David Berg
David Brandt Berg (February 18 1919 - October 1994).
David Berg was born in Oakland, California, USA on February 18 1919 to Hjalmer Emmanuel Berg and Virginia Brandt (a Christian evangelist; she died in 1968). David was the youngest of three children, with a brother born in 1911 and a sister born in 1915.
David Berg graduated from Monterey High School (in California) in 1935 and later attended Elliott School of Business Administration.
David Berg married his first wife, Jane Miller (known as "Mother Eve" in the Children of God), in 1944. They had four children together:
- Linda (b. September 10 1945, known as "Deborah" in the Children of God);
- Joyanne
- Paul (b. June 21 1947, known as "Aaron" in the Children of God and very likely committed suicide in April 1973);
- Merry Berg (b. 1972, known as "Mene" in the Children of God)
- Jonathan (b. January 1949, known as "Hosea" in the Children of God); and
- Faithy (b. February 1951)
David Berg (also known as "King David", "Mo", "Moses David", "Father David", "Dad", or "Grandpa" to members of the Children of God), a former minister in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, in 1968 founded the new religious movement/cult/missionary organization known as the Children of God, later known as The Family of Love and currently just The Family.
Berg and his entourage have lived in the following countries (among others) over the years:
He lived in total seclusion and secrecy from his followers and, along with Karen Zerby, is thought to have used a fake Australian passport when traveling.
Berg died in 1994 and is buried in Costa de Caparica, Portugal (his remains have since been cremated). His organization is currently led by his widow Karen Zerby (whom he took as a common-law wife in August of 1969; known as "Mama Maria" or "Queen Maria" in the Children of God) and Steven Douglas Kelly (an American also known as "Christopher Smith", "Peter Amsterdam", or "King Peter" in the Children of God).
External links
- Biography of David Berg - Written by The Family.