Flirty Fishing aka LVMs and their degeneracy

Flirty Fishing (FFing) is a form of evangelism by sexual intimacy practised from around 1974 to 1987 by the cult Children of God, currently known as Family International (TFI). Female members of Children of God, or "fisherwomen" would apply their s*x appeal on "fish", men from outside the cult (often but not always having s*x), using the occasion to proselytize for Jesus and seek donations.[1] The practice was "a primary source of financial support and political protection" for the cult, and criticized as religious prostitution.[citation needed] Children of God have defended it as a way of "bearing witness" for Jesus to people who would not otherwise be open to it.[2] According to some sources, over two hundred thousand men were "fished",[citation needed] and over 10,000 babies were born to cult women from 1971 and 2001.[3] The practice was curtailed as sexually transmitted diseases spread through the cult,[2] and then abandoned in 1987 reportedly because of the spread of AIDS.[4]

The Children of God practised flirty fishing and escort servicing from 1974 until 1987, when it was officially abandoned, in part because of the AIDS epidemic.

Researcher Bill Bainbridge obtained data from TFI suggesting that, from 1974 until 1987, members had sexual contact with 223,989 people while practicing Flirty Fishing.[7] 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[citation needed]—and that FFing had nevertheless continued into 1988. Though the cult had no problem ignoring Christian norms on fornication, it did follow "Christian fundamentalist underpinnings" when it came to birth control.[4] Sources differ on whether birth control was forbidden[4] or simply discouraged.[3] The practice also resulted in numerous pregnancies, the offspring of which were termed Jesus babies by the organization.[citation needed] According to Don Lattin, between 1971 and 2001 "more than 13,000" children were born to followers of David Berg; “women with six, eight, 10, 13 kids were not uncommon” in the Family.[3] The "first child conceived through 'flirty fishing,' was born to Berg’s common-law wife, Karen Zerby", but was fathered by "a waiter she picked up in the Canary Islands."[3]

Ex-member and critic, David Hiebert, states the practice was "used to curry political favor" in countries CoG had migrated to. "They would target special people -- in the media, lawyers, in the government."[6] According to James Chancellor,

Witnessing and disciple winning were by no means the only focus of Flirty Fishing. Even before 1978, FFing had become a primary source of financial support and political protection. Many female disciples established long-term relationships with wealthy or influential men. These men often provided money, food, clothing, housing, and other needs, including legal advice, help in immigration, and protection against social and political repression. It was not uncommon for some women to spend considerable amounts of time with their "fish", sometimes leaving their husbands and children for weeks or months at a time.[2]