Karen Zerby

Karen Zerby, 2001

Karen Zerby

Karen Elva Zerby (born in Camden, New Jersey on July 31^st, 1946) is the current leader of The Family International, a new religious movement. Zerby, a U.S. citizen, legally changed her name to Katherine Rianna Smith in 1997 and uses the pseudonyms Maria David, Maria Berg, Maria Fontaine, Mama Maria and Queen Maria.

Zerby joined the group, then called Teens for Christ, in 1969. After becoming a private secretary to David Berg, the group's founder, a sexual relationship started between the two. In a prophecy titled "A Prophecy of God on the Old Church and the New Church", Berg explained that he had been told by God to leave his first wife, Jane Miller, who represented the "old church", for Zerby who became his soi-disant second wife and who represented the "new church".

With David Berg's health declining in later years, Zerby began to take a leadership role within the group. Upon his death in October 1994 she assumed full leadership of the group and married her long-time partner Steven Douglas Kelly (legally changed name to Christopher Smith, and known to members as Peter Amsterdam or King Peter).

Pre-incarnation and the fulfillment of destiny

Drawing of Zerby from The Humble Prophetess! (ML 1429)

Zerby has claimed that she preexisted and was among Jesus’ favorite lovers in heaven before she came to earth. In prophecies published for her followers, Jesus tells her: "You are Maria of the End, the prophetess, the unlocker of the mysteries of heaven." (Heavenly Birthdays!, ML 3193, Para.87) She is told that her birth was a turning point in the history of life on earth, and that she was sent to the planet so Family members may partake of her beauty and purity. It is also claimed that she has the power to heal by supernatural means. (Para.72) Jesus further informs Zerby: "You used to dance for me a lot. [...] I got so excited when I saw your sexy body." (Para.93)

David Berg's spiritual mantle

Following are excerpts of an internal publication compiled from Berg's writings on Zerby, which she had published immediately following his death. In the later years of his life Berg made it clear that Zerby would command the group when he died, and the document was apparently published to reinforce this.

50. My mantle & His Spirit will fall on Maria then. She's a Prophetess of God, she has been since the beginning. It was her messages in tongues that I first interpreted that got us started.

58. (Prophecy:) "The anointing of the Lord will fall upon you, & the mantle of David shall drape about thy shoulders, & thou shalt speak the Words of the Lord to My people, & they shall listen unto thee & heed thee & know that thou art the Word of the Lord. "

72. Maria is already my manager & tells me what to do. Of course, I get the inspiration & the anointing & I get the Words because I happen to be the channel right now. But when I'm gone, she will inherit that power & that mantle & she will be the channel.

83. (Prophecy:) "When thy David is taken from thee, thou shalt be known as a Prophetess, & thou shalt be heeded as the oracles of God, for thou shalt speak that which I shall speak unto thee in that day when he shall be gone from thee, & they shall listen to thy Words. They shall heed My Spirit, & thou shalt become as another one--as the Prophetess of God! "

Source: "Dad's Glorious Graduation–And How We'll Carry On!" (ML 2946, Oct. 1994), compiled from writings by David Berg

Multimedia

Photos

Senior Family leadership including Zerby have long attempted to keep their photographs and legal names from common circulation (see Category:Secrecy). Although by now most of the group's members have seen photographs or video footage of Karen Zerby and Steven Kelly, their identities and location are still heavily guarded by those members working closest to them. Prior to being released here on xFamily.org, recent photographs of Karen Zerby, Steven Kelly and most World Services (WS) members were not readily available even to fulltime members of The Family. This long-standing policy was changed to a limited extent in March 2005, a few days after The Family's discovery of photos of Zerby and other top leaders on this website.

Karen Zerby, 2001

Zerby & partner Steven Kelly

Zerby (left) & Barbara Emerson sporting wigs, 2001

Kelly & Zerby

Zerby at a leadership meeting in Thailand, 2000

Karen Zerby, circa 1970

Zerby on the right of David Berg in Tenerife, 1977

Family publications for children

• Our Queen Maria (MLK 124, March 2001) — Illustrated publication authored by Karen Zerby, explaining to young children why she is "Queen of The Family"
• More about Mama (HTK 95, July 2000) — Zerby speaks about herself to Family children (art by Jeremy Spencer)
• More about Mama - Part 2 (HTK 95b, July 2001)
• Many are the Helpers of Maria! (MLK 82, July 1999) — Zerby speaks about her numerous spirit helpers

Miscellaneous

• Video: Karen Zerby replaces Jane Miller Berg as David Berg's wife (1.9MB) — From "The Love Prophet" documentary
• Audio: Karen Zerby addresses The Family: Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3, Clip 4, Clip 5

The Maria Monologues

Karen Zerby (known as Maria to group members) is the spiritual leader of The Family International. On a typical workday, she spends hours attending to Family-related affairs. Because of her position of spiritual authority within the group, her staff records her comments on a variety of issues.

The Maria Monologues contain excerpts from the transcripts of these tapes. They provide valuable insight into the inner workings of The Family as well as Zerby's character and leadership.

DISCLAIMER: The Maria Monologues are archived here for educational purposes. They are listed to document their existence and wording but we do not condone the points of view or activities.

• The Maria Monologues #1
  “. . . having sex. It's pure to us, there's nothing wrong with it, so we let our kids be in on it, we let them get in on it if they want, we even play it with them because it's nice, it makes them feel good & they enjoy it.” —Maria. 1990-12-12
• The Maria Monologues #2
  “I have a feeling that a lot of our Family are getting the idea, maybe only subtly or covertly, that what we have printed & what we have preached is wrong.” —Maria. 1990-12-10
• The Maria Monologues #3
  “Mene is trying to make Dad's sexiness look like the most evil thing in the world, when it's very normal & natural and common amongst many others in similar situations. . .” —Maria. 1994-01-11
• The Maria Monologues #4
  “I guess it pretty much shocks us to see that we talked so openly about a child of under 11 having had regular dates with the men in the Home where she had been.” —Maria talking about Merry Berg (Mene). 1992-08-01
• The Maria Monologues #5
  “If the Law of Love is right, then it applies clear across the board no matter what age it is.” —Maria. 1992-08-15

Legal documents

• King County Name Change Order — Documents name change from Karen Elva Zerby to Katherine Rianna Smith (1997-11-04)

References

• House, H. Wayne (2000). Charts of Cults, Sects, and Religious Movements. Zondervan Publishing Company. ISBN 0310385512.
• Lewis, James R. (2004). Controversial New Religions Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195156838.