Sunday, November 22, 2015

If The Children Were The Most Important

One of the biggest contradictions of Jim Baker was how many of his actions and behavior seemed completely opposite to the words he espoused, like in his views of 'the children' in The Source Family.  In the early days, before he began impregnating the women around him and before a bumper crop of babies were born; Jim Baker always spoke about the value and importance of the children who had been brought into The Brotherhood of The Source by their parents.  During that time, it seemed as though Jim Baker truly regarded 'the children' as the promise of the future to be nurtured and cherished and that it was the children who should always be fed and provided for first and foremost.

Jim Baker also believed that the children should all live together as a group separate from their parents rather than children and their parents sleeping together and sharing a living space.  So, the children who came into The Source Family with their parents all lived together in a room or space separate from the rest of the family, with mothers rotating shifts to take over what was called 'children's duty.'  You could basically 'drop off' your child with the group and not worry about them, unless it was your turn on 'children's duty.'

But, not long after Jim Baker had impregnated his own legal wife, Robin Baker and then two other women whom he considered to be 'his women'; Jim Baker began to view the children who had been brought into 'the family' by their parents as being 'Piscean.'  The term 'Piscean' was a derogatory term used in The Source Family to denote anyone or anything that represented or resembled the old age that we were leaving behind.  The Piscean Age meaning the astrological age that valued money, power and control as opposed to the new Age of Aquarius values of love, brotherhood, unity and integrity.  Father Yod believed that it was his role to create or produce a super race of 'Aquarian' children in the babies being born into The Source Family, and so he soon began to view the children born outside what was constantly referred to as 'the circumvent force' of his 'family', as potentially having a negative influence on his babies, and so he wanted them kept separate or away from the children he considered 'Piscean'.  Man, what a contradiction!  To go from viewing the children brought into the family by their parents as being the most valued, to being seen as a potential negative influence on his own children!  Jim Baker was afraid that the 'Piscean' children's habits and behaviors might negatively influence his own children.  Which is also probably why he did not seem too concerned when he had the women with children abruptly sent away to live on a parcel of land located outside Makawao, Maui when the threat of social services descending on the compound in Los Angeles became real.

What preempted the evacuation was when a newborn baby developed a serious case of staph and against Father Yod's edict was taken to a nearby emergency room for treatment, which raised the alarm.  It was because of the threat of the Department of Social Services descending upon The Father House that Father Yod decided to have all of the pregnant women (I was among those) and women with small children quickly shipped off to what were extremely harsh and spartan conditions in an encampment where 'shantytown' conditions prevailed with no indoor facilities, no hot or cold running water with the exception of a hose, and very little in the way of shelter, but what made the conditions so much worse was the fact that there was very little food for anyone especially the children.  The children that were supposedly so 'valued' by our 'earthly spiritual father', Father Yod were forced to live in near-starvation conditions  The only food sources were whatever fruit could be found or picked on any given day, by the two men or 'sons' who were sent along and where many days they returned only with pineapple or breadfruit.  There were also a small ration of wheat berries soaked overnight and eaten raw, as a source of protein.  But, that was it!  While Father Yod was ensconced in comfort back in Los Angeles banging on the kettle drum with a bounty of plenty surrounded by 'his women' who waited on him hand and foot.

Jim Baker also believed that children were like 'little animals' that should be removed from the group whenever they became unruly and so he implemented what was called 'the box' which was where an unruly child was placed in isolation until they calmed down and became compliant.  The box was used at The Father House in Los Angeles, and utilized again at The Hilo Country Club on the Big Island.  I never liked the idea of 'the box' and know that had my son been old enough there was no way in hell that I would have allowed anyone to put him into that box!  But, again groupthink took over and dominated every aspect of life within The Source Family and so whatever either Father Yod or his 'council' of women decided was always implemented.  I won't go into Father Yod's edict for the family members to not use any outside medical help, since I've covered that in other posts, but suffice it to say that the children in The Source Family suffered the most from such a derelict and harmful belief system!  Since writing this post, I found an excellent, concise pdf and have attached which applies to what happened in The Source Family cult in the following statements.

"The attachment bond between parent and child is purposely diluted because, to the degree that any one member is attached to another, to that degree she is less attached and dependent upon the leader. His control is thereby diminished."

"Being in a childlike position vis a vis the cult leader, parents relate more like siblings. They have abdicated their role as the executive branch of the family and given over decision making authority to the cult leader who is often given the title of "father" or "mother." Parents function as "middle management" who channel the leader’s ideas of child rearing and their loyalty is tested by how obediently they carry out his orders. Angry and frustrated, parents often displace their feelings onto their children."

"Another consequence is in terms of morality. The cult leader’s conscience, with all its flaws, becomes the standard of morality for the group. All aspects of life are affected, especially sexuality which is also used to control the members.  Sex is either encouraged, but often in prescribed ways, or it is prohibited (except of course for the leader).  Most cults are male dominated (there are a few headed by women), men are taught they are entitled to sex, and marital rape is not uncommon."