My experience with Children of God/The Family, Part I
Part I : Part II : Part III : Part IV : Part V : Part VI : Part VII : Part VIII : Part IX : Part X : Part XI
This is a true story in most every detail except the names of some people have been changed to protect the innocent. Any opinions expressed are mine alone as to how I thought or felt about the situation I was in. These opinions are not necessarily those of the FACTNet organisation. They have kindly and simply provided me with a place to share my story and perhaps help, if possible, anyone who may have been through a similar situation and felt confused and alone in their experience.
First of all, let me tell you that I am 44 years old and a mother of three children. They are two boys, aged 22 and 19 and a daughter of 17. I am separated from my husband right now. I had married him 6 years after I had left the group. We are still dating.
The group I `would like to tell you about is The Children of God, now called The Family. I was an idealistic, mildly rebellious young 17 year old girl when I met the COG. I came from a good family, middle class, a brother and a sister.
It was late January in downtown Toronto, on Yonge Street. I was several months from getting my High School diploma. My best friend Marylin and I were cold, broke, and bored, wandering around on a Friday night.
We happened to meet up with an old friend of hers, a young 19 year old, long-haired boy, who very excitedly handed us a newsletter, `The New Improved Truth` and invited us to visit a coffee house, down on Queen street and see a really great "live band". Who could resist, a free coffee, lots of good-looking guys and a live band!
The first thing greeting us at the door, was a long wooden table covered with a white sheet, a small box that said "donations", and staring across at us from behind his thick glasses was a long-haired, bearded face. He was a smiling widely, this young man named Jubal. He stood up, stretched out his hand and in a thick american drole said, "Hi, y`all, where ya from?" I`m the greeter tonight!" He mentioned how he wanted us to sign in to their guest book too.
I remember Marylin and I giggling and asking what his name was. When he told us, it took several tries for us to get it right. We both figured he must be of some other nationality or something.
The place was very large, maybe 150 to 200 people in it, mostly young hippy types, but here and there was a person in their 30's or 40's.
The band started playing and we were very impressed. The songs they played were sort of folksy and some were like rock and roll and some were gypsy music. What surprised me the most was that I only recognized one or two songs. I figured they must be great songwriters, to write all their own music.
As the evening went on, a few guys smiled at us and struck up some light conversation. Then the strangest thing happened! At the bands break the best looking guy in the band marched right down and sat directly in front of me, facing me and smiled at me!
Jason was smart, whitty, and knew how to discuss everything; politics, family issues, and even religion. He was emphatic about how wrong the US was to be in Vietnam, how communism was a Satanic idea, anti-God. It seemed like he was so well read, he couldn't have been more than 19 but quoted this article, that expert, and even knew bible verses by heart!
I felt a little intimidated because I could not quote all these books and experts to express my opinions, so I finally got very frustrated. I challenged him, "Stop quoting the Bible and tell me your opinion!"
It was the first time I saw him falter. Then all of a sudden we had two other boys sitting down and joining in the discussion. By that time Marylin and I were outnumbered. You could say I was a believer in Jesus, but not an avid church goer. I believed in evolution but also believed God created the first cell.
In the end I was exhausted and we had to hurry to make the last street car or we would be left downtown at night. That was when we left, with them begging us to return as soon as we could and the biggest surprise of all. Jason held my hands and looked deep into my eyes and said, `You know, I really love you.'
All the way back to Marylin's we argued about which one of us he was most interested in. I could not sleep that night, all I could remember was how beautiful his eyes were and how when he looked into mine, I felt all warm inside. I thought I must be in love. It was definite that I would go back.
When I got home and told my parents about this place where it was all young people, Christians and they were not doing drugs, or drinking or any free love, my parents became upset. Most of the time my parents were pretty trusting and good with me about my judgements but this time, they were very worried. They told me never to go back there that these people were strange and might be perverts and that I should never go back alone.
That made me angry because these people seemed to be the friendliest and nicest people I had ever met in my whole life and they seemed to care so much about me.
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