[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/image00.jpg” title_text=”image00″ module_class=”heat-news-logo” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||30px||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”width: 240px;||margin: 0 auto !important;” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-post-title” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#333333″ header_font_size=”44px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”intro-wrap” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”18px” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
How Serena Kelley survived a horrific childhood in the Children of God<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/Serena-Kelley-1-e1710516524323.jpg” title_text=”Serena Kelley-1″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#ed1b29″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Serena survived and can now tell her story<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Aged just three years old, I didn\u2019t understand what was going on when my mother lifted me onto the lap of the grey-haired man. \u201cYou\u2019re going to be mine forever,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re having a union.\u201d The man I knew as \u201cGrandpa\u201d then gave me a ring to symbolise our \u201cmarriage\u201d, but it was so big, it had to be wrapped with tape. \u201cAs you grow up, you can take the tape off, so it still fits,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n
I had been born into the Children of God cult and Grandpa was its leader, David Berg, who was in his late sixties at that time. Founded in 1968, the cult had 13,000 members in communities across the world, and one of the key foundations of the \u201cfamily\u201d was sex. Berg brainwashed thousands of his followers into believing the end of the world was approaching and the only way they could be spared was through orgasms. One of his doctrines, which he called the \u201cLaw of Love\u201d, stated anyone within the cult could sleep with anyone else, including children. And under his rules, females had to make themselves available to any man who wanted them.<\/p>\n
My mother was an important member of the family, and her pregnancy and my early life had been documented for cult publications. \u201cYou\u2019re the chosen ones,\u201d one member told me and an older boy named Ricky Rodriguez. \u201cEveryone will look to you for leadership.\u201d As members of the cult\u2019s inner circle, we lived in the lap of luxury. We were in the Philippines, where child sex laws were less strict, and we stayed in mansions with pools, tennis courts and koi fish ponds. But behind all the luxury, I was living a very dark and traumatic life. Often, I\u2019d wake in the night to loud music and toddle downstairs into the communal rooms where I\u2019d stumble on drunken orgies. I was too young to understand what was going on, but I saw things that deeply disturbed me. On other occasions, I\u2019d be made to undress and dance in front of the camera. Berg was a paedophile and encouraged members to film children for him. I quickly learned that if I cried, I\u2019d be taken off camera, and although I was punished, it was worth it to avoid being filmed. Gradually, I became withdrawn, desperate not to be noticed.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/Serena-Kelley-as-a-little-girl-copy.jpg” title_text=”Serena Kelley as a little girl copy” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#ed1b29″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Pictured as an innocent child<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
When I was five years old, I was woken up in the middle of the night. \u201cCome on, we\u2019re leaving,\u201d my mother told me in a whisper. Under cover of darkness, we took a car to the airport, followed by a flight to Japan. There, I was handed over to the care of Dora and Jeremy, who were also in the family. After that, I barely saw my mother for a while. A year later, Dora and Jeremy moved us to the Brazil compound. \u201cNo one can know who you are here,\u201d Dora told me when we arrived. My birth name, Mary Dear, was in all the publications, so I was renamed Serena. One day in class, we were going through a cult publication featuring drawings of me as a toddler. \u201cHow old would Mary Dear be now?\u201d a classmate asked. \u201cShe\u2019d be about seven,\u201d said the teacher. \u201cJust like you, Serena,\u201d he said, looking at me. \u201cWow,\u201d I said, trying to sound impressed. It was so confusing for my sense of identity. <\/p>\n
When we weren\u2019t in lessons, the cult put the kids to work. Often, we\u2019d be set gruelling manual tasks, such as cleaning the bathroom with toothbrushes. At other times, we\u2019d be sent out to beg, or sing songs for money from the locals. If any of the children misbehaved, they\u2019d be sent to receive a beating from a group of members referred to as \u201cthe uncles\u201d. When I was 12, David Berg died. Watching the adults weeping uncontrollably, I couldn\u2019t help but think, \u201cWhat are you crying about? You never even met him.\u201d After Berg\u2019s death, his widow Karen took control and she relaxed some of the rules about us interacting with outsiders. Our neighbour\u2019s children used to watch us over the compound wall, and one day, they invited us to join them for a game of football. Growing up, I\u2019d been told that outsiders were all devil-worshippers, but as I spent more time with the neighbours, I realised that wasn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/Serenas-mother-pregnant-with-Kelley-with-David-berg.jpg” title_text=”Serenas mother, pregnant with Kelley, with David berg” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#ed1b29″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Serena’s mum, while pregnant with her, along with Berg, who would later ‘marry’ Serena<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
By then, my mother was the head of the South American division of the cult, and on one occasion, she gave the congregation a sermon on Abraham and Isaac. \u201cWould you kill me if God asked you to?\u201d I asked her. Silence fell among the 200-person audience. \u201cYes,\u201d said my mother a moment later. \u201cI would.\u201d That was when I realised I wasn\u2019t safe with my own mother, and I made a vow to leave the cult as soon as I was 18. My childhood friend Ricky had already fled. \u201cHe\u2019s fallen prey to a demon,\u201d leaders said, before telling us to pray that bad things would happen to him. I only pretended to obey. <\/p>\n
During my final years in the cult, I was sent to Mexico to live with my mother. I\u2019d gotten a reputation as a troublemaker and the stricter rules there were designed to keep me in line. But, just as I had promised myself, I packed a bag the moment I turned 18. \u201cIf you go, you\u2019re never coming back,\u201d my mother warned me. \u201cThat\u2019s fine with me,\u201d I replied. With only \u00a3120 to my name, I headed to the USA, where one former cult member offered me their sofa and another ex-member gave me a job. She\u2019d started a massage parlour, and I worked there illegally while I tried to find my feet. Life outside the cult was a massive culture shock. I didn\u2019t have a bank account, a driving licence, or any form of American ID, but my new independence felt like an incredible luxury. For the first time, I had my own clothes, my own dishes and my own space.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/David-Berg-with-Rick-Rodriquez-015.jpg” title_text=”David Berg with Rick Rodriquez 015″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#ed1b29″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Berg with Ricky Rodriguez, who later took his own life<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
When I was 22, horrifying news spread around the ex-members. \u201cIt\u2019s Ricky,\u201d my friend said. \u201cHe\u2019s killed himself.\u201d Before ending his life, Ricky had stabbed his former nanny to death, a woman who had sexually abused him as a child. His other nanny had been my mother. The story thrust the Children of God onto the front page of newspapers all across the country. By then, I\u2019d made plenty of friends who had no idea about my background \u2013 I\u2019d told them my parents were in the military \u2013 but now my secret was out, and I ended up with the paparazzi tailing me around Ricky\u2019s funeral, shouting out questions about the cult. <\/p>\n
Despite everything, though, I managed to pay my way through a university course in corporate communications, and after that, I landed several high-paying jobs in the corporate world. But no matter how successful I became, I couldn\u2019t ignore my need to heal. In my early thirties, I began trauma counselling specifically for ex cult-members. And the more work I did on my own healing, the more passionate I became about helping other people. \u201cI want to be the person I needed when I first left the cult,\u201d I told a friend. So, I started work as a trauma-recovery specialist, and for the first time in my life, I publicly opened up about my own story.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/Children-of-God-worshippers-003-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Children of God worshippers 003″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#ed1b29″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Children of God worshippers<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Today, the Children of God are still operational under the name The Family International. My mother is no longer \u2028a member, and she lives in hiding. She was only 19 when she joined the cult, and I know that, in some ways, she was a victim herself, but I don\u2019t have much interest in building a relationship with her. Whether you are a victim or not, you have to take responsibility for your actions, and my mother has not. Berg was a victim of childhood sexual abuse and he argued that, since he\u2019d enjoyed it, other children would, too. Berg projected the unhealed trauma of his own life onto others. He was responsible for the abuse of thousands of children, many of whom still suffer the consequences to this day.<\/p>\n
As told to Olivia Dunnett.<\/em><\/p>\n Serena now helps others heal past traumas using methods to connect the mind, body, and soul to find peace and purpose in life. For more on her work, visit Serenakelley.com<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#000000″ divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Aboreto|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n PHOTOS: CHILDREN OF GOD ARCHIVE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_class=”flatplan-readmore” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#111111″ custom_padding=”35px||35px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”85%” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#FFFFFF” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ module_class=”read-more-item” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”85%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/Thumbnailaa.jpg” title_text=”Thumbnailaa” module_class=”read-more-thumbnail” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text module_class=”read-more-headline” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”16px” link_option_url=”https:\/\/apple.news\/AAxnslpogQkyVo5exrESY-w” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Meghan’s fury over Hollywood hate campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ module_class=”read-more-item” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”85%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/Thumbnail-copy.jpg” title_text=”Thumbnail-copy” module_class=”read-more-thumbnail” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text module_class=”read-more-headline” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”16px” link_option_url=”https:\/\/apple.news\/Aot0zm_H2S8iuHzhXqZsbzA ” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Kate blows \u00a31m on her \u2018perfect princess\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Serena Kelley survived a horrific childhood in the Children of God<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"guest","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2349,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340\/revisions\/2349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/heat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Read more from Heat<\/h3>\n