Wellington man Rob McLean, who was excommunicated from the church over a decade ago and forced to relinquish his business, said for many older Brethren, this was history repeating itself. To continue to sit in the illusion that we and only we are right is a presumption only, a self-enhancing propaganda learned over the years to the detriment of Gods testimony, not to breakdown, but to the mind of Man erring in doctrine and practice. Even their churches are typically windowless. The church is strictly controlled by a central authority. This leader is given titles such as The Man of God or The Elect Vessel. And representations of Brethren women as oppressed are "rubbish. If they do not, they are banned from worship or are isolated from family and only allowed to see particular church members until the ordained priests decide that God has forgiven the "sinner". Life in the Brethren could be happy enough if you stuck to the rules. Apologetics Index curates research resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues. They weren't doing much; just watching the world go past from their vantage point at one of the many watering holes along Sydney's Darling Harbour. One of them lifted his bare feet onto the lap of the other and leaned back in his chair. Peebs.Net is a website that endeavors to investigate and report the Truth behind the Exclusive Brethren, a group of so-called Christians, and by so doing, help break the chains and break down the barriers that prevent us from seeing our families, friends and loved ones, trapped in what many are calling a bona fide Cult. READ MORE: *Brethren members in 'clean-up' operation *Hansen andApiatapreach teamwork Brethren *Sect's leader tells followers to drink rat poison. Long before Exclusive Brethren men hired a private investigator to dig dirt on the Prime Minister and other Labour politicians, before Brethren tried to pressure several political parties into a National-led coalition, before the so-called "Secret Seven" Brethren businessmen put almost $1 million into anti-Labour and anti-Green pamphlet campaigns at last year's election, members of this fundamental Christian fellowship have been part of the commercial fabric of this town, and the wider Kaipara district. Although widely welcomed at first, both found themselves increasingly isolated as their Charismatic sympathies became known and Brethren leaders like Robert Laidlaw, William H. Pettit, Enoch Coppin, Colin Graham, and Ces Hilton, along with J. It's understood he was allowed back into the church after his sentence finished. "And in this case, the companies involved appear to be under the control of the church.". The men must have short hair, be clean shaven and are prohibited from wearing ties.. A recent relationship breakup felt similarly traumatic but through it all I repeated my mantra: "I survived leaving the Brethren, I can survive this, too." "These guys needtheirfamiliesto support him. Within this site you will find explanations, stories, history and Exclusive Brethren memorabilia ranging from the quaint to the shocking. Latest items: Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner, Abusive Churches/Spiritual Abuse Cult FAQ. 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Pathways College is a Tauranga-based theological seminary formed in February 2000 by the merger of two older Brethren[30] institutions: New Zealand Assembly Bible School and GLO Training Centre. Brethren have built 36 Campus & Co supermarkets in New Zealand for their members' exclusive use, staffed partly by "volunteers". I had a whole drawer of Richard Allan and Liberty Silk scarves." Old gospel songs trigger something deep inside even though I've long since stopped believing the words. Says one, his smile like a plea: "We don't want to get into a media conflict. The early Brethren believed that, by separating from what they regarded as the unwarranted and unlegitimated system that was represented by the organization of churches, they possessed an adequate basis for the unity of all properly motivated Christians. Ensconced in the narrow world of the Exclusive Brethren, Craig realised he was gay and his only options were to live a lie or break free. ApologeticsIndex.org is published by Anton Hein together with his wife, Janet, and the Apologetics Index team. The secretive, cult-like church says its members volunteer their time to contribute to society, but an RNZ investigation has found hundreds of thousands of dollars were sent every year to a Sydney. Aformer member believes Stewart hasbeen 'shut up' a Brethren term which is usually the first step towards being excommunicated, andmeans the person is barred from speaking to other members of the church, eating or socialising with them, and from attending the daily church meetings which everyone is expected to attend. This was followed up by a visit by Darby himself later in 1875. Once someone leaves the Brethren, they are forbidden from having contact with anyone still in the church, including their relatives. It was a decision that changed my life. "The thing I find disturbing is these are businesses, so their insurance premiums are tax deductible and on top of that they also claim back the GST - so I view it almost like a legalised form of money laundering. Wikipeebia [Contra] An extensive website, with personal testimonies, historical documents, discussion forums, and more. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Business owners are sent annual questionnaires about their turnover, gross profit and net profit and NAF representatives then suggest how much they should donate from their business. They love alcohol. Growing up in the Exclusive Brethren meant missing out on a lot of things other children took for granted. After all, I had been sent to Sydney from New Zealand so my sexuality could be suppressed, not indulged. "Most girls were there to check out the guys rather than listen to the word of God. Sociologically the movement has many cult-like elements as well. You'd think it would be cause for celebration, but it can be agonising to have someone reappear. It's easier to control people when they're addicted. The Exclusive Brethren are a religious group who forbids their members from voting but are taking out ads in the Tasmanian newspapers telling non believers how to vote. In reality, this extremist movement is a cult or sect of the Plymouth Brethren. He's organising a reunion for "ex-peebs" next Easter, and is expecting 150. I'd sit with one or two of these so-called priests, and launch into a tearful drunken confession as they plied me with whisky. Liberal, Green and gay communities worry about yet another attack on gains in social policy over recent years, while mainstream Christian churches swing towards moral conservatism. This is quite different from mainstream Christian belief, which says that Jesus was always fully God and fully man. Video first published in 2015. The Exclusive Brethren practice the doctrine of separation: they eat, sleep and live apart from the world, except when doing business with 'worldly' people. Theologically, it is a cult of Christianity. "Bible Churches" tend to embrace many progressive trends, but generally retain a male-only leadership and continue to disassociate themselves from the Charismatic movement. All church members work in Brethren-owned businesses. Church spokesperson Doug Watt said the decision to purchase or work with UBT or the Vision Foundation was "entirely an individual business decision that occurs in a competitive marketplace". Afterthe case had concluded, it's understood Stewart was ostracised by members of the church. Enter your email address to subscribe. From tear gas to television, Craig Hoyle has had quite the ride since leaving the Exclusive Brethren sect 10 years ago. This is often seen as one of many signs that the line of demarcation between Brethren assemblies and other independent Evangelical churches is becoming blurred a situation that some Brethren welcome, and some do not. This system was all I had known, it was all my parents had known, and all their parents and grandparents had known before them. No member is allowed to eat in the same room as a worldly person, they are forbidden from owning a pet and they are restricted from socialising with anyone outside of the Exclusive Brethren. The Exclusive Brethren is the name given (by outsiders) to those among the so-called Plymouth Brethren who, in the mid-nineteenth century, joined John Nelson Darby ( 1800-82) in forming a Christian fellowship which they believed to be based on strict biblical principles. [31] Its current principal is Dr Francine Bennett. Contra Peebs.net (Contra) This web site deals with the Exclusive Brethren from a critical perspective. From that moment it's as though you've died, and all public traces of your existence are scrubbed from the record. 'The expectation was that you would buy a house, marry a Brethren girl, settle down and raise a Brethren family, and the cycle would rinse and repeat.'. [20] Assemblies affirming a cessationist position include The Orchard in Te Puke,[21] Bethany Bible Chapel in Auckland,[22] and Onekawa Bible Church in Napier.[23]. Former members say the church has a centralised hierarchy, and everyone is expected to show absolute loyalty to the Sydney-based supreme leader Bruce Hales. Decline as with every previous testimony allowed the emergence in 1959 of a legal party which caused havoc and much suffering among the brethren. Tears. The beliefs of the Exclusive Brethren have much in common with most those of most evangelical Christian groups: However some of their beliefs are heretical by other Christian standards. A grandparent dies of cancer and suddenly you have to call your family, trying to find out where they are so you can say goodbye. He has been a friend of mine. Note that in 2003 the rules on contact with outsiders were slightly relaxed. I drove around Invercargill one heartbreaking afternoon visiting friends, relatives, anyone I cared about, telling them I was leaving the Brethren and this would be the last time we saw each other. "Personally I don't agree with the church having a business arm that everyone has to join. I watched TV news in wonder, and laughed as a current affairs reporter challenged a scam artist he claimed to be calling from England, but was unable to name any of the Queen's four children. The worldwide leader of the Exclusive Brethren, having ruled since his father John Hales died in January 2002, he had a penchant for good food and an even greater penchant for good whisky. It also produces The Silver Bulletin. Private individuals or businesses are free to spend their money how they like - but Dr Gousmett argues trading by charities should be taxed. Stewart eventually pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death in relation to the deaths of Susanna, 48, and Sadie Stewart, 16, and James Wearmouth, 18 and was given a four month sentence of community detention. "It's a round circle scheme - they are using their businesses to pay 'donations' back to their own church and then they are claiming that back as a tax deductible expense.". Like Cambridge couple Diana and Adrian* who left the Exclusive Brethren 16 years ago after realising they couldn't live a lie. Members who sin can also be shut up. At one church service it was said the spirit of God departed from us if we ever crossed the threshold of a cinema the next time I was at the movies I stepped backwards and forwards through the doorway to see whether it felt any different (it didn't). Elusive Exclusive Brethren [Transcript] of the Background Briefing broadcast by ABC Radio National (Australia) on Apr. But eventually the constant monitoring by other Brethren and having to account for their actions got too much. You will receive notifications of new posts by email. I was told I was rebellious and had a problem with authority. On their rules against mixing socially with outsiders, he says: "We are believers and don't need to go out with people who might not even be Christians. Then they can claim that as a deduction in their accounts and reduce their tax liability at the end of the day. Over the following year, back in Invercargill, I gradually withdrew from Brethren life. Brethren and their companies are encouraged to buy their supplies, groceries, petrol, internet, insurance - the whole range of goods and services - from companies that give cash back to the church through a range of kickback arrangements. As a child growing up in Invercargill, my grandma told me about how, when the rule came in that sect members shouldn't have pets as they represented an emotional bond that could come between you and God, the family went and drowned their cat in the river. There are, however, a number of organizations, trusts, and support agencies that have been set up with the purpose of servicing Brethren (and sometimes like-minded) churches. A rural service town of 4500, the country's kumara capital has a Four Square, RSA, stores with names like Molly's Fashions and Lynley's Lingerie & Linen, a surf shop and one panini-serving cafe for the cool crowd. When a member falls out of line, or is perceived to fall out of line, the first step in the process is for that person to be 'shut up'. It's the same in 40 towns around the country, from Gisborne to Cust. There'll be a dinner and dance, a "mystery day" and lots of socialising - "certainly not religious, just a fun weekend". (I was lucky to have the first eight years of my education in the public system, which gave me limited exposure to non-Brethren kids, but these days sect children are educated entirely within the Brethren system.) However within 25 years of the Plymouth Brethren forming, one of the founders a certain John Nelson Darby asserted his dominance, breaking away and forming a separatist sect referred to by others as the Exclusive or Closed Brethren. The man, who has name suppression, was being considered for parolelast week. no member of the group will speak, work or eat with them. As well as forcing Brethren businesses to purchase locked-down computers, phones and IT services, UBT also charged "consultancy fees", which could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even started taking controlling stakes in profitable companies through a venture called Vision Accelerator. I knew I, too, was gay but unlike this couple, so happy and carefree, I was determined to keep it a secret. Every Monday, employees at Brethren companies nationwide religiously watch the latest Silver Bulletin, a short online video interspersing business advice with the latest exclusive offers to members. A happy Craig as a baby on his dad's lap at the piano. I squirmed with embarrassment watching his fresh inexperience, realising how I myself must have seemed equally wet behind the ears. Later, when I called in to pick up some extra things, I saw my 9-year-old sister. BORN into the controversial Exclusive Brethren cult that outlaws birthdays, pop music and women wearing trousers or make-up, Jessie Shedden, 34, needed every ounce of courage to plan her escapeR If they leave, or are expelled from the Brethren, they have to give up their jobs as well as their family and their home. In another case, Nelson man Clive Petrie was "withdrawn from" by the church after he was convicted of thehistoric sexual abuse of three young girlsin 2009, according to the former member. Their "exclusiveness" refers to staying away from the world' s evils -- to the extent of having no windows in their meeting halls, the website said. Documenting their emergence onto the Australian political stage in 2004, this investigation shows how the Exclusive Brethren made their presence known through enormous contributions to conservative campaigns, assiduously lobbying politicians and maintaining a close relationship with the prime ministerall without casting a vote themselves. It maytake some overcoming yet the time to begin is now-send the fire, the Spirit and Scripture looked at anew and allow God to be God. The awful, incomprehensible reality of being true to yourself is that sometimes it means hurting those you love most dearly. Divorce is rare. * Firms clustered in around 40 towns and cities, mostly provincial centres I love being a journalist and wouldn't trade it for anything. The Exclusives rebranded themselves worldwide as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in 2012 as part of a campaign to retain charitable status in the UK. [], Members see the head of their church as a servant leader who puts his lives at the disposal of others. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Exclusive Brethren movement is an extremist branch or sect of the Plymouth Brethren. An evangelical church based in Christchurch is the latest to be accused of exploiting members for long voluntary hours and huge donations, despite the church owning assets worth millions of dollars. Children are often educated within the Brethren community, although many Brethren children do attend mainstream schools. The Exclusive Brethren churches have a rigid code of behavior and rules governing anything from contact with outsiders to the length of ones hair or the approved colors of the scarves worn by female members. "We made it our own fun." 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