This British show about the cult, The Children of God, was made for TV back in the 1990s. Unlike most exposees on cults I've seen, this one only interviews one family and tell their experiences within this weird group. So, when a well-spoken representative of the cult is interviewed near the end, a person not acquainted with the organization might just think that perhaps the family was wrong or had an axe to grind. Interviewing other ex-members really, really would have helped...and I have no idea why they didn't do this. So what you get is a several family members (and the male family members, inexplicably, were NOT in the documentary) complaining about the weird behaviors within the group. The sexual abuse of children, the weird sexual antics of the followers and the reclusive nature of their leader, David Berg, are all nice to hear about but more documentation really could have helped them make a much more convincing case. About the only really convincing stuff they had, apart from some of this family, were the weird sex videos apparently made by the cult. And, you do see a fair amount of nudity from the clips...so be forewarned.
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nikitasanjay9221 June 2022I think a lot of people cursing the mother and questioning the impact of the documentary don't seem to have experience or knowledge of abuse and manipulation to this degree.
Some question how a mother can let this happen for so long and even the interviewer kept asking them why they didn't leave. The worst thing to ask an abuse survivor.
Manipulation can be so strong where it doesn't occur to you and your reality is completely shaped by the abuser.
The fact this was in the 80s when seeking therapy and connection to the outside world was limited made it that much harder.
The documentary gave us a glimpse of the world of Children of God. But it was flawed. The ending was very unfinished and it felt like half the picture was missing. I wasn't surprised no male members were willing to be interviewed...the church served them well.
It's a worthwhile beginning to the cult but needs a follow-up. -
gkhege1 March 2021How did this Mother and father escape prosecution? This was an admission by the Mother allowing her underage children to be abused. The Mother laughed while telling her story. I seen nothing funny about it.
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CarlMarket31 December 2016A very thorough, beginning to end story of a woman entering the cult, then 20 years later finally leaving. I feel this can answer many viewer's questions of how could anyone join something so ridiculous, why would anyone stay, etc... Nobody would want to be part of anything like this, but of course people don't know about all the horrific things that go on when looking in from the outside, she probably thought this may have those answers some people have about life. Overtime, little by little, subtle things were introduced to her life from their leader and group, (being told how the outside world is an evil place, Jesus is coming for them, work for the army of god, must save the world, etc...) she accepted everything as it was all part of their mission from God and for Jesus. And of course for her children being born into it, that's all they know.
People wonder "How can people like ISIS exist? How can they believe that God wants them to kill people and by doing so, you'll go to heaven, etc " Well this will answer your question it's no different.
This leader's approach was very different than most, when people think of cult leaders they think of people like Charles Manson, Jim Jones, etc... The Children of God leader was rarely seen in person by his members, but instead was seen thru his comic book type stories (almost like those little Chilton comic books). He was this really talented artist, making these comic book type stories involving him and the rules for his Children of God. The stories would address current events involving his group or about specific members (using their names). What a waste of talent and what a totally demented person he was. One girl was 17, she had lupus and needed medical assistance, Children of God believed that taking medicine showed that you're weak and that you don't trust God. She couldn't go outside because of her sickness so she would stay inside and read. Well reading books from the outside world was forbidden and in one of his comics he said that's why God gave her lupus. Then after she died that same year, in his comic he writes how she's in a better place now having sex with God etc !!!!!!!! -
cockezville21 May 2020I love s good documentary about a cult, and the Children of God always sparked my interest . But this documentary made in 1994 has the feel of a educational film in the 50's. I wanted to know this family and their psychic struggles in cult life and leaving. We never hear from the father of the family or the sons, and we get no sense of how these folks were seduced into this cult. When the mother left the cult, what happened to her other children. One does not leave a cult without severe psychic damage- PTSD,. This mother left and joined a charismatic church and seems to have no problems? How do leave a cult with 3 daughters and reclaim a life. There is no real explanation on how this cult claims to be Christian, yet the Bible is not taught . Don't waste your time on this dated film which would have been dated in 1994. Very little clarity on Moses Davis the cult leader. I left the film feeling like this family may have left the formality of the cult but got no help in joining society, especially the mother who shows no emotion even over her dead daughter.
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Children of God (1994) is a documentary about the cult of the same name, who's disturbing practices have been reported to include extreme sexual abuse. This documentary was informative, however it felt lacking and quite bland. Although, I do suspect this is because it came out in the 90s.
This film included a heavy subject matter and it's a cult I've been reading about for a while. The documentary successfully shows the horrors of being manipulated into a cult and how controlling they can be.
It was well and clearly narrated, but got hard to pay attention to at times. It ended very abruptly and I would've liked the documentary to be longer in order to add more detail and delve deeper into the history of the Children of God.
There was a lot of archive footage and photos used, which was interesting to see, but the documentary itself wasn't exactly well edited and didn't flow well. However, the archive footage used was unsettling and really showed how much of a sick individual David Berg was.
It also used face to face interviews for most of the film in which we focus on a family that luckily was able to escape the cult. I liked these parts a lot, and it made me feel so sorry for all, especially the children, abused in this cult. The words from the ex-members hit very hard, and I hope they're doing well nowadays. But, some of the interviewer's questions were rather insensitive and the questions could've been approached better.
This was really the only techniques I saw used in this documentary, which leads me on to my final point. This doc was most likely considered good for the time it came out, but it shows how much documentaries have changed and progressed since then. For me, this format hasn't really aged well. -
stevedumont9 April 2020Hearing some of the things that this family endures is heartbreaking. Losing a child because your religion makes you feel that taking medication proves you're weak?? The interview at the end with the cult's representative was mildly entertaining considering the fact they had video evidence for every question they asked him to prove he was either lying or distorting the truth. I understand that it's frustrating that they only interviewed this one family, but the documentary was about this one family and their experiences. There is enough literature out there from other former members to read if you need more proof beyond this one family's story.
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free_from_suffering10 November 2019Excellent and tragic portrayal of a particularly destructive group that still exists. Thank you to the Padillas for such openness. Truly.
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aaflores-482186 March 2023If you are expecting a sensationalized documentary this isn't the documentary for you. Facts and interviews are presented and narrated telling the horrifying story of the Padilla family's life in "Children.of God". It's a sad story of sexual abuse and control behind an already precarious doomsday cult. This cult exists now as The Family.
It's understandable if you aren't familiar with trauma to look at the mother and this family and think they don't care. The way the mother keeps anxiously fiddling with her sleeves and nervously laughing is due to the fact that she is uncomfortable talking about her time in the cult. She is uncomfortable with the feelings it brings up. The human brain does amazing things to protect itself from trauma and distancing yourself is one of them. At the time of the documentary it had only been 3 years since they left the cult the whole family may have not processed everything. Having PTSD doesn't automatically mean you will be in hysterics when telling your story especially when you may still be in survival mode as this family was clearly in, trying to deal with the outside life. That can also happen when someone has told their story more than a few times.
So if this family seem callous it's simply because they didn't have time to deal their trauma yet. Not to mention feeling vulnerable enough to process an emotion on camera with a stranger for someone who isn't always in front of one would be rare.
*Trigger Warning for SA and child abuse and Child SA* for this documentary.