A British court case found the group was an authoritarian cult which engaged in the systematic physical and sexual abuse of children, [ 2 ] resulting in lasting trauma among survivors. Like some other fundamentalist groups, it "foretold the coming of a dictator called the anti-Christ, the rise of a brutal One World Government, and its eventual overthrow by Jesus Christ, in the Second Coming". In , [ 6 ] it began a method of evangelism called Flirty Fishing that used sex to "show God's love and mercy" and win converts, resulting in controversy.
Berg communicated with his followers via "Mo Letters"βletters of instruction and counsel on myriad spiritual and practical subjectsβuntil his death in late There have been multiple allegations of child sexual abuse made by past members.
Berg preached a combination of traditional Christian evangelism, with elements popular with the counterculture of the s. There was much "end-of-the-world imagery" found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament , preaching of impending doom for America and the ineffectiveness of established churches.
Berg "urged a return to the early Christian community described in the Bible's Book of Acts , in which believers lived together and shared all," [ 5 ] resembling the communal living of late s hippies.
In , after having a revelation "that California would be hit by a major earthquake", he left Huntington Beach and "took his followers on the road". They would proselytize in the streets and distribute pamphlets. Members of COG founded communes , first called colonies now referred to as homes , in various cities. Berg communicated with his followers by writing letters. He published nearly 3, letters over a period of 24 years, referred to as the Mo Letters.
