The Tragedy of The Children of God Sex Cult and Ricky Rodriguez

Middle-Aged and Mediocre

We are back with Season 2 and we are starting things off with a gut-punch of a story!

The Children of God was formed in 1968 in Orange Beach, California under the guidance of David Brandt Berg and began as a band of hippies who would proselytize in the streets, and distribute literature. In 1969, after having a revelation "that California would be hit by a major earthquake", he left Huntington Beach and "took his followers on the road". Over time, David Berg would grow more authoritative and after making a young woman named Karen Zerby his second wife, he began to take the group in a dark and sexually depraved direction. Ricky Rodriguez would be the first son of Karen Zerby and hailed as the prince of Berg's sex cult.

Still operating today as The Family International, this cult remains firm in their stance that they are a victim of persecution and while they recognize some aspects of their murky past, they ultimately still operate with enough skeletons in their closet to fill most of their communes. This is the story of how the Children of God came to be and how Ricky Rodriguez, the prince, would become another chapter in the tragic tale of just another sex cult preying on the faithful.

If you want more info check out www.xfamily.org for an extensive breakdown of the cult's history, beliefs, fronts they operate, individuals associated with the group, and a lot of info on the various alleged criminal acts committed by the group.

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