Editing The Family International (section)

=== The Family (1982–1994) ===

According to the Family's official history, the group had "far fewer common standards of conduct" during The Family of Love stage than it had previously. In the late 1980s the group "tightened its standards" "to ensure that all member communities provide a very wholesome environment for all, particularly the children", and changed its name to "The Family".<ref name="Niebuhr-1993"/> In March 1989, TF issued a statement that, in "early 1985", an urgent memorandum had been sent to all members "reminding them that any such activities [adult–child sexual contact] are {{em|strictly forbidden}} within our group" (emphasis in original), and such activities were grounds for immediate [[excommunication]] from the group.<ref name="Child Abuse?!">{{cite web |url=http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Child_Abuse%3F%21 |title=Child Abuse?! |website=XFamily |date=2008-01-24 |access-date=2016-07-24 |archive-date=September 9, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050909175542/http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Child_Abuse?! |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2005, Claire Borowik, a spokesperson for TFI, stated:
<blockquote> Due to the fact that our current zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual interaction between adults and underage minors was not in our literature published before 1986, we came to the realization that during a transitional stage of our movement, from 1978 until 1986, there were cases when some minors were subject to sexually inappropriate advances&nbsp;... This was corrected officially in 1986, when any contact between an adult and minor (any person under 21 years of age) was declared an excommunicable offense.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newdaynews.com/resource/davidito/borowick-01.htm |title=Statement From Family International |first=Claire |last=Borowik |website=NewDayNews.com |access-date=2005-06-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050914142114/http://www.newdaynews.com/resource/davidito/borowick-01.htm |archive-date=2005-09-14 }}</ref></blockquote>

After a 1993 expose in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-21-vw-13345-story.html |title=A true conversion? |website=Los Angeles Times. 1993-03-21.|date=March 21, 1993 }}</ref> the group broke "years of virtual silence" and began "inviting reporters and religious scholars" to visit its commune in [[La Habra, California]], where at least a ''[[Washington Post]]'' journalist (Gustav Niebuhr) found its members to be "a clean-cut bunch, friendly and courteous". At that time The Family claimed to have "about 9,000 members worldwide, with about 750 scattered across the United States".<ref name="Niebuhr-1993">{{cite news |last=Niebuhr |first=Gustav |title='The Family' and Final Harvest |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/children_of_god/child1.htm |access-date=1 October 2021 |agency=Washington Post |date=2 June 1993 |archive-date=March 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325012912/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/children_of_god/child1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>  The group emphasized its mainstream Christian opposition to abortion, homosexuality, drugs and drunkenness and its respect for  Rev. [[Billy Graham]].<ref name="Niebuhr-1993"/>