But by the time this final step was taken, on October 31 2009, I faced more pressing issues. After all, I had been sent to Sydney from New Zealand so my sexuality could be suppressed, not indulged. 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. Unity is based on truth not on a presumed total separationfrom what they havebeen inbued with as evil when in fact the Church is composed of wheat and tares and only the LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS-ONLY HE. A happy Craig as a baby on his dad's lap at the piano. Theyneedpeople around. This study was formerly hosted at theexclusivebrethren.com the only site endorsed by the Exclusive Brethren. The site has since been renamed to plymouthbrethrenchristianchurch.org, to reflect the movements 2012 name change. This final stage of excommunication is when the sect gives up all hope of recovery and washes its hands of you. Many independent assemblies were formed, which gradually coalesced into a network that became known as the Open Brethren. "You'd get a new dress and you'd have to get the perfect scarf to match it, and the right shape. Pro/Contra My Brethren (Pro and Contra) History and Ministry of the Exclusive Brethren (so-called). The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. My Brethren calls for a return to our spiritual heritage, to the Scriptural principles, practices and teachings of former years and to the acceptance of personal responsibility for the maintenance of the truth in our days. Members control a network of secret trusts, their 8000 members earn. This is far from the Open Brethren idea that individual churches should have a great deal of freedom in their dealings with others. Bruce Hales was a paunchy office furniture salesman from Sydney. He's had his own serious, serious loss. Non-members are called worldlies. I've kept in touch so the kids know them. 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 influencing the lives of the brethren and leading to a deeper apprehension of the Lords Supper and the enrichment of the service of God. Under this doctrine Brethren members were forbidden from socialising, eating, living, or fraternising with non-members, leading to a period of cruel upheaval as followers scrambled to comply. They believe the rules have been relaxed since their time in the fold. "It was known in my local church that I wasn't subscribing to it and I was treated with disdain, like a black sheep. All church members work in Brethren-owned businesses. They only say, cryptically: "We've nothing to hide and nothing to parade." Open Brethren do not have the restrictions Exclusive Brethren face. 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. All members must follow the rigid code of behaviour and rules that govern the contact they can have with outsiders. McLean said he was given the envelopes by church elders just before he left New Zealand. They say people stay in fellowship because of ignorance, fear, family and finances. And all the old people in the Exclusive Brethren now, they're all depressed, because they know it's all wrong. It was one of those scorching Australian summer days where the tempo slows, as though the very effort of moving is too much. Sociologically the movement has many cult-like elements as well. 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. Inquiries regarding developments after 1959 have led to the inclusion of subsequent history. "My own personal view is that as a large multinational corporate that prides itself on being one of the top 100 most ethical companies in the world, it [Crombie Lockwood] shouldn't be participating in a kickback scheme like this.". They are using church connections to run their business and control people.". Bulk purchasing power is smart business - but according to former members, Brethren were not really "free to choose". Sarah Hall was a veteran TV3 journalist, although to me, fresh out of the Exclusive Brethren in November 2009, that meant nothing. Exclusive Brethren an evil, corrupt cult, court told Kevin Rudd allows secret talks with 'cult' Brethren's Qld schools gain $3m Inside the Brethren lobby horse Member of sect stalked women Exclusive access for anti-gay cult Exclusive Brethren school given $1m state grants Brethren schools net $18m funding No university for Exclusive Brethren kids Brethren run at least 12 firms in Dargaville - mostly in trade and farm supplies - many clustered in an industrial complex on the town's southern edge. We're just simple Christians, normal people, we look after our own and go about our business, don't hurt anyone." Here is what we wrote about the former site, which can still be viewed at the Internet Archive. This is ironic, because among the activities forbidden for members of the movement are such things as watching television, listening to the radio, reading newspapers and using computers and the internet. However, many leading New Zealand companies are lining up to join the list of preferred suppliers to what former members describe as a captive market. Photo: RNZ. Remembers Adrian: "Once you were out, you started to question it." Life as an Exclusive Brethren had its good sides. On Sundays church attendance ramped up to four different services, with the earliest at 6am. "We had to go to business meetings, paid thousands of dollars to go to business meetings all round New Zealand. We went to work in businesses owned by Brethren; we socialised with Brethren; saw them at church every night, and enjoyed the benefits of a life fully provided. It also produces The Silver Bulletin. The world at my doorstep is bursting with opportunity and excitement. Simmons has not gone quietly and is paying the price. I left Hong Kong on October 31 last year, the 10-year anniversary of my final excommunication from the Exclusive Brethren. In addition, it appears that the movements leaders are hypocrites a trait common to cult leaders. Note: In 2012, the Exclusive Brethren movement renamed itself Plymouth Brethren Christian Church in an apparent effort to sow confusion about its true nature and origins. 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. that we might humble ourselves before the Lord for our part active or passive in the shameful happenings and sorrow-ful scatterings which have taken place in our times. It wasn't true. In December 2007, not long after my ultimate confession, I was ushered to a consultation with Hales when he visited Invercargill for special church meetings. A measure of their influence - and the working tolerance they've won - is the wariness locals show about saying anything bad of them. An anguished wail from an aunt still rings in my ears. You can't ever really escape a Brethren upbringing. It expressly denies being either a union or an advocacy group; its stated aim is to give pastors a forum for mutual support and encouragement. They're allowed to talk to us now," says Adrian. But there were no "worldly" friends over to play, no going to the worldly kids' parties, no overnight school camps, no inter-school sports. I had hoped he might wave his hand and declare I was cured. Craddock told me he was experimenting with helping others change their sexuality, as yet unsuccessfully, and in the meantime at least my sex drive could be significantly reduced. It wasn't long after that I heard the song Burning Bridges on the radio: All the burning bridges that have fallen after me, All the lonely feelings and the burning memories, Everyone I left behind each time I closed the door. "You don't get someone blaming Presbyterians when someone who has a Presbyterian association does something. These confessions came to a head when one day, feeling completely broken, I finally confessed to being gay. Diana was drinking whisky with her family from age 13. I'd long since accepted I'd never see my family again, so when another of my brothers left the Brethren a few years ago it was a shock to have a sibling back in my life. But Exclusive Brethren are a cult. I've been chased, tear-gassed, and had a few close calls with petrol bombs. I squirmed with embarrassment watching his fresh inexperience, realising how I myself must have seemed equally wet behind the ears. Other rules ban public entertainment, novels, eating with outsiders, university, membership of other organisations, shorts or ties for men, mobile phones and PCs (allowed to use them for business but not own them). You will receive notifications of new posts by email. [25] The Stewards' Foundation, established in 1955, lends money to Brethren assemblies, institutions, workers, and missionaries.[26]. '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.'. My kids don't know their grandparents as grandparents. Baby Craig, left, with his cousin and their grandmother. Why did their activism suddenly blossom almost simultaneously across the world? In addition to the kickbacks, Brethren-owned businesses also move a percentage of their profits into trusts or directly to the National Assistance Fund. The broker, whom RNZ has agreed not to name, said while they were not doing anything illegal, he was uncomfortable with the way in which the church treated former members in particular. I think there's a little bit of scaremongering going on. When the Herald on Sunday approached Dargaville Brethren businessmen to set the record straight about their way of life, most politely dismissed us. The leader of the Exclusive Brethren church, Bruce Hales. Together they employ at least 60 people, either Brethren or Christian. So that's a very, very unsatisfactory situation for Bruce Hales.". "So let's say their profit was $200,000 and they decided to donate $50,000. Brethren families as well as businesses are also encouraged to buy goods and services from companies which give cash back to UBT and the National Assistance Fund, including petrol and groceries. Until then my transgressions had been minor offences that could be excused away; forgiven, with a warning not to repeat my mistakes. It has two parts: Members of the Exclusive Brethren do not make friends, or even eat with people outside their church. The Exclusive Brethren practice the doctrine of separation: they eat, sleep and live apart from the world, except when doing business with 'worldly' people. Says one happy Anglican employee of a Brethren business: "They've got their beliefs, that's fine. From that moment it's as though you've died, and all public traces of your existence are scrubbed from the record. [], Many Exclusive Brethren work in Brethren owned companies in order to reduce contact with outsiders. They recommended that I become a journalist, and took me in to TV3 to meet their executive producer. 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". 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. 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 Brethren faith was introduced to New Zealand in 1850, and is now led by Greg Mason. The Stewards Trust and Stewards Foundation are two separate, but closely related, organizations with identical membership. What clinched it for them was realising they "could never say to our children 'we can't have you in the house', like our parents said to us". The Exclusive Brethren practice the doctrine of separation: they eat, sleep and live apart from the world, except when doing business with 'worldly' people. I followed anarchists for a documentary in Greece, and spent much of the past 18 months living in Hong Kong, where I reported from the frontlines of violent protests. Members marry each other, rarely divorce, and are encouraged to have large families. This cult-like control is unbiblical, and is one of the reasons why the movement has attracted negative publicity. The BBC website listed the following rules for Exclusive Brethren: they cannot go to university, have televisions or radios, visit cinemas or the theatre, read newspapers or fiction, use computers, own mobile phones, vote in elections, serve in the armed forces or join any group that includes people outside the Brethren. In. My family ties stretched back nearly 200 years to when the Plymouth Brethren sect was founded in Dublin in the 1820s. There are two main motivations thought to be behind Brethren-backed political campaigns: promoting parties whose policies are closest to Brethren values (anti-gay rights, pro-traditional family, privatisation and decentralisation), thus delaying the "Rapture", when Jesus Christ is expected to descend and take away true believers; and, the more worldly theory of promoting parties with business-friendly policies to further Brethren's own business interests. The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. Perhaps if I came clean, I reasoned, the scales would fall away and I'd reach a new level of spiritual enlightenment. A sermon made by Halessoon after the June 2016 crash, and leaked to Stuff, shows the church's views onimprisonment. Jim Taylor taught that Jesus was human when he was born and did not become fully divine until later; either when he was 12, or at his baptism. "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. I knew there was no future for me in the sect. 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 was a catastrophic reordering of life, and other experiences don't come close. The axe had fallen, and the Brethren had "withdrawn" from me. The scene of a crash in which three members of the Exclusive Brethren church died in Baylys Coast Rd, Northland in June in 2016. Hot, silent tears come from nowhere grief, yes, but hard to pinpoint. 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. With no TV or stereo, most kids learnt to play instruments and played together. He is Australian Bruce Hales. After the UK Charity Commissions refusal to grant Charity Status to the Exclusive Brethren, in the summer of 2012, an observer provided a series of explanatory comments regarding that decision: 2.10 Misleading information: whilst it is of course legitimate to change a name and reconstruct a website, it should not be done in such a way as to make it appear that it involves an entirely different organisation. Once more I find myself a free agent a chrysalis emerging for another cycle of reinvention. At least one member of the House of Commons has been mislead. 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. The international community is run by the "Man of God", who has absolute power to dictate the church's rules. At meeting and whenever the Bible or hymns were involved women had to wear a. "I got on very well with my father, and I was never there in the years you want to be there, when they get old and you want to do their lawns." It meant no TV, radio or recorded music, no pets, parties, school outings, plays or. Yesterday RNZ revealed the unusual structure of this charity, which is wholly controlled by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church but with no formal constitutional link to it. They ban technology. [1] The Exclusive Brethren are now divided into a number of groups, most of which differ on minor points of doctrine or practice. * Firms clustered in around 40 towns and cities, mostly provincial centres ApologeticsIndex.org is published by Anton Hein together with his wife, Janet, and the Apologetics Index team. Sarah said she thought my story was worth telling. Decline as with every previous testimony allowed the emergence in 1959 of a legal party which caused havoc and much suffering among the brethren. They cannot form friendships, or eat with people outside the church -- who are known as "worldlies". I still know him well. Who should be admitted to the breaking of bread ceremony? Within days the Brethren tracked me down in Christchurch and appealed for my return. He appoints local priests, resolves disputes, approves all marriages and decides on levels of punishment for breaches of discipline. Apologetics Index curates research resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues. []. If they leave, or are expelled from the Brethren, they have to give up their jobs as well as their family and their home. This examination delves deeper into the groups past, revealing the Brethrens 19th-century origins in the United Kingdom, their fractious history, their extraordinary use of scripture to control members and dissidents, and their lucrative business and financial arrangements. 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