Last week Jim posted about this article titled: "When Scholars Know Sin." I hadn’t read it before and it’s quite good. This article discusses how some sociologists of NRMs have interferred with academic publishing, been co-opted by cults and more:

"Within the past several years, questionable relationships have developed between social scientists and several controversial new religious groups -- most notably The Family (formerly Children of God [COG]), Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT), and Scientology. These organizations recognize that supportive social scientists are powerful allies in their efforts both to gain societal legitimacy and to silence critics. For their part, some social scientists appear to overlook their own unique position and value as legitimizing resources in the attempts by religious ideological groups and their oppositional organizations to secure social recognition and acceptance. About this situation, Marybeth Ayella warns that "co-optation of the researcher can be a major problem for the unaware researcher, because he or she can become, without intent, a 'counter' in the ongoing stigma contests" between religiously ideological organizations and their countermovements (1990, 574; see also Robbins and Robertson, 1991). "

Just as I was about to get into a discussion with Jim, I also read a news article about Ricky Rodriguez, a former member The Family, who committed a murder/suicide.  The story has received a lot of media attention.

Ricky was born into and lived with the leaders of The Family. David Berg, the deceased cult leader, and Ricky’s mother were partners. Ricky was systematically physically, sexually, emotionally, and spiritually abused, as were so many of the children and teenagers in this cult. It was part of their religion as defined by Berg. To read the articles about Ricky Rodriguez’s murder/suicide see Cult News Net "Children of "God."   This is a profoundly heartbreaking story.  Ricky is not the first suicide and former members fear they may be more.

Moving on is the official website that provides support for the survivors of The Family, and it has over 2,000 registered users. It can be difficult to read. I’ve been checking it in tiny doses. So, I recommend that you take care about reading the website, too. It’s quite an impressive website for a bunch of "lying apostates," though.

I would like to hear some answers from the so-called scholars of New Religious Movements. I’d like to know what they think of Ricky Rodriguez and the thousands of other children raped and abused in that cult in the name of God and freedom of religion! Some of them are: J. Gordon Melton, Massimo Introvigne, James Lewis, James Beckwith, David Bromley, Eileen Barker and many, many more. It seems like these people have made it their career objective to discredit former cult members and their allies. That includes ex-premies.

Here is the Memorial Website made for Ricky Rodriguez.

Rest in Peace, Ricky.