Paul Brandt Berg

Paul Berg (Aaron) and Judy Helmstetler (Shulamite), 1971

Paul and Sarah Berg. From OG #36 — Our Teenage Mobile Ministry!--Summer TSC--1967.

Paul Brandt Berg (US citizen, born 1947-06-21) was the eldest son of Children of God founder David Berg and Jane Miller. Known within the cult as "Aaron", Paul Berg wrote and performed many early Children of God songs, and is considered among the more influential contributors towards the music that made the revolution.

On November 26, 1967, Paul married Sarah Berg in Texas when she was 15 years old. Together they had two children. They eventually separated and were divorced in 1973. According to a statement by Sarah Berg and a September 1974 report by the New York Attorney General's Charity Frauds Bureau, Sarah Berg alleged that Paul would "beat the living daylights" out of her and that he once beat her across the stomach with a "two by four" two weeks prior to the birth of their second child as punishment for refusing to publicly have sex with him as part of a practical demonstration David Berg ordered on "how to have intercourse with pregnant girls."

While he was still married to Sarah Berg, Paul married Judy Arlene Helmstetler (aka Shulamite) and together they had one child, Merry Berg.

According to the Lefkowitz Report, he was also arrested in 1968 and 1969 and jumped bail:

Twenty-one (21) members of the "Teens for Christ" group were arrested for violation of California Penal Code 602.9 (interference with peaceful conduct or activities of a school) in December, 1968 and February, 1969. Twenty of the members including, Jonathan Berg and Paul Berg, sons of David Berg, jumped bail set at an aggregate of $34,500 and arrest warrants were issued, but have not been executed. [Huntingdon, California Police Dept. Report dated May 21, 1973]

• Source: Final Report on the Activities of the Children of God to Hon. Louis J. Lefkowitz Attorney General of the State of New York — 1974-09-30.

While there were no witnesses present at the time of his death, it is widely believed that he committed suicide by jumping from a cliff in France, near Geneva, Switzerland in April 1973 at age 26. His widow, Judy Helmstetler, claims to have read his suicide note before she sent it to David Berg [1].

More Information

• Special Newsletter!--May, June, 1962. — OG #30 — includes edited reprint of Miami newspaper article about Paul
• Persecution!--A Letter by Paul (Aaron) a Teen for Christ!--1966. — OG #34 – about his July 14, 1966 arrest in Weatherford. Texas.
• NewDayNews Open House: Re: About Berg, Aaron, and the beginning — 2005-05-02 – message from Paul's second wife, Judy. Posted at her request by Anneke.

This article is a "stub". This means it is an incomplete article needing further elaboration.

You can help xFamily.org by contributing information or writing a more complete article. Please use the Forum to send us content whenever possible.