Flirty fishing
Encyclopedia
Flirty Fishing is a form of evangelistic
religious prostitution practiced from around 1974 to 1987 by female members in the new religious movement
, the Children of God, now known as The Family International.
4:19 from the New Testament
, in which Jesus tells two fishermen that he will make them "fishers of men". Cult leader David Berg
extrapolated from this that women in his movement should be "flirty fishers" (also called "bait" or "fisherwomen"): the targeted men were called "fish". The cult published several documents with exact instructions. Flirty Fishing was defined as using sex appeal for proselytizing. If masturbation
, oral
, or penetrative sex
ensued, this was termed as "loving sexually" and also counted as a "deep witness", meaning that the "bait" earned more brownie points
within the group than by mere flirting. Berg noted that Flirty Fishing did not necessarily entail intercourse, but that this was by far the most efficient method of proselytizing.
6:19–20 it had been "bought" (by Jesus through his crucifixion) "with a price". After an initial phase, male members no longer partook in this drive, partially because of the cult's dismissive stance towards homosexuality
, but also because Berg thought it did not "pay off financially". Many of the Flirty Fishers had boyfriends or were married, or had children. In Family publications, Flirty Fishers and Escort Servicers frequently reported that they found their work hard, dangerous, and exhausting.
—in which female cult members would work as regular call girl
s for escort agencies
or freelance, and merely "witness" (proselytize) to their clients when the occasion offered itself.
epidemic. As the women were expected to keep exact records of their "fruits" (successes), a 1988 statistic showed that more than 223,000 men had been "fished" since 1978—and that FFing had nevertheless continued into 1988. As the cult generally discourages birth control, the practice also resulted in numerous pregnancies, the offspring of which were termed Jesus babies by the organization.
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
religious prostitution practiced from around 1974 to 1987 by female members in the new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
, the Children of God, now known as The Family International.
Etymology, definition
The term refers to MatthewGospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
4:19 from the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, in which Jesus tells two fishermen that he will make them "fishers of men". Cult leader David Berg
David Berg
David Brandt Berg , frequently known by the pseudonym Moses David, was the founder and leader of the New Religious Movement formerly called Children of God, now called "The Family International".-Early years :Berg was born to Hjalmer Emmanuel Berg and Rev...
extrapolated from this that women in his movement should be "flirty fishers" (also called "bait" or "fisherwomen"): the targeted men were called "fish". The cult published several documents with exact instructions. Flirty Fishing was defined as using sex appeal for proselytizing. If masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, oral
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
, or penetrative sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
ensued, this was termed as "loving sexually" and also counted as a "deep witness", meaning that the "bait" earned more brownie points
Brownie points
Brownie points in modern usage are a hypothetical social currency, which can be accrued by doing good deeds or earning favor in the eyes of another, often one's superior.-Brown Stamps:...
within the group than by mere flirting. Berg noted that Flirty Fishing did not necessarily entail intercourse, but that this was by far the most efficient method of proselytizing.
Impact on members
Women who objected to being what the cult itself bluntly described as "God's whores" or "hookers for Jesus" were admonished not to "let self and pride enter in" and reminded that their body did not really belong to them as according to 1 CorinthiansFirst Epistle to the Corinthians
The first epistle of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians, often referred to as First Corinthians , is the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible...
6:19–20 it had been "bought" (by Jesus through his crucifixion) "with a price". After an initial phase, male members no longer partook in this drive, partially because of the cult's dismissive stance towards homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, but also because Berg thought it did not "pay off financially". Many of the Flirty Fishers had boyfriends or were married, or had children. In Family publications, Flirty Fishers and Escort Servicers frequently reported that they found their work hard, dangerous, and exhausting.
ESing
The financial benefit of Flirty Fishing soon led to a further degeneration of the practice from mere flirting into "loving sexually" to Escort Servicing (ESing)—described as "making FFing pay" by BergDavid Berg
David Brandt Berg , frequently known by the pseudonym Moses David, was the founder and leader of the New Religious Movement formerly called Children of God, now called "The Family International".-Early years :Berg was born to Hjalmer Emmanuel Berg and Rev...
—in which female cult members would work as regular call girl
Call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
s for escort agencies
Escort agency
Escort agencies are companies that provide escorts for the agency's clients. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room , or at the escort's residence . Some agencies also provide escorts for longer durations, who may stay...
or freelance, and merely "witness" (proselytize) to their clients when the occasion offered itself.
Effects
The Children of God practiced Flirty Fishing and Escort Servicing from 1974 until 1987, when it was officially abandoned, partially because of the AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic. As the women were expected to keep exact records of their "fruits" (successes), a 1988 statistic showed that more than 223,000 men had been "fished" since 1978—and that FFing had nevertheless continued into 1988. As the cult generally discourages birth control, the practice also resulted in numerous pregnancies, the offspring of which were termed Jesus babies by the organization.
External links
- Flirty Fishing on xFamily.org a wikiWikiA wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
about the Children of God. Warning: Explicit drawings. - Don LattinDon LattinDon Lattin is an award-winning journalist and one of the nation’s leading reporters covering a wide range of religious figures and movements in the United States. He has written several books. Lattin’s work has appeared in many U.S. magazines and newspapers...
; "Escaping a Free Love Legacy: Children of God sect hopes it can overcome sexy image" San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
. February 14, 2001.