My Mother Wrote the Horrific CSA Handbook for Children of God Cult

CW:  CSA, SA, ChiId Trafficking- David Brandt Berg, also known as King David, Dad, or Grandpa to followers, was the founder and leader of the cult generally known as the Children of God.  In 1968 it began as a new religious movement focused on spreading the Christian message.  As the decades progressed, the group targeted vulnerable people and devolved as a counter to purity culture in which Berg pushed the idea that God is love, and love is sex, therefore members should have sex with everyone.  COG attracted the attention of the international media, and a British court case would find the group to be an authoritarian cult which engaged in the systematic physical and sexual abuse of children, resulting in lasting trauma among survivors. 

Today’s guest, Serena Kelley, was born and raised in the cult, and along with her mother, Sara, were two of the select few people in David Berg’s inner circle.  When Ricky Rodriguez (another chiId within the cult) was ten months old, Berg asked Sara, one of Ricky's nannies, to start creating a document titled "The Davidito Book" (also referred to as "The Story of Davidito"). The book contains descriptions of adults CSA-ing Rodriguez, describing this ab*se in a "celebratory" tone.  Serena’s mother would end up writing the horrific CSA handbook for the Children of God Cult, and was even proud of the fact, becoming known as “Sara Davidito”.  

Serena recounts what it was like growing up in the cult, alongside her brainwashed mother, facing constant mental, physical and sexual abuse, while being forced to appear in CSA videos, and how at the age of 3, Serena was “given” to Berg as a chiId bride and told she was going to be his forever.  

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Watch pt 2 of Serena’s interview

Serena dives further, answering your questions LIVE

Find Serena:

IG: @serkelley

Substack: https://substack.com/@serenakelley

YT:  https://www.youtube.com/@serkelley

Website: https://serenakelley.com/

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**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**

Chapter Marks

00:10:45 CW: CSA, Serena Explains Children of God CSA Origins & Practices

00:15:26 CW: CSA, Serena Shares her mother's involvement with creating a CSA Manuscript

00:20:00 CW: CSA, SA, Serena Shares Her Earliest Memories in the Children of God Cult

00:26:53 CW: CA, CSA, Serena Shares About Constant Fear and Her Engagement as a Toddler

00:32:09 CW: SA, CSA, Homophob*a, The Children of God's Bizzarre S*xual Practices & Beliefs

00:36:07 CW: Incest, CSA, C recordings, Serena Shares about Cover-Ups and Beginning to Doubt

00:40:36 CW: CA, ChiId Traff*cking, Serena Shares About Her Time in the Japan Commune

00:48:32 CW: ChiId Traff*cking , Serena Talks about the Fear Tactics Used and Being Traff*cked

00:51:42 CW: CSA, Serena's Transition from Japan to Brazil

00:55:23 CW: CA, Serena Shares About Her "Celebrity Status" and Being Trained to Lie

01:02:52 CW: CA, Bullying, Berg's Death & Cult Leadership Makes Serena's Identity Public

01:10:59 CW: CSA, The Cult's New "Rules" About S*x 

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