Globe and Mail: 'Flirty fishing' is urged for sect

'Flirty fishing' is urged for sect

The Globe and Mail/1979-12-08

NEW YORK (AP) - The latest summary of teachings circulated by the Children of God details its recommended use of sex to lure recruits into the fold.

David Berg, known to his followers as Moses David, Father David or Mo, has called the tactic "flirty fishing."

"People today are terrifically desirous of sex and in need of sex, therefore if you don't satisfy their sexual appetite they have a hard time believing that you really love them," Mr. Berg says in a new compilation of letters written to potential recruits.

"So sometimes we have to satisfy that appetite to prove to them that we really care and we're concerned that we love them."

The current mailings come from Zurich, Switzerland, where Mr. Berg resides, says his personal secretary known only as John.

The group, founded by Mr. Berg in California in 1968, now is scattered in 70 countries.