In 1994, a sensational documentary unraveled the horror of a religious cult. Children of God, the John Smithson documentary entailed the experiences, abuse, and insights of what went inside these isolated close-knit groups. The decade of 1960s was the prime for cults of all kinds. But the common factors in all of these were abuse, manipulation, and sex that crossed the lines of consent. Considering the disturbing content, viewers are unsure whether Children of God is available to stream on Netflix.

The streaming platform has a collection of such cult documentaries. These cults have existed for a long term and even the modern world hasn’t been able to escape its deviousness. From the world’s richest people to the simplest rural dwellers, people from all walks of life have fallen into it. Be it the infamous Manson Family of the 60’s cult or Scientology that exists even today.

Is Children of God on the list of disturbing Netflix documentaries?

David Berg’s cult The Children of God was disturbing. In blood and flesh are his victims, giving us a direct encounter of what happened inside this devious savior’s ranch of horrors. The documentary is centered around Helen Mirren interviewing Sylvia Padilla and her children, as they talk about their entry, abuse, and escape from the traumatic phase in the cult.

David Berg, along with his family, began this cult called The Children of God in 1968 on his ranch. The common target was lost youth looking for an identity. He did this by creating a sense of belonging with the concept of free love and one big family. But brewing under that veil of love was the idea of under-age sex, subjecting innocent kids (12 or even younger) to pedophilia.

The cult’s tagline ‘Jesus is love and love is sex’ was enough to represent its nature. Members were told that an apocalypse was coming their way. Thereon for decades, the evils of this cult created victims of rape at the hands of its own members. All under the guidance of David Berg, and after him, his wife.

Later, a case brought in the early 2000s reignited former members to speak up. The Children of God documentary was originally released in 1994. Netflix added it on the platform on 1st August 2016 up until 1st August 2022. So the series is no longer available on Netflix. However, Netflix has a collection of similar series that you may want to check out.

Have you watched this documentary before? Comment below.