What do you think?
Rate this book
Beloved Son: A Story of the Jesus Cults
The noted entertainer details the circumstances of his son's sudden joining of a religious enclave, the reasons involved, and the effects on his family and discusses the wider social context of cults and their converts
241 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Steve Allen
98 books45 followersStephen Valentine Patrick William "Steve" Allen was an American television personality, musician, actor, comedian, and writer. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best-known for his television career. He first gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. He graduated to become the first host of The Tonight Show, where he was instrumental in innovating the concept of the television talk show. Thereafter, he hosted numerous game and variety shows, including The Steve Allen Show, I've Got a Secret, The New Steve Allen Show, and was a regular panel member on CBS' What's My Line?
Allen was a "creditable" pianist, and a prolific composer, having penned over 14,000 songs, one of which was recorded by Perry Como and Margaret Whiting, others by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Les Brown, and Gloria Lynne. Allen won a Grammy award in 1963 for best jazz composition, with his song The Gravy Waltz. Allen wrote more than 50 books and has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Allen was a "creditable" pianist, and a prolific composer, having penned over 14,000 songs, one of which was recorded by Perry Como and Margaret Whiting, others by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Les Brown, and Gloria Lynne. Allen won a Grammy award in 1963 for best jazz composition, with his song The Gravy Waltz. Allen wrote more than 50 books and has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 29, 2020
What a fascinating book, with so many interesting layers. If you've heard of Steve Allen, you probably know him as the original host of the Tonight Show and from various other programs he hosted in the 1950s onward. He was a quick wit with a whimsical sense of humor and improvisational talent as a pianist. I had learned a good deal about Allen over the years while attending shows at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood, which was connected to The Center for Inquiry, a pro-science secular group of which I am a member. I knew that Steve Allen had become interested in such matters (freethinking, church and state separation, and so on) in his later years, but this book opened up a really interesting window into his personal connection.
In 1971, Allen's son Brian joined a cult called the Love Family. They moved up to Seattle, predicted a coming Armageddon, wore white robes, adopted Paul Erdmann's (Love Israel's) idiosyncratic reading of the Bible, saw Jesus (often literally) in each other, claimed to be the tribe of Judah, changed their first names to concepts and adopted the surname Israel (Brian was Logic Israel), made initiates donate all their worldly goods to the group's coffers, practiced celibacy (at first, and then serial monogamy later), raised children equally among a community of shared parents, and occasional inhaled toluene gas as part of a religious rite (in which two young men died). Of course, Steve Allen didn't know all this when he received this shocking letter from his son:
Can you imagine? I just read this to my family, and my son assured me that he will never do the same. Steve Allen asked all the questions that any of us might: What did I do wrong? Did I not provide a loving atmosphere for my son? Did I stifle him with my own larger-than-life personality? In the book, Allen spends time talking about his early life and career, and admits to his failings in his first marriage and as a largely absent parent. When he responds to Logic, he is understanding and supportive, but also expresses an interest in visiting the community. The offer is accepted, and Allen travels to Seattle to meet and ask honest questions. What follows is an account of his observations, news stories that come out of the "compound", reactions from other parents, accounts from former members who have left, accusations and answers, the unusual element of Allen's celebrity and how it affects news coverage of the cult, and information about how the Love Family itself evolves over time.
There are lots of fascinating stories in the process. One constant player is the Christian "deprogrammer" Ted Patrick, who helped parents kidnap their children back from this and various other groups in order to lock them up and undo what he saw as brainwashing. Sometimes this worked, sometimes they just ran back to their communes, and often Patrick's actions were simply illegal. Steve Allen shares the stories and letters he receives with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be convinced that he may not have all the final answers. There are some really deep and thought-provoking insights into what constitutes a functioning society, how much we can expect perfection from any group, what draws people into cults, how the varieties of human personality and experience will express themselves in community, and how effectively (or morally) we can assert our own beliefs on others.
Some of the most fascinating chapters come toward the end, as Allen examines other cults and high-pressure groups. The easy assumption (which many parents had at the time) was that all of these leaders were Charles Mansons and Jim Joneses waiting to happen, but Allen is far more sophisticated at distinguishing what constitutes a warning flag. The first group he describes in detail is the Source Family and its founder Jim Baker, aka Father Yod. It was this chapter that led me to pull this book off the shelf in the first place, as I had recently investigated that group for my podcast. It turns out that Steve Allen knew Jim Baker from earlier times as a Los Angeles restaurateur, and barely recognized him in his robe and beard. At one point, Yod's group and the Love Family had considered a merger (which did not come to pass). Allen also has chapters about the Children of God (now there's an awful story), the Unification Church, Sunburst, Synanon, and the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. They are fully of interesting information, history, and perspective from the early 1980s that is essential reading for anyone interested in cult literature.
Throughout, Steve Allen's love and respect for his son is evident. Logic may be in a cult, but he's an upstanding member and a positive influence on the overall group who maintains his intrinsic honesty and decency. When Logic provides answers to Steve's clarifying questions, Steve reproduces them with a generous helping of the benefit of the doubt. He and his son find a way to maintain their familiar relationship, and as a result Steve is not estranged from his daughter-in-law (Simplicity) or grandchildren (Liberty and Purity). One of Steve's other sons is encouraged to spend time in the commune with his brother, and comes away impressed if not convinced. The other brother is more reticent, but the family bond is preserved. This is where the book leaves things (it was published in 1982, the year I was born), but there's a happy ending. Within the next couple years, after a decade plus in the group, Logic left the Love Family and resumed life as Brian Allen. You can see an interview with father and son here (and part two). There are lessons to be learned here about about love, trust, truth, patience, persistence. Highly recommended.
In 1971, Allen's son Brian joined a cult called the Love Family. They moved up to Seattle, predicted a coming Armageddon, wore white robes, adopted Paul Erdmann's (Love Israel's) idiosyncratic reading of the Bible, saw Jesus (often literally) in each other, claimed to be the tribe of Judah, changed their first names to concepts and adopted the surname Israel (Brian was Logic Israel), made initiates donate all their worldly goods to the group's coffers, practiced celibacy (at first, and then serial monogamy later), raised children equally among a community of shared parents, and occasional inhaled toluene gas as part of a religious rite (in which two young men died). Of course, Steve Allen didn't know all this when he received this shocking letter from his son:
Dear Dad,
I have joined the Church of Armageddon here in Seattle. We are a church and a family.
Our only book is the Holy Bible, King James version.
Love Israel represents Chris and God as the final word in all matters concerning the church, by the total consent of all church members.
I have given up my old name and all that went with it. My new name is Logic Israel. I do not expect to be returning to Los Angeles.
This will be my last letter.
I have found my true home and I am happy. Now I can be what I am, a son of God.
Please see that all of the member of the family read this letter.
I love you all very much.
Our address here is:
Love Family
818 W. Armour St.
Seattle, Washington
With all my love,
Logic Israel
Can you imagine? I just read this to my family, and my son assured me that he will never do the same. Steve Allen asked all the questions that any of us might: What did I do wrong? Did I not provide a loving atmosphere for my son? Did I stifle him with my own larger-than-life personality? In the book, Allen spends time talking about his early life and career, and admits to his failings in his first marriage and as a largely absent parent. When he responds to Logic, he is understanding and supportive, but also expresses an interest in visiting the community. The offer is accepted, and Allen travels to Seattle to meet and ask honest questions. What follows is an account of his observations, news stories that come out of the "compound", reactions from other parents, accounts from former members who have left, accusations and answers, the unusual element of Allen's celebrity and how it affects news coverage of the cult, and information about how the Love Family itself evolves over time.
There are lots of fascinating stories in the process. One constant player is the Christian "deprogrammer" Ted Patrick, who helped parents kidnap their children back from this and various other groups in order to lock them up and undo what he saw as brainwashing. Sometimes this worked, sometimes they just ran back to their communes, and often Patrick's actions were simply illegal. Steve Allen shares the stories and letters he receives with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be convinced that he may not have all the final answers. There are some really deep and thought-provoking insights into what constitutes a functioning society, how much we can expect perfection from any group, what draws people into cults, how the varieties of human personality and experience will express themselves in community, and how effectively (or morally) we can assert our own beliefs on others.
Some of the most fascinating chapters come toward the end, as Allen examines other cults and high-pressure groups. The easy assumption (which many parents had at the time) was that all of these leaders were Charles Mansons and Jim Joneses waiting to happen, but Allen is far more sophisticated at distinguishing what constitutes a warning flag. The first group he describes in detail is the Source Family and its founder Jim Baker, aka Father Yod. It was this chapter that led me to pull this book off the shelf in the first place, as I had recently investigated that group for my podcast. It turns out that Steve Allen knew Jim Baker from earlier times as a Los Angeles restaurateur, and barely recognized him in his robe and beard. At one point, Yod's group and the Love Family had considered a merger (which did not come to pass). Allen also has chapters about the Children of God (now there's an awful story), the Unification Church, Sunburst, Synanon, and the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. They are fully of interesting information, history, and perspective from the early 1980s that is essential reading for anyone interested in cult literature.
Throughout, Steve Allen's love and respect for his son is evident. Logic may be in a cult, but he's an upstanding member and a positive influence on the overall group who maintains his intrinsic honesty and decency. When Logic provides answers to Steve's clarifying questions, Steve reproduces them with a generous helping of the benefit of the doubt. He and his son find a way to maintain their familiar relationship, and as a result Steve is not estranged from his daughter-in-law (Simplicity) or grandchildren (Liberty and Purity). One of Steve's other sons is encouraged to spend time in the commune with his brother, and comes away impressed if not convinced. The other brother is more reticent, but the family bond is preserved. This is where the book leaves things (it was published in 1982, the year I was born), but there's a happy ending. Within the next couple years, after a decade plus in the group, Logic left the Love Family and resumed life as Brian Allen. You can see an interview with father and son here (and part two). There are lessons to be learned here about about love, trust, truth, patience, persistence. Highly recommended.
March 2, 2023
BELOVED SON - A STORY OF THE JESUS CULTS by Steve Allen tells the story of TV talk show host and entertainer Allen learning his second son Brian Allen had taken up with the Love Israel family, a religious sect in Seattle. This story is of more than passing interest - my wife went to high school with the girl who eventually married Allen's son, renamed by the group Logic Israel. Allen explores his divorce from Brian's mother and wonders what effect that may have had. He also goes to pains to keep the lines of communication open with Logic/Brian and the Love Israel community, visitng Seattle regularly. And he profiles other religious cults like The Children of God and the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Allen also explores the practice of parents snatching loved ones and "deprogramming" them as pioneered by Ted Patrick. This is one road Allen chose not to go down, but he is honest with parents who ask what can be done. The truth is there isn't a lot a parent can do except to stay cool and try to be supportive. Beloved Son is now 40 years old and time has had its way with the Love Israel family. The group broke up or at least became decentralized. Logic/Brian left of his own accord in the 1990s over perceived corruption by the charismatic group leader, now deceased. Steve Allen is gone too and that's a shame because as funny as he was, he also had a curious mind and a knack for tackling serous subjects in a lucid and accessible way.
Post script: Today, Brian Allen runs a real estate company in Portland, Oregon.
Post script: Today, Brian Allen runs a real estate company in Portland, Oregon.
August 23, 2012
If you are at all interested in the backgrounds of groups such as these, it's a good source of info.
July 18, 2024
A surprisingly important resource if you (like me) are researching the Love Israel family, one of whose leaders happened to be the son of former Tonight Show host Steve Allen. Although it doesn't exactly make for compelling reading, Allen's decision to reprint whole letters and transcripts makes the book something close to a primary source given the difficulty of tracking down some of the actual documents produced by and about the group in the pre-digital age.
On top of that, Allen is a surprisingly sympathetic narrator, which adds to the book's credibility since it doesn't fall prey to the sensationalism or hyperventilation characteristic of most writers using the c-word ("cult") during the post-Jonestown era. He doesn't blindly accept the deprogramming propaganda even as he worries for his son's health and safety, and the result is that he's able to distinguish between a relatively harmless group like the Church of Armageddon and other superficially similar groups, such as the Children of God, that have more troubling teachings.
On top of that, Allen is a surprisingly sympathetic narrator, which adds to the book's credibility since it doesn't fall prey to the sensationalism or hyperventilation characteristic of most writers using the c-word ("cult") during the post-Jonestown era. He doesn't blindly accept the deprogramming propaganda even as he worries for his son's health and safety, and the result is that he's able to distinguish between a relatively harmless group like the Church of Armageddon and other superficially similar groups, such as the Children of God, that have more troubling teachings.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews