Information AboutDavid Berg |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DAVID BERG | |
| 1919 births | |
| 1994 deaths | |
| members of the children of god | |
| cause of death disputed | |
| charismatic religious leaders | |
| founders of religions | |
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EARLY YEARS (1919 - 1968) Berg was born in Oakland, California , USA on February 18, 1919 to Hjalmer Emmanuel Berg and Rev. Virginia Lee Brandt (a Christian Evangelist ; she died in 1968 ). David was the youngest of three children, with a brother, Hjalmer, born in 1911 , and a sister, Virginia, born in September, 1915 . Virginia Brandt is the daughter of Rev. John Lincoln Brandt ( 1860 - 1946 ), a Disciples Of Christ minister, author, and lecturer of Muskogee , Oklahoma . David Berg graduated from Monterey High School (in California ) in 1935 and later attended Elliott School of Business Administration. Berg, like his father, became a minister in the Christian And Missionary Alliance and was placed at Valley Farms , Arizona , USA. Berg was eventually expelled from the organization for differences in teachings and for alleged sexual misconduct with a church employee. Fred Jordan, Berg's friend and boss, allowed Berg and his personal family to open a branch of his Soul Clinic in Miami , Florida , USA as a missionary training school. After running into trouble with local authorities for his aggressive methods of Proselytizing , Berg moved his family to Fred Jordan's ''Texas Soul Clinic''. THE CHILDREN OF GOD/THE FAMILY (1968 - 1994) David Berg (also known as King David, Mo, Moses David, Father David, Dad, or Grandpa to members of the Children Of God ), in 1968 , founded the New Religious Movement / Cult / Missionary organization known as the Children of God, later known as The Family of Love or '''The Family''' and currently '''The Family International'''. Berg and his entourage have lived in the following countries (among others) over the years:
He lived in total seclusion and secrecy from his followers and, along with , the daughter of Rodriguez's nanny Sarah Kelley , accused Berg of molesting her in a June, 2005 Rolling Stone article . In the same article, a woman identified as Armendria alleged that David Berg sexually abused her when she was thirteen years old. Berg sometimes predicted Apocalyptic events, though all of his predictions failed. His most well-known prediction was that a comet would destroy the United States in 1973 or 1974. He also predicted that the Tribulation would begin in 1989 and that the second coming of Jesus Christ would happen in 1993. Berg died in 1994 and was buried in Costa De Caparica , Portugal (his remains have since been cremated). His organization is currently led by his widow Karen Zerby (whom he took as a soi-disant "second-wife" in August of 1969 ; known as Mama Maria or Queen Maria in the Children of God) and Steven Douglas Kelly (an American also known as Christopher Smith, Peter Amsterdam, or King Peter in the Children of God). PERSONAL FAMILY David Berg married his first wife, Jane Miller (known as "Mother Eve" in the Children of God), on July 22 , 1944 in Glendale , California . They had four children together:
His second wife was Karen Zerby , who continues to be a leader of the Children of God. Berg informally adopted her son, Ricky Rodriguez. In the 70s and 80s, photographic depictions of Rodriguez (aka "Davidito") being subjected to sexual abuse by adult caretakers were disseminated throughout the group by Berg and Zerby in a child rearing handbook known as "The Story of Davidito". In 2005, Ricky Rodriguez murdered one of the female caretakers also shown in the book before taking his own life several hours later. SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWS The sociologist Dr. Thomas Robbins argued that Berg's leadership of the Children Of God was based on Charismatic Authority . Robbins, Thomas[http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/charisma.htm ''Charisma''] in the ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Society'' edited by William H. Swatos (February 1998) ISBN 0-7619-8956-0 REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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