I think they expected we'd go back and were surprised when we didn't. Three people died and six others were injured in the crash. Says Diana: "To this day my parents are heartbroken, because they can't have anything to do with us. Here is how the money-go-round works: large New Zealand retail businesses get guaranteed customers (the Brethren who are directed to purchase their goods and services) in return for rebates, which go to UBT. But there were no "worldly" friends over to play, no going to the worldly kids' parties, no overnight school camps, no inter-school sports. It was a catastrophic reordering of life, and other experiences don't come close. Life in the Brethren could be happy enough if you stuck to the rules. 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. "So let's say their profit was $200,000 and they decided to donate $50,000. I was told I was rebellious and had a problem with authority. and How did a group whose values are detached from those of most Australians infiltrate the highest office in the land? According to the companies register, the seven directors and shareholders of the Fund's corporate trustee are current directors or shareholders of 79 other companies. The couple maintain a faith in God but don't go to any church. They're highly regarded in business circles. Within days the Brethren tracked me down in Christchurch and appealed for my return. Note that the version at the Internet Archive is, at times, slow to open and that not all internal links may work. "These guys needtheirfamiliesto support him. "And in this case, the companies involved appear to be under the control of the church.". Over the past two years, Thompson and Clark has conducted hundreds of hours of surveillance on former members who have criticised the cult-like church. On one occasion a senior leader asked if I was sexually attracted to a local priest. 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. "There were real pissheads in there: they drink heaps, it's the only thing you're allowed to do." In New Zealand there are at present at least 6,000 Exclusive Brethren, which is about three times their estimated numbers in 2006, although exact figures are not . Later, while working as a senior reporter for Stuff, I explored issues such as prisoner mistreatment, cannabis reform, and just where all the forks were going from our newsroom kitchen. I wrote to Bruce Hales thanking him for his help, imparting the good news that I had overcome my sinful feelings. Another ex-member, whom RNZ has agreed not to name, said he managed to hold onto his position in the family business, despite huge pressure from church leaders - but said many others were not so fortunate. Profits from UBT are funnelled as donations into the National Assistance Fund (NAF), which then sends the receipts back to UBT to cut the tax. But not all members can live such a controlled existence. 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. Forced against his will to take sides, Deck remained with the Exclusives, but his family was divided. One, for 25 years a manager of an engineering firm, who speaks only on the condition of anonymity, openly expresses a sense of persecution. Brethren came to differ on whether the basis of unity was to be tested by the common life they followed, or the common light (i.e. The following few months were the worst of my life. Within two years I moved from never having watched TV, to working in a TV newsroom. Note that in 2003 the rules on contact with outsiders were slightly relaxed. When his son, John Field Deck returned to England in 1859 to study Medicine, however, and gravitated towards the Open Brethren,[7] Exclusive leaders, including Darby, became concerned. [], Members of the Exclusive Brethren are very limited in their contact with outsiders. 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. The leader of the church has overall power over members of the sect. Sarah and her producer, Charlotte, took a keen interest in my circumstances as we travelled and filmed together, and asked what I wanted to do with my life. They cannot form friendships, or eat with people outside the church -- who are known as "worldlies". Source: The Exclusive Brethren, BBC. This cult-like control is unbiblical, and is one of the reasons why the movement has attracted negative publicity. 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. Brethren have built 36 Campus & Co supermarkets in New Zealand for their members' exclusive use, staffed partly by "volunteers". We're just simple Christians, normal people, we look after our own and go about our business, don't hurt anyone." The Exclusive Brethren is not a democratic movement, nor do individual congregations have any autonomy. 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. The man, who has name suppression, was being considered for parolelast week. Apologetics Index curates research resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues. Mr Ian Paisley Jnr (North Antrim DUP) praised the work of the brethren in setting up the every boys rally and every girls rally which attract tens of thousands of young people. Despite the claim that Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is the historic name (http://www.plymouthbrethrenchristianchurch.org/) it is an entirely new invention. Perhaps the best-known But that comes at a cost to the taxpayer because it's obviously a cost to the revenue.". Numerous questions are explored, such as What exactly was their interest in politics? Watch this clip from the 2005 documentary Leaving the Exclusive Brethren, which includes rare interviews with young members of the church. 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." New rules came thick and fast from the 1960s, when the world leader of the time James Taylor Jnr, an alcoholic businessman from Brooklyn, New York enforced the principle of "separation". 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. Instead, I felt envy, and a touch of internalised judgment. It remains the most painful experience of his life. In addition to the kickbacks, Brethren-owned businesses also move a percentage of their profits into trusts or directly to the National Assistance Fund. Diana: "I had a great family life, I loved Mum and Dad and my brothers." Obviously I wasn't a good Brethren girl, but back then I'd never have dreamt of leaving." "A lot of guys, they've got a perception out here it's just one big orgy. It operates bookshops and a publishing house, and, for many years, published the Treasury magazine. It was exhausting, especially for families with young children, but we heard repeatedly how we were the "chosen ones", members of a spiritual elite carving out a place for God on Earth, destined for special reward when we got to heaven. Those who break the rules can be punished by being banned from worship meetings and ostracised by members of their own family and other Exclusives who withdraw from such a person. 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. By the time I was born, in the late autumn of 1989, the Exclusive Brethren had morphed into an oppressive sect that tightly managed every aspect of its members' lives. Charities researcher Michael Gousmett said it appeared Brethren businesses were being used to generate donations, which also reduced the amount of tax paid by those companies. Growing up in the Exclusive Brethren meant missing out on a lot of things other children took for granted. However, then global leader (Jim Taylor) condemned "commerce in the assembly" and excommunicated the Hales brothers and those involved had to "publicly repent". After some initial hesitation, I agreed. * Firms clustered in around 40 towns and cities, mostly provincial centres At the age of 20, I found myself learning the ways of the world for the first time, and was baffled by how it all worked. Contra Peebs.net (Contra) This web site deals with the Exclusive Brethren from a critical perspective. The following are some of the institutions that are widely supported by Brethren assemblies in New Zealand. [17] It was an isolated case, however; not until the early 2000s would there be any significant evidence of a Charismatic movement among Brethren assemblies throughout New Zealand. I had no plans, and nowhere to go. They're all free, just like you". Women must wear their hair long and down, and headscarves in public. 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. It remained within the Brethren movement. The international community is run by the "Man of God", who has absolute power to dictate the church's rules. Members marry each other, rarely divorce, and are encouraged to have large families. "If you understood the way they were brought up, we've got everything that we need in the fellowship, and they don't need to do that so it doesn't really come up, because they don't want to, really." They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. "Gospel Chapels" tend to be conservative; "Gospel Halls" even more so. 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". Nothing will ever be as bad as escaping my sect upbringing. The awful, incomprehensible reality of being true to yourself is that sometimes it means hurting those you love most dearly. Our social lives were bound up with other sect members and, by the time I reached my teens, my peers and I were well and truly enmeshed. They sought to restore what they saw as the biblical pattern of order which would allow them to live in conformity with the will of God, and which had been corrupted by the development of the ecclesiastical systems of existing churches. [32], GC3 is an umbrella organisation encompassing three institutions: Global Connections in Mission (GCiM), which supports 150 missionaries abroad as well as almost 100 evangelists in New Zealand,[3] GC Assist, an "operations trust" within GC3 which runs, among other projects, Headspace, a one-year program for school leavers,[33] and GC Aid, a humanitarian NGO.[34]. They told me I was mentally unwell. They observe "separation from evil", which according to the official Exclusive Brethren website also compels them to "shun the conduits of evil communications: television, the radio and the internet" (newspapers are OK). 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. However, he baulked at paying hundreds of dollars a month to join UBT for "business advice" he did not have time to read or services he did not need. Source: The Exclusive Brethren, BBC. He's had his own serious, serious loss. Wikipeebia [Contra] An extensive website, with personal testimonies, historical documents, discussion forums, and more. As a young child the chorus mystified me. The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. However, their children live quite separate lives from other New Zealand children. 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. Rob McLean, who was excommunicated from the church over a decade ago, said for many older Brethren, the commercial control of the church was history repeating itself. "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. They adopted the new name, as did their counterparts in Australia (the Christian Community Churches of Australia) to avoid confusion with the similarly named Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. Many independent assemblies were formed, which gradually coalesced into a network that became known as the Open Brethren. Once more I find myself a free agent a chrysalis emerging for another cycle of reinvention. People are talking about not mentioning alcohol. "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.". Mum had a honey-coloured guitar. Little did we know we'd make the evening news. 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). Assemblies affirming a continualist position (that all gifts of the Holy Spirit are operating today) include Street City Church in Wellington,[18] Life Church, Manurewa in Auckland,[19] Tasman Church and Hope Community Church in Nelson. I was a seventh-generation member of the Plymouth/Exclusive Brethren. A sermon made by Halessoon after the June 2016 crash, and leaked to Stuff, shows the church's views onimprisonment. They told us that non-members were being controlled by Satan via. They keep themselves apart because they believe that "it is impossible for God to fully bless and use his children who are in compromise or complicity with evil". Families were ripped down the middle. Now 53, he's in his second marriage and runs a cartage business in his hometown, Christchurch. McLean said he was given the envelopes by church elders just before he left New Zealand. He settled in Motueka which is still the religion's New Zealand stronghold. "Going out with people you've never met before - a whole different culture." 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.. [9] Consequently, George Wigram, who had a reputation for enforcing discipline among Exclusive Brethren, visited New Zealand from 14 January 1874 to 20 January 1875. 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. 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). The Exclusive Brethren who separated from the Open Brethren in 1848 and adhere to a rigid code of . Brethren have built 36 Campus & Co supermarkets in New Zealand for their members' exclusive use, staffed partly by "volunteers". The world at my doorstep is bursting with opportunity and excitement. Picture / Doug Sherring, Dargaville couldn't be further from the Beehive, where revelations of Exclusive Brethren political lobbying and espionage are fuelling Parliament's running dog-fight. I don't know, we have enough friends of our own." NAF then dishes out grants to PBCC trusts, which are not registered charities and therefore not subject to any scrutiny. Within this site you will find explanations, stories, history and Exclusive Brethren memorabilia ranging from the quaint to the shocking. Visits to New Zealand by British Brethren preachers Campbell McAlpine and Arthur Wallis in the late 1950s and early 1960s caused a great deal of controversy. (The terms "conservative" and "progressive" are often informally used to describe the emphasis, or lack of emphasis, that Brethren assemblies and individuals put on matters of doctrine, worship, and church order which distinguish them from other Evangelical Christians). "When you pull out one of those Jenga blocks it can make the whole pile quite unstable. Massey religious history expert Peter Lineham believes the political campaigns are part of a masterplan orchestrated by the powerful, rich Sydney-based world leader Bruce Hales, implemented here by a select group of Brethren businessmen. Promising to provide an Open documentary of their life and faith, this site claims to be the only site endorsed by the Exclusive Brethren. A fascinating tale of power exercised across several continents, this is also a moving story of damaged lives, broken families, and anger that stretches back decades. From tear gas to television, Craig Hoyle has had quite the ride since leaving the Exclusive Brethren sect 10 years ago. He's organising a reunion for "ex-peebs" next Easter, and is expecting 150. Hansen andApiatapreach teamwork Brethren, Sect's leader tells followers to drink rat poison, sentenced totwo years and four months in prison for historic sex offences against his nephew, historic sexual abuse of three young girlsin 2009, Mystery over Joseph Ahuriri deepens after truck spotted day of disappearance, Driver in fatal accident appeals her careless driving conviction, Pilot inexperience key factor in helicopter crash that killed couple, injured children, We slogged it out in the WA mines to set up our dream home in Golden Bay, Why we need to call time on the 10am check-out deadline, Quiz: Morning trivia challenge: March 2, 2023, 'Future slums' coming to your neighbourhood, residents' petition warns, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'evicted from Frogmore Cottage', Thrift club: I save money by avoiding supermarkets, Judge to businesswoman - sell your mansion to pay your $10m debt. "We are accused of being secretive; it's more that we want to keep our heads down and live according to our convictions. If they leave the church, they lose their livelihoods - many former Brethren claim they were forced to sign over their own companies to relatives. Theologically, it is a cult of Christianity. The medication left me lethargic and unhappy and I stopped taking it after a few weeks, although I had enough repeats on the prescription to last for a year. I stayed briefly with my aunt and uncle in Palmerston North, and in January 2008 I was sent on to stay in Sydney under the watchful eye of Bruce Hales himself. James Deck brought the religion to New Zealand in 1853. 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. 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. Complete rejection, and uncritical acceptance, of this movement are both minority positions among New Zealand Brethren today. The site itself is no longer online. He also allowed the New Zealand assemblies a degree of congregational autonomy that was unknown among the Exclusives in the British Isles. Christian Community Churches of New Zealand, The Brethren and the Charismatic movement, Christian Community Churches of Australia, "The Significance of J.G. Outsiders see him as an autocrat. I knew I was different and chafed against the rules, asking questions and talking back. He has been a friend of mine. Some Brethren sources claim this number to be an underestimate, with internal surveys indicating as many as 38,000 adults and children attending Brethren assemblies almost one percent of New Zealand's population. I wrote "I'm gay" on a piece of paper and pushed it across the table to the priest. [10] The result was a schism not only between different assemblies, but also within many of them. Separate Lives [Transcripts | Video] An edition of the Four Corners investigative journalism TV program of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Rob McLean questions the Exclusive Brethren beliefs and practices that led to his ejection from the group. Photo: RNZ. Wearmouth said it had been an "incredibly difficult" two years since his son died. The awful, incomprehensible reality of being true to yourself is that sometimes it means hurting those you love dearly. 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