The most noticeable example of change is BS. She has moved from arch enemy to passionate apologist. There is such inconsistency in her account of things that have happened in the past - and in her case many years in the past - that I would not rely on much she told me. She is, however, an example of change working to bring sworn enemies together. Even if ulterior motives are at work, she is a symbol of reconciliation and such symbols are often important.
On a more mundane level, I heard from many who seek no publicity or personal limelight and whose evidence is all the more convincing for that. Here are some examples:
He was the Plaintiff's witness, one of the teenagers who left in March 1993. He told me that in the last few years, and since there had been so much publicity about The Family, things had changed. "Yes, definitely," was the emphasis he put upon it. He said, by way of example, that they were taught not to call outsiders "systemites" but "strangers". They took field trips to give them more contact with these strangers. When he dealt with sexual matters, he said that:
"To continue to exist the group had to cut these things out. I'd say these things had gone for good but with the same person in charge I wouldn't think it possible for me to return to them. Because of external pressures on them they will probably remain as straight as they are. I think they've changed because people are older and Berg knows you can't get away with it. People do believe in good and right and things like that and they would probably be shocked if they ever came out again. An important change was that they gave us (the teens) some breathing space."
He is another who left in 1993 aged about 19 or thereabouts. He was called by the Defendants. He struck me as a thoroughly likeable young man with his feet fairly firmly planted on the ground. He told me he left because,
"I was just fed up with people telling me what to do. There is nothing wrong with them but they used to tell us what music was good or bad and I was not allowed to do things I wanted to do like have a tattoo to smoke and drink and even take drugs if I wanted to. The Family's idea of the End Time was not mine. Nothing surprises me about The Family because it is an extreme place to live, and extreme things happened there. But I don't think there is anything wrong with being in The Family."
Questioned about GN481 and how to make complaints, he said that:
"If the shepherds said you were murmuring, you could ask the next shepherd according to a Mo letter I recall. My gripe is that it is hard for the shepherds to think they're wrong. Now the teens tell me they are more prepared to reconsider."
In answer to questions I asked him, he told me about a seminar in Hungary in 1992. I now realise but did not then appreciate that this must have been one of the meetings organised by Maria which led to PER. He told me that a lot of the teenagers were leaving because they were so dissatisfied by the restrictions placed upon them and the lack of freedom. He said that since then he understood it had gradually got better and that if he had had a different shepherd, he would probably still be there. He told me that the biggest changes were that the teenagers were allowed to listen to music of their choice and that they could question adults and if there was no satisfactory response they could write direct to the European Shepherd whose address is on the board of every home. He said you could write the letter and post it without it being read. He added, however, that if the shepherds knew you were having a hard time, you were told you had to make your letter inspiring. Other changes he mentioned were that the demerit system was abolished, so was silence and callisthenics. He said if a boy liked a girl he could speak to her though there was to be no sexual activity under 16. If both were over 16 they had to ask the shepherd but they could talk without permission. He said that they could now go to the cinema and he sometimes took FC and his girlfriend out with him and his wife. They would take them to the pub and play pool.
"The rules have been relaxed and are not now so tight. The rules began to be relaxed after the seminar. It used to be that teenagers could only go out with an adult. The reason for the relaxation is because life had become too uninspiring for the teen and it was realised that if they were prevented from having a beer or going to the movies they would leave anyway."
Though he spoke of these changes, he disclaimed knowing anything at all about PER.
She could hardly be supportive of The Family but she did tell me that Maria and the leadership were trying "very hard to be back in society and respected. They are trying everything they can to look better." It is true that she had some doubt about their sincerity and certainly some doubt whether they would ever be able to admit that Berg had ever done wrong.
She was of the view that the changes brought about in relation to The Family's attitude to child sex were profound but were only brought about because of pressure on The Family from outside. She felt that Berg himself remained of the same mind and that he would change his mind about the teachings for the sake of the outward appearance of the group. This young lady suffered as much as anyone and more than most and it is, therefore, interesting to note that when she finally decided to leave The Family from the home in Scotland, she did so only or mainly because she was bored.
She explained that in England about a quarter of the teenagers were happy, but many had left and that there was no real debate among them because they were scared they would get into trouble. She was another who spoke of having mixed feelings about The Family. She said, "I know there were things which were totally wrong but there were also happy times."
As the most senior person to give evidence on behalf of The Family he was, not surprisingly, often very much on the defensive. At times he knew he was defending the indefensible. I did not, therefore, gain any impression that he personally would be in the vanguard of those rooting for change and the likes of RB and VB, MA and LA and MM, but not necessarily RM, were much more ready to accept and indeed instigate change. MM told me:
"We are now looking at ourselves through the eyes of the others outside. The unknown can make us very fearful to opening the door and saying come on in."
The most SPM would concede was that the group had developed and matured over the years from a younger wilder group with less wisdom to a maturing organisation with a stable and good leadership structure. He told me,
"Society changes, and so do we; the laws in society change, and so do ours. We are not perfect we are always trying to correct things that have gone wrong and are sorry when they have."
In the letter he wrote to me, he acknowledged:-
"We appreciate that a great deal of good has come from (all the investigations and litigation The Family has been involved in over the last 4 years.) They have resulted in many positive changes within The Family and have set us on an unchangeable course of more openness with non-members and society at large. ... We have embarked on a course of reconciliation with those we have offended and hurt, as well with those who are seeking to do us harm. Although this is a new initiative, it is taking hold throughout The Family and is bringing positive results. Parents have been put in contact with their children and grandchildren; ex-members with Family friends, ex-spouses and children; TRF supporter parents with their older Family teens and TRF supporters with D.O. members. ... Realising that not all of our young people will choose to be missionaries nor remain in The Family, we are attempting to make it easier for those who wish to leave to do so. ... Our history has been fraught with controversy; we have many times not foreseen some of the repercussions of our actions, and we realise that we have made mistakes. Yet, as an ever growing, maturing movement, when we recognise changes are needed, we make them. As times have changed, so have we ... We do not and will not revert to the practices that have been found unsatisfactory and abandoned. ... We realise that there are some children who were not as well cared for or as well educated as others, some who have had adverse experiences and are now complaining bitterly about it. Although we believe that much of what they say is untrue or highly exaggerated, we do acknowledge that there is an element of truth to many of their accusations. We are genuinely sorry for any negative experience that current or former Family members may have undergone, and we are determined to make sure that everything possible is done to prevent any such things occurring in the future."
