Statement of Faith

The Family has published its Statement of Faith on its official web site and Family members can usually produce it upon request, or whenever it becomes necessary to assure others of their Christianity. A footnote appears at the bottom of the Statement stating that this Statement of Faith was first published in April 1992 and then updated in September 2004. The copyright date is 2004.

Unless noted otherwise, all references to a ‘Statement of Faith’ on this page refer to that published by the Family. Direct quotations from this document are in italics.

Initially, the Statement of Faith gives a convincing appearance of orthodox Christian faith. There are 32 sections in this Statement of Faith, many of which appear to be on the most part reasonable, conforming to conservative protestant Christianity. In other words, most mainstream Christian denominations would find a good proportion of this Statement perfectly acceptable. There may be minor differences of opinion regarding some of the matters discussed in these ‘reasonable’ sections, and there may even be numerous major differences of opinion with the final section entitled ‘The Time of the End’. However on the whole these differences are probably no greater than currently exist between various Christian denominations.

On the other hand, 12 of the 32 sections are given special comment here, for several reasons. Some of these sections appear to tell only a portion of the Family’s doctrine, or fail to detail the specific interpretation of that point, when that interpretation is a crucial factor in the doctrine itself. Other topics contain Scriptures that have been somewhat misinterpreted, while still other doctrines appear to be using carefully selected Bible verses to support utterly unbiblical doctrines.

There are also several doctrines that are completely absent from this document, although adherence to these beliefs are considered mandatory for Family membership.

This web page does not analyse every minute point in the Statement of Faith.

A point of clarification is necessary before specific sections of the Statement of Faith are examined. There are numerous doctrines that are disputed between different Christian denominations. For example, some churches hold that eternal salvation is ‘once saved forever saved’ while others maintain that a believer can lose his or her salvation through wilful sin. Both doctrines can be supported by the Scriptures and both doctrines have been argued over for many centuries. Similarly, some denominations maintain that salvation is purely a matter of God’s predestined choice, while others think the believer has personal choice in the matter. Likewise, there are a number of doctrines that the Family holds to which may be in agreement with some denominations and be disputed by others. This page will not discuss these issues, or other such controversies where the question in hand is not one that would separate the Family from the rest of Christianity.

There are also some doctrines in the Statement of Faith that appear to be somewhat narrow in their definition. An instance of that might be found in the section on the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’, which states that this baptism “may be freely obtained by all believers who simply ask God for it” and that its “primary purpose” is “to empower the believer to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others”. Although not unscriptural, these claims are only a fraction of what the Bible says about the reception and purpose of the Holy Spirit. However, this page does not discuss these, or other petty issues.

The purpose of a Statement of Faith.

Many other Christian churches and organisations publish a ‘Statement of Faith’. In it they record the articles of faith on which their church is built. Their members learn these articles, which form the foundation for their personal lives as well as the basis for the decisions made by the church.

In reality, the Family does not hold its Statement of Faith in such esteem. Family members claim to believe it but most rarely read it, and few could give details of what is written in the Statement, apart from listing a number of the doctrinal topics mentioned. It is fair to say that Family members actually base their lives and faith on what they read in the regular official mailings from leadership in preference to what is contained in the Statement of Faith. Should there ever be a perceived conflict between the Statement of Faith and a recent official Family publication, the recent publication would take precedence.

Unfortunately, this fact negates much of its value. A Statement of Faith is only useful as a document stating in full all the core beliefs on which a denomination is built and around which each member’s life revolves. The Statement of Faith produced by the Family neither states in full nor lists all the core beliefs as held by the Family as a denomination.

Missing topics.

Assuming that a Statement of Faith should be an accurate documentation of the core beliefs of an organisation, then it should include all the important doctrines that affect the lives of its members. It certainly should contain reference to all beliefs that are mandatory. In other words if a certain doctrine is compulsory for members of a church in that they cannot retain membership without agreeing to it, then that doctrine should be included in its Statement of Faith.

This cannot be said for the Statement of Faith found on the Family’s web site. There are several crucial doctrines that all Family members must wholeheartedly accept if they wish to continue in the Family, yet which are not mentioned in this statement.

While these topics may be mentioned elsewhere on the Family’s web site or in other statements, it is fair to say that a Statement of Faith should contain all crucial, and especially all mandatory doctrines.

Missing topic 1: the inspiration of the leader of the Family.

No adult member is permitted to remain in the Family unless they profess to believe that the founder of the Family, David Berg/Dad was an anointed, inspired, ordained prophet of God. Family members must also believe that the current leader (Maria/Zerby) is anointed and ordained by God to lead the Family. Any Family member who no longer believes that God specifically chose these two people to be leaders of the Family as an organisation, and also as their own personal spiritual shepherds will not be permitted to remain in the Family. These are not topics that are optional or open for discussion in the Family. The mere suggestion that a change in leadership might be appropriate would be viewed as tantamount to rebellion against God Himself. This conviction is instilled in new members from the beginning, and every member knows that should he or she begin to question either Berg/Dad or Maria/Zerby or their mandate for leadership, he or she will no longer be allowed to remain members.

This is a doctrine of ‘faith’, as much as any other doctrine peculiar to the Family; these leaders are held to have been nominated by God Himself. Indeed, there has never been any suggestion that either Berg/Dad or Maria/Zerby were appointed to lead the Family through an administrational procedure or popular vote. Family members are given many official publications vehemently proclaiming that it is God Who has chosen these two as leaders. This implies that (a) faith in God produces respect of these leaders and (b) rejection of these leaders is rejection of God.

It is rather perplexing, therefore, that this tenet of faith, so important that one cannot remain a Family member without professing to believe it, is completely absent from the Statement of Faith.

The reasons for this exclusion are open for speculation.

The biblical principles that refer to members of Christian organisations giving allegiance to a modern day ‘prophet’ are covered extensively on this web site in ‘The Prophet of the End’.

Missing Topic 2: the inspiration of Family writings.

Related to the above doctrine is the esteem in which Family members are taught to hold the official writings of either Berg/Dad or Maria/Zerby. These particular writings are believed to be the words of God Himself, given specially to the Family for their benefit. Again, this is no mere administrational clause or even a fervent recommendation. Administrational clauses are open for discussion, recommendations are by definition optional. This is not an optional belief, there is never any debate on the subject, this is absolutely mandatory.

An important distinction that must be made here is that Family members do not regard either Berg/Dad or Maria/Zerby as ‘divine’. At no time have either of them professed to be any more than a human instrument in the hands of God.

Nevertheless, both have explicitly claimed to have received the words of God (through various means) and therefore both are regarded in the Family as being the source of God’s words, if not for the world, then at least for Family members. This is a matter of faith and is therefore a fundamental ‘doctrine’ in every sense of the word.

Faith in the divine origin of the words of Berg/Dad and Maria/Zerby is absolutely mandatory. Consequently, any current member who does not believe that God Himself is the source or inspiration of the official Family publications will soon be asked to leave. In other words, should a current Family member agree to comply with the directions given by Maria/Zerby, while professing that he or she did not believe that those directions actually came from God, this Family member would not be permitted to remain in the Family.

It goes without saying that all Family members must not only show that they believe that God is the original source of Berg/Dad and Maria/Zerby’s writings, they must also commit themselves to obeying the directions contained therein, to the best of their ability.

Without the inclusion of this belief, the Statement of Faith cannot be said to be a complete description of fundamental Family doctrines.

The inspiration of the writings of the Family is discussed in full on this website in the studies ‘The Standard of Measurement’ and ‘New Revelations’.

Missing Topic 3: the ‘Keys of the Kingdom’.

Apart from a cursory mention in one section, this doctrine is for the most part absent from the Statement of Faith. In section 15 ‘Spiritual Warfare’, the ‘keys of the kingdom’ are listed as a ‘powerful spiritual weapon’ that ‘soldiers in the Lord’s army’ should ‘learn to skilfully wield’.

These ‘keys of the kingdom’, however, have such a pivotal place in current Family teaching that in all probability they should be treated as a separate doctrine.

This extra-biblical doctrine is viewed as a special revelation given solely to the Family as a reward for their complete consecration to the Lord. Although there is only one Scripture that mentions this phrase (Matt. 16:19), Family members see nothing unusual about believing that the keys of the kingdom are a spiritual reality, in the same manner that many Christians view the Bible to be a spiritual sword, based on Ephesians 6:17.

The Family, however, has taken this concept to far greater lengths, to the extent where the keys are seen as one of the most important revelations given by God to mankind in recent years. The keys are seen as a weapon with which to fight the attacks of Satan, as mentioned in the Statement of Faith, yet the Family also believes them to be far more than that. The keys are thought to be divine in themselves, to be a manifestation of the word of God. They are seen as the power of God manifested in a new way, and as such have replaced the traditional role ascribed to the Holy Spirit by most Christian churches. Family members are taught the names of an enormous number of ‘keys’ which they use in prayer. For example, a Family member will pray, ‘I claim the keys of supply for our new car’, or ‘I claim the keys of healing for my headache’ and so on.

In short, the ‘keys of the kingdom’ have been given such prominence in the Family’s doctrines of the Godhead, such an important place in current Family teaching, and such emphasis in the way each Family member prays that the Statement of Faith should contain a section explaining this teaching.

Note that the biblical foundation for this doctrine is examined in the page ‘The Keys of the Kingdom’.

Incomplete Topic 1: The Holy Scriptures.

The Statement of Faith states that “God’s Word as revealed in the Bible is the basis and cornerstone of all our beliefs and practices”. While all Family members would whole-heartedly agree with this section in the Statement of Faith, few would clarify that many of the doctrines peculiar to the Family actually have the writings of Berg/Dad as their foundation, with only a few judiciously chosen Scriptures as a support. Indeed, most Family members are unaware that a large number of the Family’s beliefs and practices have neither ‘basis’ nor ‘cornerstone’ in the Bible.

A church that professes to believe that the Bible is the “core of our spiritual strength” should encourage its members to devote as much time to studying it as possible. On the contrary, Family members read official Family writings at most, if not all of their devotional meetings and during their own personal devotions. Family members who read more Bible than Family writings are extremely rare, to the point of being non-existent. Many Family members know little Bible apart from selected memory verses.

Therefore, it is a reasonable observation that the Family does not in fact hold the Bible in as high esteem as it claims in this section of the Statement of Faith.

Incomplete Topic 2: the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is viewed in the Family as “the personification of the feminine and maternal element of the Trinity of God”. This point should perhaps be clarified: the Family takes this teaching remarkably seriously. The Family does not take the “feminine and maternal” aspect of the Holy Spirit merely as a metaphor for gentleness, but the Holy Spirit is literally believed in the Family to be female.

The Family does not just see the Holy Spirit as “the picture of a mother”, but actually as the female part of God Himself. The Trinity is usually depicted as three distinct beings: God the Father, the Holy Spirit the Mother, and Jesus the Son. So, although the Statement of Faith says that the Family believes in “three distinguishable but inseparable Persons” of the Godhead, the distinguishing characteristics of the separate Persons of God as taught by the Family are far greater than are obvious from this document. This rather unusual interpretation of the Bible is examined in the study entitled ‘The Holy Spirit’.

Incomplete Topic 3: the Gift of Prophecy.

Unclear in this section is the extent to which Family members use the ‘gift of prophecy’. Individual members are encouraged to ‘hear from the Lord’ every day, writing down the revelations they are given. Family members look to these daily ‘prayer and prophecy’ sessions for instant guidance for the large and small decisions they need to make.

The Family publishes a large quantity of writings, a high proportion of which contain verbatim ‘prophecies’ said to contain the current direction for the Family as a whole, and for individual members in all they do. These prophecies are believed to be the voice of God Himself.

For more see ‘Getting Prophecies’ and ‘New Revelations’.

Incomplete Topic 4: the Fellowship of Believers.

This topic, the ‘Fellowship of Believers’ together with ‘The Church’, ‘Separation from the World’ and ‘Cooperative Communal Living’, gives little clue as to the ways in which Family members believe God has told them to apply these principles to their lives.

All full-time Family members believe that they should live communally in Family Homes, refraining from as much contact with the outside society as possible. The result of this is a rather exclusive mini-society with its own rules, terminology, loyalty, leadership, as well as belief system. There are, of course, different ‘levels’ of membership and different membership rules apply to each level. However the basic principles of faith remain the same.

People may ‘fellowship’ with Family members without joining, that is, attend certain Family-led outreach meetings etc, but no one may join the Family full-time without agreeing (in faith) to a total commitment to separation from ‘the world’. This leads us to the next topic.

Incomplete Topic 5: Discipleship.

When someone joins the Family, they become a ‘disciple’. It’s important to note here that the Family definition of a disciple differs significantly from that found in the Bible, although this difference is not clarified in this Statement of Faith, and indeed is probably not mentioned in any Family publication. The word “disciple” is defined by the Family in a footnote to the Statement of Faith as “one who believes and follows the teachings of a master, and assists in the spreading of such teachings.” This footnote goes on to “acknowledge that there are varying degrees of ‘following the teachings,’ which must be recognized and appreciated.”

While it is true that Christians may dedicate different amounts of time, effort or money to preaching the Gospel, the implication given here (that ‘disciples’ are defined as those who dedicate much) is not true. In short, the Family has defined ‘discipleship’ in two ways: first, generally, as the life and practice of one who ‘follows the teachings’ to the same degree as Jesus’ twelve disciples did, renouncing family and livelihood in order to follow the Master, and second, in a much more specific way as a person who has agreed to become a full-time Family member. Other Christians are rarely if ever called ‘disciples’ because they either have not joined the Family or they are perceived as not giving up as much to serve the Lord as Family members do.

The Bible, however, is clear that all Christians are disciples, all disciples are Christians (Acts 11:26). If a person is not a disciple of Jesus, he or she is not a Christian. Therefore, the verses which the Family uses to support their rather extreme ‘discipleship’ practices must be able to be applied to all Christians. In other words, if the Bible suggests that a ‘disciple’ should do something, the practical application should be applicable to all Christians, not just to a select few. This topic is explored further on this site in ‘Forsaking All’.

In particular, Family ‘disciples’ agree in writing to ‘forsake all’. This refers to the belief that in order for them to be accepted as Family members, they must agree to sever ties with society, as much as is possible. They agree to liquidate all their assets, donating the financial returns to the Family. All money, all savings, all vehicles, all houses, all possessions, everything is to be either sold (with the proceeds going to the Family) or donated directly and permanently to the Family. Although many of the new member’s personal possessions and the bulk of his or her money may be given to the particular ‘Home’ he or she joins, he or she must renounce ownership of these things, giving them freely, ‘as unto the Lord’.

Official Family policy on full-time ‘disciples’ is that they do not hold secular employment (unless approved by their leadership). While there may be a few exceptions to this rule, in general no full-time Family member continues in a secular job. The Family justifies this policy by using carefully selected Bible verses (such as Matthew 6:24) implying that one cannot serve God while also working at secular employment. Therefore, as this is a policy determined by doctrine and justified by scripture, it rightly should be explained in the Statement of Faith. Practical applications based on scripture are given in other sections of the Statement of Faith, such as in section 22, which gives the scriptural references to support the Family’s ban on tobacco or illicit drugs, and section 27, which puts forth the Family’s stance on abortion, suicide and euthanasia.

Family ‘disciples’ are also exhorted from the Scriptures to be obedient to leadership, loyal to the Family, to work exclusively on Family projects, and to spend their time according to a schedule devised according to Family rules. This time schedule includes such things as required morning and evening meetings, frequency of exercise, the number of hours per week spent evangelising, and the number of hours per day spent in private study of Family publications.

Now while it may not be necessary to include so many details in an official Statement of Faith, it is obvious that the Family defines ‘discipleship’ in a far more regimented and strictly controlled manner than could ever be discerned from their Statement of Faith.

Incomplete Topic 6: Marriage and Children

The 26^th section in the Statement of Faith describes the biblical ideal of a “stable”, “healthy, loving, safe, and godly” Christian family.

There is an extremely important doctrinal point that has, unfortunately, been omitted from this section. This is the belief taught in the Family that one’s personal family is subservient to the Family organisation. All full-time Family members promise to give their loyalty to the Family and its leadership above and before their own personal marriage and children.

Full-time Family members pledge obedience to their leaders and in particular to the leader of the Family, in preference to the interests of their own personal family.

There are a number of ways in which this belief is applied practically:

Firstly, the temporary or permanent separation of married couples ‘for the sake of the work’. It is impossible to ascertain accurate statistics on the number of separations in the Family, but all long term Family members would have personal knowledge of couples who separated in order that one of the spouses might continue in a particular position of responsibility. In many instances this separation was accomplished via the direct intervention of leadership, in others one of the separating spouses was a leader him or herself.

Another application of the subservience of the marriage unit to the Family as a whole can be found in the copious official encouragement to engage in extra-marital sexual relations in order to foster ‘unity within the Home’. While all sexual relations are officially voluntary, there is immense pressure on individual members to engage in sex (‘share’) with other members. This pressure comes primarily from the Family’s own official publications, regarded as the word of God by every member, in which the benefits of and procedures for sexual ‘sharing’ are enumerated in great detail. There is no difference drawn between married and unmarried members in this regard, with the exception that married members have been encouraged to have unprotected sex (without using birth control, unless there is a medical reason for doing so), and unmarried members have been given the freedom to choose whether or not to use condoms.

Also, all adults in a Family Home are taught that they are to some extent responsible for the discipline of all the children that reside therein, regardless of who their natural family is. Parents do have ultimate authority over decisions affecting their own children’s lives, but this parental authority is subservient to the collective authority of the Home in which they are resident. So, all Home members regularly meet to discuss any behavioural problems or needs that any of the children may have. Any action taken must have the approval of the Home.

Another example of the subordination of marriage is found in the financial dependence of each family unit on their Home. In general, all finances and assets are considered Home property. While a family may apply to retain some of their income for a particular purpose, they do not have individual rights over items they bring to a Home. Thus, if a family joins a Home, bringing a vehicle, this is done with the understanding that the vehicle becomes ‘Home property’, and if this family decides to leave the Home, they may or may not be permitted to take the vehicle with them.

Past Family practices have also included a form of polygamy (known as a ‘threesome’), and there is provision in current Family regulations for a husband to take on an unmarried woman as a temporary de facto second spouse if she falls pregnant to him.

Clearly, one cannot get a true picture of the Family’s doctrines concerning marriage from reading their Statement of Faith.

Another point that must be clarified in this section is regarding the training of Family children. The Statement of Faith says that members “strive to impart to our children a deep appreciation, respect, and love for God and His Word”.

Unstated, however, is the fact that the “Word” referred to in this sentence usually means Family-produced materials, rarely Bible. Family children will memorise select Bible verses, but the vast majority of the “Word” they are taught is written by the Family’s publications unit specifically to teach children Family doctrines. Thus, young children read (as “Word time”) comics giving instructions on how to contact their own spirit helpers, or how to get their own prophecies etc. All Family children are taught that official Family publications are the ‘Word of God’ through which all else is to be understood. All Bible verses Family children read are filtered through Family publications.

Therefore, it would be closer to the truth to say that Family members “strive to impart” to their children a “deep appreciation, respect, and love for” their own publications, rather than the Bible.

Incomplete Topic 7: Civil Government and Religious Liberty.

Section 28 claims that the Family follows the scriptural admonitions to “be subject to the governing authorities”, yet there are a couple of points that must be made on this topic.

First, Family members believe that the Family itself is in effect a decentralised, de facto nation of which they are subjects. They note their unified belief system, culture, terminology and government, all of which are practically identical within the Family the world over. Loyalty belongs to the Family, not to the nation of which they are legally citizens.

Second, the Statement of Faith claims the liberty to “obey God rather than men”, but does not explain that this liberty is believed to extend itself to any and all areas of daily life. Any Family project can be considered a work of God and consequently may be operated without respect to law or community.

Third, the claimed subjection to local governing authorities is usually effected only when there is no other option. In general, Family members do not pay income tax unless they have been unable to avoid doing so. The officially promoted methods of raising money usually consist of hard-to-trace fundraising techniques such as the personal soliciting of donations or door-to-door sales.

Clearly, this section is overly abbreviated.

Incomplete Topic 8: Sin and Moral behaviour.

The Statement of Faith briefly covers the fall of man resulting in our inherent sinful nature, following which the editors are content with a few general references. For example, although footnote 3 warns against believers ‘willingly’ or ‘persistently’ sinning there is no definition given in the statement of what actually constitutes sin.

This is, of course, a separate issue from the regulations pertaining to Family membership, which are covered extensively in their ‘Charter of Rights and Responsibilities’. In other words, every organisation decides on a set of governing rules, whether it is a Christian church or a secular business. In the Family, that is the purpose of the Charter. A Statement of Faith, however, should describe the spiritual principles that form the foundation for the rules a church decides to accept. For a Christian, sin is something that is displeasing in God’s sight, something that separates the Christian from God, regardless of whether or not that particular action is legal in his or her country of residence.

It is true that some churches do not insert a list of sinful practices in their own Statement of Faith. This is because most churches take it for granted that its members accept the various ‘sin lists’ in the Bible. There is no need to define ‘murder’ or ‘theft’ as sin because these are clearly defined in the Bible as sin. Indeed, most Family members would agree that there is no real need to state categorically that ‘murder is sin’.

Unfortunately, at this point the Family’s belief system diverges from other churches in a subtle yet crucial manner. For example, although Family members would have no difficulty agreeing that murder is sin, most would dispute or qualify the statement that ‘adultery is sin’. This is due to the specific doctrines regarding sex in the Family, which are treated as ‘special dispensation’ for the Family, or ‘grace for the last days’, or simply a ‘matter for personal faith’. Likewise, any attempt to define specific sins in the Family would soon degenerate into a general discussion of ‘grace versus law’ or the ‘law of love’.

This is a doctrinal point in which the Family holds a dramatically different position from that of mainstream Christian churches, although the Statement of Faith gives no indication of that divergence. In fact, these are points which totally and permanently separate the Family from other churches.

This is where the Statement of Faith seems to be somewhat misleading. The impression is given that the Family is a small, Christian, albeit unconventional church. However, the redefinition of what is or is not pleasing in God’s sight goes immeasurably beyond the bounds of ‘unconventional Christian doctrine’. The doctrinal differences between the Family and mainstream Christianity when it comes to the definition of sin are absolutely irreconcilable.

Therefore the Statement of Faith, which purports to display the guiding doctrinal beliefs of the Family, if it is to be taken seriously, must address the issue of those items which are and are not considered to be ‘sin’. There are a number of ‘sin lists’ in both the Old and New Testaments, giving details of numerous actions which are displeasing to God. The Family considers some of these actions to apply to Family members, others are said to apply with certain qualifications, and yet others are completely dismissed.

Without a clear statement on what constitutes sin in the Family, this Statement of Faith cannot be taken as an accurate or honest document.

Unscriptural Topic 1: Departed Spirits.

Section 13 gives a brief justification of the Family’s practice of communicating with the “spirits of departed saints”. Unstated is the prevalence of this practice. In fact, the practice of ‘hearing from departed saints’ is officially sanctioned, energetically promoted and has become a mandatory belief for full-time Family members.

The paragraph in the Statement of Faith cites the Transfiguration and an incident in the book of Revelations to support this doctrine. However there are a number of specific Bible passages which forbid any such calling on the dead, and the message of the Transfiguration in fact gives no hint of condoning a practice so utterly condemned in the Old Testament. Moreover, the specific incidents in the book of Revelations have also been misinterpreted by the Family in order to give credence to a doctrine which must be categorically rejected as completely unscriptural. This web site examines the doctrine in detail, including analyses of the stories of the Transfiguration and the ‘messenger’ in Revelations.

Unscriptural Topic 2: Jesus’ Law of Love.

Section 29 summarises the Family’s reasoning behind their discarding of several Old Testament prohibitions. According to this doctrine, Jesus came to earth to release Christians from the Mosaic Old Testament laws with His “higher law” of love. Family doctrine holds that any action, when done in ‘love’ is “lawful in the eyes of God”.

In particular, this ‘law of love’ (according to the Family) negates the commandment against adultery, and any such Old Testament references to adultery or fornication, thus freeing adult Christians to engage in sexual relations with each other.

However, the truth is that the law of love cannot be used as license to disobey God’s explicit biblical commands, regardless of how ‘loving’ a Christian feels himself to be. Christians have been commanded to walk in love, to love another, to live with Christ’s love in us, yet at no time does this love give us the freedom to wilfully break God’s laws. God is truth and cannot change. The principle on which He formed the Mosaic law is His unchangeable eternal nature, of light and righteousness. When Jesus commanded us to be loving, He was indeed bringing us to a “higher law”, yet this was never to be at the expense of what God had already said. Not a jot or a tittle of the law will pass until all is fulfilled (Matt. 5:17,18). Jesus also said that it was “easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law”. (Luke 16:17 NIV)

See the ‘Law of Love in the Gospels’.

Unscriptural Topic 3: Theological Perspective on Sexuality.

Section 30 touches on the application of the law of love to sexual matters. This brief section portrays human sexuality as “a natural emotional and physical need” which is “designed, ordained, and commanded by God”. Therefore, most Family members feel they are perfectly justified if they “interact sexually with other adults within the Family”. They feel no qualms about discarding the seventh commandment (“You shall not commit adultery” Exodus 20:14) or other Old Testament prohibitions against sexual licentiousness.

However, most Family members do not realise the number of times the New Testament condemns sexual sins, or even that Jesus Christ Himself listed adultery as sin. This doctrine is examined in full elsewhere on this site, including an examination of what Jesus said about adultery, and studies from Galatians, Corinthians and Thessalonians, and from other places in the New Testament.

Unscriptural Topic 4: The Bride of Christ.

Section 31 discusses the metaphorical image of Christ as the Bridegroom with His people as the bride. However, far from taking this as a picture of the love Christ has toward us, the Family believes this to be an actual reality of “intimate spiritual unity” between Christ and Christians, or more particularly, between Jesus and Family members.

Unstated in section 31 is the belief that this is no metaphor, and that the “loving union of heart, mind, and spirit” espoused in the Statement of Faith also includes physical sexual unity between individual Family members and Christ.

Thus, Family members have been officially encouraged to praise and worship Jesus through acts of masturbation or when having sex with another Family member. They are taught that Jesus Himself experiences the sexual pleasures when they do so.

This utterly unscriptural doctrine is covered in the studies on ‘Marriage’, and ‘Married to Each Other’.

Conclusion.

The Statement of Faith as a document explaining the Family’s position on key issues is seriously flawed. A number of doctrines essential for Family membership are completely omitted. Some doctrines are written so as to appear as though they conform to mainstream Christianity in an apparent attempt to hide decidedly unorthodox views. Other doctrines are included that can be described as completely unbiblical or even blatantly sinful.

It is probably true that the Family’s Statement of Faith is used more as a public relations tool than as a summary of the actual Scriptural beliefs of its own members.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the Statement of Faith is complete, accurate or honest.

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