Sexual cult?!?

wind2000 · Dec 4, 2007

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The suicide of a young man and the murder he committed before he killed himself are being blamed on a cult led by his mother.

Ricky Rodriguez made this video before killing his former nanny and then taking his own life.

1 of 3 Also disturbing, former members who spoke to CNN say they witnessed Ricky Rodriguez having sex with his mother, Karen Zerby, the leader of the sect now known as "The Family International."

The sect's activities and history are detailed in a newly released book, "Jesus Freaks." The sect was founded in California in the 1960s by David Berg, who referred to himself as "Mo," short for Moses. Berg was a self-proclaimed prophet.

Former sect members tell CNN Berg encouraged adult-child sex. More often than not, they say, the chosen child was Rodriguez, the son of Karen Zerby, who Berg called his queen. Zerby became the leader of the sect when Berg died in 1994.

"Jesus Freaks" author Don Lattin says Berg "wanted his child to embrace sexuality, to be a sexual being as an infant and growing up."

Former members say Berg and Zerby wrote about their beliefs in papers distributed to members. It was Berg's how-to guide for raising sexual children. The Family International now says all "questionable publications were officially renounced and expunged between the late 1980s and early 1990s."

In Berg and Zerby's manifesto, Rodriguez was the main character.

Former member Davida Kelley told CNN, "I actually witnessed Karen Zerby having intercourse with her own son, Rick Rodriguez, at age 11." Kelley says she, too, had been abused by Berg, starting at age 5. "You were only required to have actual intimate intercourse with David Berg once you were, like, the mature age of, like, 12," she says sarcastically.

Berg was apparently so obsessed with sex he used it to expand his group around the world. Lattin says Berg sent women out to seduce men and lure them in to accept his gospel of Jesus. Lattin says Berg called the practice "Flirty Fishing."

CNN made several attempts to interview The Family International, but it refused. In a statement, the group acknowledged Berg taught sexual liberty without "instituting safeguards for the protection of minors." But it says that was corrected in 1986 and any infractions are an "excommunicable offense." The group also told CNN all of Davida Kelley's allegations are false and Zerby never abused her son.

Rodriguez, who escaped from "The Family International" in 2001, apparently was so deeply scarred that he was making plans to kill his mother. CNN has obtained a copy of a videotape he made two years ago, in which he warned, "She's gonna pay dearly, one way or the other," while brandishing a knife and loading guns at his kitchen table.

Within hours of finishing the tape, in January 2005, Rodriguez tracked down his childhood nanny, Angela Smith. Former member Kelley says "she was one of the many female adults that had intercourse with Rick Rodriguez."

In his first bloody act of revenge, Rodriguez murdered his nanny. He cut her throat and left her body in his Arizona apartment. But he was still on the hunt for his mother. Lattin says Rodriguez felt the need to take justice into his own hands because "most of the abuse was, like, 20 years ago, so the statute of limitations had expired. Most of it happened outside the U.S., so it's very difficult to prosecute."

A spokesman for the group told CNN its "policy for the protection of minors was adopted in 1986. We regret that prior to the adoption of this policy, cases occurred where minors were exposed to sexually inappropriate behavior between 1978 and 1986."

Some of those exposed to the alleged abuse may have chosen suicide to escape the pain. A Web site set up by people who grew up as children in the cult says at least 30 of them have committed suicide, though CNN has no way of verifying that.

Rodriguez became a part of that group. He failed to find his mother, something his wife says he couldn't live with. Elixcia Munumel remembers their last phone call: "He's like 'Baby, I love you.' He said, 'Come die with me.' "

Rodriguez died alone at age 29 in January 2005 on a deserted road, four years after he fled the sect. A single shot to the head ended the misery he fought so hard to escape. His mother is still the leader of the family. She has not been charged with a crime and lives in seclusion.
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http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/04/kaye.murdersuicide/index.html

This is another fine religion we got here. -rolleyes

Dan · Dec 4, 2007

serious.. aint it sad when people come up with cults to satisfy their own needs?

oh and i was listening to the radio, apparently a study was done that shows that pedophiles are biologically programmed to be attracted to children.. messed up..

fearless_fx · Dec 4, 2007

Family International eh

reminds me of the Super Adventure Club

wind2000 · Dec 4, 2007

dann said: ↑

oh and i was listening to the radio, apparently a study was done that shows that pedophiles are biologically programmed to be attracted to children.. messed up..
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i think that theory is b.s. whatever they cannot explained, they say its biologically programmed. -rolleyes

hkm91450 · Dec 4, 2007

This is old news @_@?

I've heard about it before.....

deadman_inc · Dec 4, 2007

never heard about this before...but i jus think it's BS...what people do to get attention

fearless_fx · Dec 4, 2007

deadman_inc said: ↑

never heard about this before...but i jus think it's BS...what people do to get attention
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yeah, nothing bad ever happens in the world, its all lies.

Flames · Dec 4, 2007

fearless_fx said: ↑

Family International eh

reminds me of the Super Adventure Club
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Story on the Super Adventure Club???

Family International...sounds innocent but lies a horrible truth

shw · Dec 4, 2007

this is sick
makes me want to puke.

hkm91450 · Dec 4, 2007

deadman_inc said: ↑

never heard about this before...but i jus think it's BS...what people do to get attention
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But it's a real cult. The things people do these days to deem themselves as "religious", as a way to "save" the world from "oppression" ... but sexually? ... and with children? :S

CULTS = F**KED UP-dead

[N] · Dec 5, 2007

that son and mother thing already sick...goddamn cults...

lee-lee · Dec 5, 2007

sick..i couldn't read past the first couple of lines...hope this stuff is just made up cause if it's real, seriously f*cked up.

hkm91450 · Dec 5, 2007

lee-lee said: ↑

sick..i couldn't read past the first couple of lines...hope this stuff is just made up cause if it's real, seriously f*cked up.
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Nope, it's real. I've watched news documentaries on this cult before.

Here's the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_God

lee-lee · Dec 6, 2007

hkm91450 said: ↑

Nope, it's real. I've watched news documentaries on this cult before.

Here's the wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_God
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it's okay. instead of reading about it, i'll just take ur word for it that it's true. too disgusting

hkm91450 · Dec 6, 2007

^^ lol haha... ya @_@

tonkachi · Dec 6, 2007

its amazing what people wiill put their "faith" in to make them feel better or feel like they have done something good...these types of cult behaviors aren't really anything new...it was seen in the david kuresh cult and the other cult that made their members of jonestown

xmichelly · Dec 6, 2007

led by his mother .. that's sick -_-

dann said: ↑

serious.. aint it sad when people come up with cults to satisfy their own needs?

oh and i was listening to the radio, apparently a study was done that shows that pedophiles are biologically programmed to be attracted to children.. messed up..
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what the heck does "biologically programmed" mean?

Dan · Dec 6, 2007

^ means you werent taught how to do something..

like eating for example.. you are biologically programmed to eat, without having to have someone to teach you that you have to eat

xmichelly · Dec 6, 2007

I don't think pedos are pedos cus they're "biologically programmed" ...
they're just dam sick pervs -_-

Dan · Dec 6, 2007

xmichelly said: ↑

I don't think pedos are pedos cus they're "biologically programmed" ...
they're just dam sick pervs -_-
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lol dont tell me that, tell the university who came to that conclusion after studies

and plus, you "think". doesnt mean its not possible

Sexual cult?!?

wind2000 Self Schemata

Dan 8-D

fearless_fx Eugooglizer

wind2000 Self Schemata

hkm91450 Well-Known Member

deadman_inc Well-Known Member

fearless_fx Eugooglizer

Flames Out of Date User

shw Well-Known Member

hkm91450 Well-Known Member

[N] RATED [ ]

lee-lee Well-Known Member

hkm91450 Well-Known Member

lee-lee Well-Known Member

hkm91450 Well-Known Member

tonkachi Well-Known Member

xmichelly Well-Known Member

Dan 8-D

xmichelly Well-Known Member

Dan 8-D