Children of God – Part 2 - a podcast by Sarah Steel

The Children of God, later known as The Family, became notorious for their practise called “flirty fishing”. They believed in bringing up their children to have no inhibitions around sex, but the ramifications of their approach to this would echo through the generations as trauma, and result in a shocking murder-suicide committed by the very son prophesied as the Prince who would lead them through the End Times.

Full research sources listed on each episode page at www.ltaspod.com. You can support the creation of this independent podcast at www.patreon.com/ltaspod.

With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 3 of Let's Talk About Sects.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com).

Credits:

Written and hosted by Sarah Steel

Research by Sarah Steel and Haley Gray

Music by Joe Gould

Links:

• The Origins of a Movement: From "The Children of God" to "The Family International" — website archive from thefamily.org, 29 April 2009
• History — The Family International website, accessed March 2020
• The Children of God: The Inside Story — by Deborah Davis & Bill Davis, Zondervan Publications, 1984
• The Children of God — by Robert McFarland, MD, The Journal of Psychohistory, Volume 24 Issue 4, Spring 1994
• The Family in Transition: The Moral Career of a New Religious Movement — by Gordon Shepherd and Gary Shepherd, research paper presented at CESNUR International Conference 2002
• The "RNR"! Destruction of the Super-Blob & the New Nationalisation — by David Berg, Mo Letter, January 1978
• The Pubs Purges — scanned and archived on exfamily.org, June 1991 & March 1996
• Summit ’93 Mama Jewels! — No.2, portion of newsletter by Karen Zerby written in 1992
• Let's Talk About Sects

  Further podcasts by Sarah Steel

  Website of Sarah Steel