, the best thing that ever happened in my childhood. Fifteen minutes of listening to Baba or Anne on tape was followed by fifteen minutes of chanting. We usually chanted Sanskrit mantras or parts of the Sri Guru Gita which is a song of reverence to the Guru - the conversation of Parvati with the god Shiva. After the chanting we meditated for another twenty to twenty-five minutes, depending on the time. Among the many things that Anne told us children was that she was a direct descendant of the French Royal Family. She also said we were indirect descendants of Jesus Christ because, she reasoned, she and thus us as her children, were from the House of David, which was the House of Jesus. The lineage was all set out in the front of the Bible. She told us that we weren't allowed to tell anyone about this, because royalty were no longer popular and we "might get our heads cut off"! She said we should be very proud of this and it was no wonder we had a Guru in the family and that one day, one of us would be a Guru too. She was constantly telling us that when the right moment came, one of us would be chosen, and that she was always watching us to see which of us was displaying the characteristics of spirituality and potential self-realisation. There is no evidence to support any of Anne's beliefs about her heritage. There is no evidence that these stories were anything but fantastic delusions. The Royal blood was, she said, on her mother's side and her mother was a small woman with red hair. I think my red hair was what made me special to Anne, because of her mother.<hr></blockquote> From <a href="http://www.leavingsiddhayoga.net/unseen.htm" target="top">unseen unheard unknown</a>

by **ParisianAttackMonkey** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:49 am

I've never seen a connection between Anne Hamilton Byrne and the Phoenix family. But who can say. There seems to be a weird code of silence around all of this. Usually the tabloids in the U.S. are all over something like this, especially back in the early '90's. It's strange to figure why some stories get play and others don't. I mean we know why the Marvin-Bush's-maid-getting-run-over-in-his-own-driveway story got no play but why this. They knew the name of the guy that gave River the drugs that he ingested that night. They knew that what he was given was responsible for his death. He must have been someone the family knew and possibly trusted but they decided in the end to fall back into that familiar peace/love/forgiveness thing. Which really is a jaw hitting the floor kind of cop-out. It's interesting that actress Rose McGowan (no relation to Dave McGowan - at least I think) had a mother and father who were also members of "The Children of God" that was based out of Italy. Tuscany I think. She had the exact same experiences that the Phoenix family did. She seems to have given contradictory remembrances of her time there. Some suggest that she's simply disassociating from the strange and confusing events that made up her childhood. Wouldn't surprise anyone. Emanuele Canevaro was one of the wealthy Italian patrons of the cult there. I'm not sure what his story was. I think the story is that Rose went back to the area with a television crew a few years back with her then boyfriend Marilyn Manson but they were disallowed from filming by Emanuele Canevaro's sister who at the time owned the property. There's some bad blood there; I think.

by **Joe Hillshoist** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:36 am

I dunno much about this, but was in melbourne during the 80s and remember this stuff, it was quite weird. Actually thinking about it in the context of some of the dtuff that comes up at RI its quite similar, with the abuse and control of children, the misuse of occultish info and systems and some strange connections to strange people, the Family seem weird. The impression I got of AHB in 1980s was that she was a founding member or leader of a world wide cult. Although the connections to various dodgy gurus could be said to make the family a subset or something, but there is something about my impression from those days... I can't remember it tho... exactly, something weird. It might have been someone she was connected too. But its long time ago and I didn't look at it the way I would if it happened now. For whatever reason I thought ... trying to rememebr but am not reall=y coming up with anything worthwhile. Maybe The Bahgwhan Sri Ranjeesh, or the chick who was his 2IC. I dunno it was a long time ago. The kids are pretty disassociative from what I understand. The family survivers I mean. But some pretty wild stuff went on, kids being fed acid and mind warped. Dunno about the sexual abuse side. I seem to remember Melbourne was expecting a lot more sexual abuse stuff that never either happened or came out. But part of me is sitting here going "if I was into mind control experimentation I would be interested in these people." And she was connected to mental hospitals in Kew, again anyone in Melbourne would have come across some of the weirdness that went on there. Deep Sleep therapy and stuff. There is something about the strangeness of that story by her "daughter" sarah. Ther way the children were never really sure of their Identities and how they were made as similar in appearance as possible. The confusion of birth dates and the huge number of children that went through their hands (Ok not huge but at least 20), just makes me wonder about the potential for trafficking kids. Something Sarah mentions in her book but doesn't really go into detail about. Didn't River Pheonix die of a GBH overdose tho, and I heard he had been partying pretty hard for a while. Unfortunately people die on drugs for no sinister reason. Other than a stupid stupid waste. I knew a few myself. The whole thing is a sordid Pandora's Box tho. I never heard about any connections to Italy, but then I am not really that into it. I suspect Bioanthanaoiaoiaoiaoaithanoi <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":p"> would know a lot more about it. She's not related to Shane McGowan is she? I doubt it.

by **Dreams End** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:35 am

That Byrne stuff is wild. SOMEBODY needs to see if they can get ahold of some of the kids who were in the Finders in the eighties and I'm sure they will have similar stories. VERY similar stories, in fact. I've not seen such trafficking accusations agains the CoG, however it went beyond Berg's abuses. The whole culture promoted pedophilia and they even had a photo book celebrating the "sexiness" of some two year old that had a few photos reprinted in a Rolling Stone article that's worth a read...you can Google it. Good stuff, PAM, I hope you keep digging on this.

by **blanc** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 2:41 pm

"I've got a blond one" another phrase from the perp script in my memory

by **ParisianAttackMonkey** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:35 am

Didn't River Pheonix die of a GBH overdose tho, and I heard he had been partying pretty hard for a while. Correct. Or at least that's the commonly held belief, which was that it was on the sidewalk outside the Viper Room that night where his two month long death spiral crash landed. No one really knows for sure though. I think it's even been suggested that his drink may have been spiked in the club. I'm not sure what to think. Interesting trivia - Federico Fellini died on the same day. River Phoenix' death got all of the press though.

by **eroeoplier** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:51 am

I was quite shocked when I heard he'd died. Maybe because I identified with him more than any of the other hollywood stars in my age group. I remember reading the weekend paper article at the time - which was probably lifted straight from the LA times or something - and the story was he was "speedballing" (forgive my ignorance, but that's injecting speed + heroin, isn't it?). The "eyewitness account" was that when he realized he had way too much drugs in his system, and as he left the table he was at, driven by a desperate urge to get outside, he went off his head at the person who supplied the drugs, accusing him of intentionally allowing him to OD. Maybe this is all old hat. Given my limited experience of drugs, I can say, if you think your supplier has set you up to OD, you're probably right. Especially if 5 minutes later you're dead. It could be a simple case of petty malice, but you'd think the supplier would have fried for that. Given the whole Children of God thing (which I know nothing about) and his loose lips, it does seem quite likely he was offed. The first time I heard that TISM song I was appalled that people could be so callous - and get high rotation to boot. Maybe it's just me.

by **ParisianAttackMonkey** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 5:01 am

Just to follow up... Part one. Family Ties: The Mephistophelian World of The Children of God Alex Constantine The fatal speedball seizure of River Phoenix on Halloween night, 1993, coincided in the media with the apocalyptic fire storm in Malibu and the death of Frederico Fellini. In early September, newspapers in London and Buenos Aires headlined a story that directly concerned River Phoenix but, after the initial burst of coverage, was conspicuously absent from the American press - a raid on the Pilar, Argentina compound of the Family of Love, formerly the Children of God sect. Police confiscated videos and magazines of children engaged in sex acts with adults. Also seized was a book for children, The Life of Little David, a Bible parody and tale of sexual initiation as told by "Sister Sarah." In one home video, naked young girls danced with silk scarves. Some 136 children were taken into protective custody, and 68 adults were detained for interrogation. The London Times reported that the children were "living in compartmented cells and answered questions like automatons. Whenever one of them tried to say something, another would look at him and he would fall silent, terrified." One cult house functioned strictly as a punishment facility, imprisoning some 50 adolescents. Somos magazine reported on September 13, 1993 that the group's compound in Pilar is situated on "five kilometers of land hidden by high walls, constructed like a fortress off the Pan American highway." When Argentine authorities flew over the estate in a private plane, they discovered three observation posts on the roof." With binoculars, Police Commissioner Hugo Gabutti spotted three rondina units, or armed guards, on the roof. "The operated in a military fashion," Gabutti said, "looked and acted military. The security measures taken by the sect are incredible. They have received military training to protect themselves from outsiders." Police in Buenos Aries were quickly inundated by "hundreds of telephone calls from the public requesting a special investigation,' according to the daily Clarin. After the raids, The New York Times, Time, Espanol, NBC and CNN all chimed in with prominently-placed features on the Family. Silvina Cangaro, an interior decorator and former Family member, spoke to Gente, Argentina answer to People, of her recruitment: "When I became a member, I immediately took part in Satanic rites. After I left the group and complained to the police, I received many death threats." The Times of London reported on September 3 that video tapes seized by police - and broadcast on Argentina's nightly news - depicted "abhorrent Satanistic acts ... in uncensored extracts of the videos after late-night news programs on Wednesday." David "Moses" Berg, founder of Children of God, opened the door to esoteric religions and promiscuity in the 1970s, when in a letter to disciples he endorsed spiritism, witchcraft and astrology, according to W. Douglas Pritchett, who has compiled a book-length bibliography on the sect. Berg deified himself and proclaimed, "God is a pimp!" He claimed to have had sexual encounters with "goddesses," to have visited hell. Ruth Gordon left the congregation in 1977, summing them up as a "pseudo-Christian" sect that dabbles in the occult. Other former disciples have described Berg as "Satanic," a charge first made by former members in 1973. Devil worshiper or not, he has long been a pugnacious anarchist, declaring "war" in 1968 "on the hypocritical old bottles of the religious system who were lined up on the back seat, and I cast in my lot with outlaws, drug addicts, maniacs, and the younger generation." The allegations of former sect children were corroborated by the medical evidence - despite widespread and deceptive syndicated news stories like the one released by Reuter on September 5 claiming that "physical examinations carried out on the children turned up no signs of abuse." There followed a lull in the American press, a virtual news black-out. The Family fought back with denials that children had been harmed, accusing police of "religious persecution," of "stealing" and "torturing our children with physical examinations," as the Paraguayan branch of the sect maintained his at a demonstration in Montevideo - itself under scrutiny for kidnapping and child abuse. Around the world, angry Children held outraged signs aloft: "ARGENTINA ABUSES CHILDREN LIKE ME!" "THE GESTAPO STOLE OUR CHILDREN!" Gideon Scott, the "house shepherd" in Leicaster, England told reporters: "nothing could be further from the truth than the wild allegations that our members abused or neglected their children. We do not promote or encourage sexual activity between adults and minor." The group has long claimed to be the target of political oppression, especially when routed by police. Political martyrdom was a fundamental teaching of Moses Burg, the reclusive "prophet" who foretold the coming of the Anti-Christ in the form of a powerful dictator and the ascension of a One World Government. This, of course, is far-right religious programming - the same dogma (gospel?) disseminated by the Birch Society and 700 Club. The cult's disavowals were echoed by Daniel Mujica, president of Argentina's Superior Council of Catholic Education, who said the allegations were inflated by the press. "The media are trying to make a big thing out of nothing," he said. "The sect isn't doing anything illegal." But his disavowals ran counter to the evidence: investigators in several countries have laid hands on a small library of photographic adventures in pedophilia printed by the Children. Most of the group's more lurid literary efforts were destroyed in 1987, including The Davidito Letter, written by Sara Davidito, a nurse in charge of group child care instruction. Berg's disciples insist that the Argentine arrests are the latest instance of authoritarian jackboots tramping on their religious freedoms. Christie Richards, a sect leader in Cleveland, Ohio maintains that "flirty-fishing" is "something we totally stopped." Ostensibly, Berg has proscribed sexual proselytizing, but former Children only shake their heads. Berg himself has, in a "Mo" letter to his congregation, warned that "sexual freedom must never be indulged in or practiced openly in the presence of visitors, strangers or uninitiated relatives or friends." Julia Berg, his granddaughter, has quit the sect. She now lives in a mountain canyon two hours from Los Angeles, where she looks back with anger on her life in the COG. Women in the community, she says, "including pregnant girls, were ordered to do 'flirty-fishing' at night to bring in new members." She says that she learned by the "love of God" to conceal from outsiders the sexual teachings of Moses Berg. Political Sugar-Daddies The Children of God have gathered alms from powerful admirers. Chief Inspector Juan Carlos Rebello, who led police in the COG raids, said "we found evidence suggesting that the Family was funded by influential businessmen worldwide." One Argentine magazine found that some financial supporters of the cult were "well-known and powerful people, and pondered whether Berg's disturbed mental state "is being exploited by a network of powerful people to sexually control an army of children." Julia Berry, the prophet's own kin, has said that it was her "privilege" to be paired sexually with "very important men - men from the government." The Children of God, she said, "always had very powerful friends.... I met presidents from around the world. The children's chorus gave us an image of purity and innocence. It was a seduction." According to the Washington Post for June 2, 1993, "the Family's leadership follows a policy of lying to outsiders, is steeped in a history of sexual deviance and has even meddled in Third World politics." Edward Probe, a Canadian who once edited Family publications, worked in the Philippines from 1986 to '88. He told the Post that "Family officials openly sympathized with right-wing military officers who tried to overthrow the government of. 'What we were doing was supplying all the moral support.'" One former member from Costa Rica told Argentina's Gente magazine on September 9 about her life inside the cult: "My father used to have certain privileges inside the organization," she said. "He was considered a very important person for public relations. His paternal grandfather, the criminal lawyer, Guillermo Puddle, was a close friend of Chile's military dictator Pinochet, and Juan Carlos, the king of Spain." Pinochet and Carlos became financial and political benefactors of the cult. The Family, according to David Hubert, a former member, contends that sexual evangelizing was used to curry political favor. "They would target special people," he told the Washington Post, "in the media, lawyers, in the government."

by **ParisianAttackMonkey** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 5:03 am

Part two. The guiding inner-circle of the Family is known as the Royal Family, and blue-bloods have in fact been sought out by Berg. In the 1970s, the prophet's "official representative" and second-in-command was Barbara Convair, the Italian duchess of Zoagli and Castelvari, rechristened Queen Rachel. Then in her twenties, the "ravishing, long-haired No. 2 leader" was rumored to have been a Berg consort. In 1973 she married Duke Emanuel Convair, a sect member, who invited the Family of Love to his estate, a wine-producing farm near Florence. The Duke graciously donated a vineyard to the cult. Germany's Stern reported in 1977 that a school on the estate trained women in the ancient art of religious prostitution. When Tim asked her about the allegation, she denied it ... but insisted: "There is nothing wrong with a sexy conversion. We believe sex is a human necessity, and in certain cases we may go to bed with someone to show people God's love." In Bromley, south London, a recruit's millionaire father donated an abandoned factory, adapted as the Family's headquarters in England. And they could not resist the call of the Holy Land, migrated to Egypt, and were expelled in November, 1985. Egyptian law, it seems, forbid the unorthodox sexual and religious practices of the cult. In 1977 the Children of God found a new messiah in Colonel Mummer Khaddafi, who offered them sanctuary from police investigations in California and New York. Louis Lefkowitz, the attorney general of New York, had charged them with kidnapping, brainwashing, imprisonment, enslavement, prostitution, incest and rape. But the U.S. Justice Department unexpectedly dropped the case, concluding, "'brainwashing' and 'mind control' do not constitute violations of federal law.... We have also concluded that the possibility of drafting effective federal criminal legislation in this area is unlikely." The New York attorney general's fraud division also lost interest in the case. "When it came time to prosecuting the group," reported the Los Angeles Times, then Atty. Gun. Lefkowitz sidestepped the issue with the claim that the Children "were protected by the First Amendment - a baffling rationale that later aroused suspicion the report was issued mainly to placate influential parents who had lost children to the sect. Lefkowitz, now retired, says he doesn't recall the matter." The Justice Department probe hardly amounted to a bloody inquisition, but the Children cried religious persecution and fled the country. They left behind some nagging questions, foremost among them: Who murdered one of the Children in 1976, the body discovered with crushed internal organs at a medieval Belgium fortress? And who killed Berg's son, found in the same condition in Switzerland a few years earlier? Berg accused unnamed "enemies" of the Children for the murders. His critics blamed the sect. The public statements of some of Berg's followers fed their suspicions. In Canada, the Children declared on a national network that they were capable of lies, theft, murder, anything if so ordered by Berg. In 1972 a COG defector told NBC that she had been trained to commit criminal acts, including murder. In Libya, Colonel Khaddafi was enamored with the cult. He provided them sanctuary, counsel, and even penned a song, addressed to "all industrial countries," performed at Children of God songfests around the world: Do as I do. I pray to God. I'm very happy Because I found the road With Allah, Allah, Allah[...] The Children rechristened the budding psalmist "Godhafi." Moses Berg enthused in New Nation News, a sect newsletter: "There has not been another worldly political leader in modern times as this young prophet of the seemingly impossible. There has hardly been such a godly world political leader since the days of his own prophet Mohammed ... Jesus." Berg portrayed Khaddafi - now a deity - as "the savior who will ignite the young and rescue them from those twin forces of evil, godless Communism and American materialism." Berg's politics were shared by messiah Khaddafi. Muommar Khaddafi was a product of the Libyan secret service, a branch of government assembled by Adolph Eichmann, Otto Skorzeny, Heinrich Muller and other engineers of the Final Solution who, like Berg, enjoyed the protection of totalitarian Middle Eastern despots. (Besides the Children of God, Khaddafi was also the patron of the infamous Paladins, a coterie of Nazi mercenaries from West Germany. Founded by Colonel Skorzeny, Hitler's commando chief, and the CIA, the Paladin group was responsible for a 1973 airport bombing in Rome that claimed thirty-two lives. They have linked up with death squads in Latin America and terrorists in Europe, South Africa and elsewhere.) But the Libyan leader's fascination with the Children of God quite possibly ran through religion and politics to unconventional sex. His personal life is rarely discussed. He is said to be sexually eccentric, another trait he shares with Moses Berg. Berg and his "prophet of the impossible" also found common ground in violent opposition to Israel. Reclusive, eccentric Moses David held a peculiar set of political beliefs for a demigod. One of his commentaries insisted that a small group of international Jews lurk behind a worldwide conspiracy. Berg assailed Jews again in a 1982 "Mo letter," and "their stooges, the Negroes ... the curses of the world," the source "of everything that's evil." Berg claimed that his hatred of Jews and blacks sprang from a higher authority - "I'm a racist because GOD is!" he exulted in one of his delirious "Mo" letters. In 1978 the COG changed its name to the Family of Love (and so continued to operate in Argentina after the Children were banned). By this time they boasted some 250,000 coverts in 60 countries. The sect currently estimates that its ranks number about 300,000. In the United States the political pull of the sect extended to the Bush administration. A chorale of Family children kicked off a Christmas show in 1992 for Barbara Bush in the East Room of the White House, for which they received certificates of appreciation signed by President Bush. The sect also sang for Bush after he toured the ravages of Hurricane Andrew in south Florida. (It wasn't the first time Bush's name arose in connection with a child prostitution cult. At the 1988 national Republican convention in New Orleans, Larry King of Omaha - a ranking GOP figure and convicted credit union rip-off artist - sang the National Anthem. In 1990, Nebraska state senator Schmit set out to investigate King and his circle of political operatives and business tycoons, alleged to have operated a national child prostitution network that catered to wealthy patrons. Shortly thereafter Schmit received an anonymous phone call warning him off.) [To be fair, I believe that "The Family Singers" appeared at the White House during the Clinton years as well.] The Family's political clout tends to put a damper on judicial investigations. Julia Berg recalls that adults in the Buenos Aries chapter "talked very openly about sex in front of children." At the age of 13, she alleges she was forced into a sexual relationship with a local pastor, and after leaving the Children attempted to press for his prosecution. But the judicial system, she says, flatly ignored her. After a police raid in 1989, Berry requested that a court-appointed physician examine her. The judge complied, But the doctor refused, explaining that he didn't want her "traumatized" by the examination - an ordeal, she says, incomparable to the trauma of molestation. "The doctor wouldn't accept my word that I wanted the examination." Family officials like to point out that "not once have we been found guilty of any kind of child abuse." This is true even in cases backed by solid evidence. The suggestion is that they are clean, but another interpretation is that strings are pulled by well-heeled patrons to stifle public disclosure. Police came away from the 1989 raid with cocaine, pornographic video tapes and childrens' books with condoms adhering to the pages. No Family members were prosecuted. Likewise, investigations in Brazil and Spain also fell apart. In May 1992 police in Australia swept into six Family communes, removing 142 youngsters. A key witness for the prosecution recanted his testimony and charges were suspended. Another case in Melbourne awaits trial. In June 1993 French authorities raided 12 of the sect's homes, but the court ultimately returned 40 children to their parents. Another raid in Spain also unraveled. Likewise, the September '93 raids in Argentina led nowhere. In December it was determined that a federal judge had no jurisdiction in the case, and the sex abuse charges were dropped. The Family is most assuredly not suffering religious persecution for their admittedly "controversial sexual beliefs," as the cult leadership often claims. On the contrary, if the group was continually harried by police - as were, say, the Black Panthers - they would be unable to boast that "our members have always been completely exonerated by authorities," to quote Family spokesman Phil Edwards, writing from a sect haunt on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. in response to one magazine article critical of the cult.

by **LilyPatToo** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 1:31 pm

Constantine said, <blockquote>Quote:<hr> Louis Lefkowitz, the attorney general of New York, had charged them with kidnapping, brainwashing, imprisonment, enslavement, prostitution, incest and rape. But the U.S. Justice Department unexpectedly dropped the case, concluding, "'brainwashing' and 'mind control' do not constitute violations of federal law.... We have also concluded that the possibility of drafting effective federal criminal legislation in this area is unlikely."<hr></blockquote> Well, that says/explains a lot, doesn't it?<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("> LilyPat

by **Hugh Manatee Wins** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:28 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>A chorale of Family children kicked off a Christmas show in 1992 for Barbara Bush in the East Room of the White House, for which they received certificates of appreciation signed by President Bush.<hr></blockquote> Just a reminder that the agency responsible for 20 years of White House Christmas pageantry is the Johnson Group with Bob Johnson on the executive board of the White House's yearly Pageant of Peace. The Johnson Group does work for the White House and Pentagon and appears to be a CIA cut-out. The Johnson Group was responsible for the decoy film called 'The Paperclip Project' about a Tennessee Holocaust memorial project meant to displace the US-Nazi war criminal collusion by the same name. The Family smells like Jonestown and Scientology to me.

River Phoenix and "The Children of God"

River Phoenix and "The Children of God"

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