September 30th, 2006 (EB News)

• Brethren's exclusive patrons - NZ Herald, NZ

  "There is growing concern in Australia about the dirty tricks campaign the Brethren waged in New Zealand and fears that similar tactics have been used in state and federal elections.
  
  Ignoring the furore surrounding the Exclusive Brethren in New Zealand, Costello insisted the group was "just a religion that is not as well-known" as the Catholic Church or the Church of Scientology.
  
  But those assurances are sharply at odds with the warnings of former Brethren members who are campaigning to expose a movement they describe as manipulative and reactionary.
  
  The leader of the Greens Party, Bob Brown, called the reclusive group a "radical and devious sect" and said Howard should clarify the exact nature of his association with it.
  
  "This secret sect puts a huge amount of money into changing the outcomes of elections, but never allows itself to be identified," said Christine Milne, from the Tasmanian Greens.
  
  "We'd be expecting an attack considering what happened in Tasmania, New Zealand and to a lesser extent, South Australia," said Greens MP Lee Rhiannon. "We're used to the rough-and-tumble of politics, but this is a whole new bag of dirty tricks and they're not appropriate here."
  
  The world leader of the sect is an accountant from Sydney, Bruce Hales, who is known as the Man of God, or the Elect Vessel. He took over the leadership from his father, John Hales, also an accountant, in 2002.
  
  In the 2004 federal election, a newspaper advertisement endorsing Howard was authorised by S. Hales, Bruce's brother. But there was nothing to clearly identify it as being associated with the Brethren.
  
  The movement is deeply conservative and reclusive to an almost paranoid degree.
  
  Women and girls are expected to be subservient to their husbands and fathers. Contact with the outside world is kept to a minimum. Members are not allowed to have televisions, radios, personal computers or mobile phones.
  
  They are prohibited from going to university and are not allowed to vote.
  
  Children at Brethren schools were brainwashed and ill-equipped to deal with the modern world, several former teachers told the Australian this month. Books were censored and strict control maintained over what pupils were allowed to read.
  
  The sect has 31 schools in Australia, with nearly 4000 pupils. The schools receive A$20 million ($23 million) a year in government money - funding which is now being questioned by some opposition MPs.
  
  Founded in Dublin in the 19th century, the Protestant movement's rigid belief system and cruel treatment of some ex-members is as controversial as its political activities.
  
  In the 1960s the Brethren's leadership decreed that members could not be married to non-members. Families were ripped apart, husbands and wives forbidden to see each other and children estranged from their parents.
  
  Dissenting members were excommunicated or, in Brethren terminology, "withdrawn from". Shattered by their treatment, some members have committed suicide.
  
  By working hard and eschewing luxuries, the Brethren have amassed vast sums of money. In an ABC TV documentary this week, former members alleged the group avoided paying tax by smuggling cash into countries.
  
  "It was totally illegal," said Ron Fawkes, a former Brethren leader.
  
  Another former leader, Selwyn Wallace, whose life was turned upside down by his involvement with the Brethren, said: "These people claim to represent Christianity in its purest form, but you look at the history stretching back 30 or 40 years, and it's just carnage - broken families, broken lives, children who don't know their parents, brothers and sisters who haven't seen each other for 20, 30 years.
  
  "If we don't speak out, the wheels of pain will just keep turning."" >>>More

• PDF Version of the above article

 

• Religious sect eyes Cambridge as new hub - Waikato Times, NZ

  "Cambridge could become a major hub for the secretive Exclusive Brethren religious sect, say some of the town's residents.
  
  

  At the very least they suspect the Exclusive Brethren –- who sprang to prominence through their $1 million backing of the National Party and hiring of a private detective to dish up dirt on Labour Party politicians –- are about to become even more exclusive in Cambridge thanks to the construction of a windowless church on Swayne Rd, opposite Cambridge High School.

  
  When they are not trying to manipulate general elections, the Exclusive Brethren maintain minimal interaction with the rest of society, and little is known of their plans for the 1214 sq m (13,067 sq ft) building which is approaching completion.
  
  But one neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the building's size was a sign that the town could become a "Temple View-style centre" for one of the world's strangest religions.
  
  The "church" looks like a giant packing shed from the outside and will feature an auditorium, foyer, toilets and corridor according to Waipa District Council plans –- but no windows on the main part of the building.
  
  The lack of windows is a tradition which reflects the extent to which the Exclusives –- reputed to number 8,000 in New Zealand –- seek to exclude.
  
  Church construction was commissioned in the name of the "Cambridge East Gospel Trust".
  
  Valley Sands Ltd proprietor Paul Gordon –- a father of 14 children –- was named as the project contact on site plans, though he initially denied any involvement when approached by the Times.
  
  When it was pointed out his name was on council documents, he said: "I was just helping out."
  
  Salesman Peter Etchells is one of three Cambridge East Gospel Trust trustees along with contractor Carl Brewer and nurseryman Patrick Dunn." >>>More

• PDF Version of the above article

September 28th, 2006 (Peebs.Net Commentary)

Those members of the Exclusive Brethren who wish to experience university, broaden their horizons, travel among and mingle with other people - basically live what is considered a 'normal' Life - are often forced to suffer almost unimaginable hardship in order to gain their freedom.

They are asked to leave a society into which they were almost certainly born, say Goodbye to their entire social circle, friends and their family - and this is not just 'Goodbye' - their exit will involved being shunned at all times in the future. It is as though they are now a member of the Living Dead. The closest members of their family will now cross the street rather than walk past them on the sidewalk.

They will leave their home which, if mortgaged, would have been financed through the Exclusive Brethren. If their spouse is unwilling to leave, the Exclusive Brethren will encourage an immediate Separation Agreement between the two and this will lead irrevocably to divorce if the exiting member does not return. If divorced, the Exclusive Brethren will encourage remarriage as soon as possible so that the threat of losing the remaining spouse is minimized.

The exiting member is statistically male and in his thirties. He will be married and he will have children. The Exclusive Brethren do not encourage the use of contraception. In leaving, he will probably not see any of his older children again. There will be difficult and poisoned visitation for younger children, but as all ex-Exclusive Brethren in this situation will testify, that soon dries up. Eventually the children start sending stilted "I don't want to see you again" Letters. The ultimate anguish for a separated parent. And the unstated aim of the Exclusive Brethren priests in the local community will be that the children minimize their contact with their evil parent.

Very few Exclusive Brethren work in non-Exclusive Brethren businesses. The Exclusive Brethren prefer to employ their own. They have access to a work force that is untrained, but very trainable. They can eat together and they are kindred both mentally and spiritually. Thus yet another immense stressor is involved - a member of the Exclusive Brethren determined to leave, will in all likelihood also be leaving his or her job. As a result, they will be stepping out into a world for which they have been intentionally made ill-equipped. They will have no university education, their work history will have been with Exclusive Brethren companies and therefore they will also leave their right to an expectation of a reference for any skills or experience they have attained.

They leave with almost zero concept of modern technology and enter into a society that is overwhelmingly technologically equipped. They are likely to have never have owned a cell-phone, a TV or a computer. They have little knowledge of how to order food in a restaurant, or how to plan a vacation. They have probably never stayed in a hotel.

They will have psychological problems in eating with people they do not know. However, they are likely to have no problem entering a bar and consuming alcohol because the Exclusive Brethren encourages drinking - to the extent of idolizing a past Leader, James Taylor, Jr who died in 1970 from complications due to his alcoholism. Liquor is consumed in vast quantities at any available opportunity. It is likely that many escaping Exclusive Brethren will already have a 'drink problem'.

Perhaps most surprising of all is the fact that they are likely to be spiritually damaged. For all their reputation as a Christian group, the Exclusive Brethren do not follow the precepts of the 'Great Commission'. Their Bible readings are less about spiritual growth than how to extol their Leader. Of course the concept of 'spiritual damage' is a relative term and it is often simply expressed in anger and non-interest in all aspects of spirituality.

The Exclusive Brethren display many cultist traits. They object strongly to being labelled as a cult, but when the hero-worship of their 'Elect Vessel' is analyzed, it can be seen that they follow the dictates of a man rather than a spiritual mission. His words are dictated and transcribed word-for-word including almost embarrassing verbal and grammatical gaffes. Exclusive Brethren have always given generously to their Universal Leader. It is considered a sign of support for the Leader to tithe generously. Failure to do so would be noticed. It is not always good to be noticed in the Exclusive Brethren.

This site asked a number of questions one year ago during the previous New Zealand political scandal when the Exclusive Brethren also covertly used their tainted money in trying to impact political life in New Zealand (as well as Australia, Canada, USA and UK). Some of these questions are starting to be asked by other authorities:

The Exclusive Brethren are perhaps now starting to appreciate what it is to be shunned. They have caused untold political damage to the party they were attempting to 'help' in New Zealand. They are now a political 'hot potato' and their ambition of having a credible political voice in New Zealand lies in ruins.

• How much did the Exclusive Brethren leader, Australian Bruce D. Hales know about the NZ Smear Campaign? The Exclusive Brethren are controlled tightly from the top - no member ever dares to act as an individual.



• Where did the money come from for the NZ smear campaign in 2005? Was it all from New Zealand or are there signs that another country was involved as was the case in their political attempts in USA during 2004?



• What are the business linkages within this group? They are currently attempting to merge management of all Exclusive Brethren businesses world-wide with the use of self-banned computers and internet access. Just another example of hypocrisy, or is there a darker political truth? It will certainly ease central transfer of funds and perhaps begin to remove their illegal international cash smuggling activities.



• How do vast amounts of cash 'gifts' and 'tithes' make their way to Australia, where Bruce Hales and the Hales Family Trust is located? Are correct reporting mechanisms followed and taxes paid? Surely it is time for some auditing. As any lawyer will say, the route to discovery is often as simple as "Follow the Money!".



• Is it healthy for such an anti-social group to use their money to attempt to impact the lives of a wider community they in fact despise? The public seem to think not.



• Is it healthy for the Exclusive Brethren to school their own children, with a syllabus formed from their own anti-social and dangerous teachings? Should we assist with generous subsidies that help the creation of another generation of people that think and act like this? Increasingly, the public are concerned regarding not only the quality of life for these children, but the implications of such an uneducated sub-society attempting to have a political voice in the future - obviously through any means their money allows.



• What is the impact of the damage caused to so many individuals who have taken a stand against the Exclusive Brethren? Is it time for a class-action suit against this wealthy group that continue to ignore basic human rights such as parents' ability to see their children? Then there is the issue of broken lives, psychological damage and even loss of loved ones through suicide.



• How can such a self-righteous group sit there with a dry eye knowing the legacy of broken families they have created across the world? That is an excellent question. Where is the compassion?



• Is it right that society should subsidize Exclusive Brethren Meeting Rooms as public places of worship by allowing tax breaks and subsidies when they fence, bar and lock their 'church' doors to prevent public entry? It is such an obvious municipal error that it is astonishing. This site applauds Brisbane for their brave challenge. It is time for the rest of the municipalities to follow suit. Believe us! These guys currently have good credit!



• How can they call themselves 'Christian' or a 'church' when they do not even practice the fundamentals of Christianity? Christ said "Love your neighbor" ... the Exclusive Brethren shun theirs to the point of not even sharing the same sewer outlet!

The Bible which they carry and profess to follow states: "By their fruits you will know them".

At last, the world is beginning to know The Exclusive Brethren.

The Peebs.Net Team

September 28th, 2006 (EB News)

• Fundamentalist Christian sect makes waves Down Under - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

  "While the United States, Britain and other parts of the world are worrying about Muslim extremists, members of a secretive fundamentalist Christian sect, who do not vote but launch costly campaigns to overturn governments they dislike, are making waves in New Zealand and Australia.
  
  New Zealand cabinet minister David Parker has likened the Exclusive Brethren to the Taliban in Afghanistan, noting the 'sinister undertone' of their shared intolerance of those who disagree with them.
  
  'They're so convinced of their own righteousness that for them the ends justify the means,' Parker said." >>>More

 

• Brethren scrutiny - The Courier Mail, Australia

  "Prime Minister John Howard yesterday confirmed he had met members of the sect, which was criticised in an ABC TV Four Corners program for allegedly taking large undeclared sums of cash across international borders and hushing up child abuse allegations. Mr Howard has defended the right of the group to run its own affairs.
  
  Opposition frontbencher Kevin Rudd said that although he had no problem with ministers meeting the group, there were questions over the sect's political role and whether its schools should receive federal funding.
  
  "On their role in politics . . . they are such a secret society and secret sect, and I am concerned about organisations like that having an indirect or direct role in politics," Mr Rudd said.
  
  "But my broader concern goes to the extent that the Exclusive Brethren run schools. The Exclusive Brethren, based on my advice, actively discourages children from using information technology, from learning how to use computers properly because they will provide avenues of contact with the outside world." >>>More

 

• Costello defends sect's tax breaks - The Sydney Morning Herald

  "THE fundamentalist Christian sect, the Exclusive Brethren, is essentially no different to mainstream churches and is therefore entitled to the same tax exemptions and other breaks, the Treasurer, Peter Costello, says.
  
  Amid growing criticism of the movement's activities and alleged political influence, Mr Costello said the Exclusive Brethren was "just a religion that is not as well-known" as the Catholic and Uniting Churches, and the Church of Scientology.
  
  Senator Brown said Mr Howard was quick to admonish Muslims for not adhering to mainstream values but would not do the same to "this radical Christian sect".
  
  The Exclusive Brethren prohibits children going to university, excludes married women from working, and does not allow single women to work if they have authority over men, he said.
  
  "Muslim children in Australia are not prohibited from their basic right to a university education," he said.
  
  The Labor frontbencher Kevin Rudd said that he was concerned that the sect's schools received public funding.
  
  "The Exclusive Brethren, based on my advice, actively discourages children from using information technology, from learning how to use computers properly because they will provide avenues of contact with the outside world," he said. "I have real reservations having federal taxpayers' money going into those sorts of schools." >>>More

September 27th, 2006 (EB News)

• Brethren in defence work - The Dominion Post, NZ

  "An Exclusive Brethren businessman who campaigned against Labour's re-election holds a top defence contract.
  
  Timaru businessman Richard Simmons won the tender to fit out the Defence Force's new Wellington headquarters with office furniture.
  
  His company, Aspect Furniture Systems, is also supplying workstations, chairs and partitions to the Government's top-secret spy agency, the Security Intelligence Service, which will be housed in the same building.
  
  Mr Simmons is the brother of Auckland businessmen Andrew and Neville Simmons, two of the "secret seven" who owned up to the secretive pamphlet campaign.
  
  A defence source confirmed Aspect Furniture Systems had extensive experience in supplying other government departments." >>>More

Strangely Bruce Hales, the Leader of the Exclusive Brethren just over the Tasman, is in the Office Furniture business too. Could there be a connection?

 

• Brethren expands business interests - One News, NZ

  "The secret religious sect that hired a private investigator to dig dirt on the government has big plans to expand its empire.
  
  One News has obtained documents revealing the extent of the Exclusive Brethren's business interests in New Zealand and its links to a global network.
  
  The confidential directory obtained by One News shows the Exclusive Brethren is becoming increasingly self-sufficient with more than 600 businesses in New Zealand - mainly small firms in trade and agriculture.
  
  The Exclusive Brethren do not want to rely on the outside world and a confidential memo sent to Brethren worldwide, including in New Zealand and Australia, talks about setting up a universal umbrella group code-named National Office Assist.
  
  It is not only in business where the Brethren is self-contained, with 15 Westmount schools set up in New Zealand under a trust in 2003. While they are largely funded by the Exclusive Brethren themselves, the schools receive $1.5 million from the government each year.
  
  The trust behind the schools is run by three of the so-called Secret Seven who bankrolled the anti-government pamphlets at the last election." >>>More

 

• Rudd questions Brethren schools funding - The West, Australia

  "A Labor frontbencher has called for a review of federal funding to Exclusive Brethren schools, as another minister revealed he met members of the secretive sect.
  
  Prime Minister John Howard revealed on Tuesday he had met members of the sect, which was criticised in an ABC TV Four Corners program on Monday for allegedly taking large undeclared sums of cash across international borders and hushing up child abuse allegations.
  
  "On their role in politics ... they are such a secret society and secret sect, and I am concerned about organisations like that having an indirect or direct role in politics," Mr Rudd said.
  
  "But my broader concern goes to the extent that the Exclusive Brethren-run schools.
  
  "The Exclusive Brethren, based on my advice, actively discourages children from using information technology, from learning how to use computers properly because they will provide avenues of contact with the outside world.
  
  "I have real reservations having federal taxpayers' money going into those sorts of schools."
  
  The Brethren operate four schools in Queensland." >>>More

 

• Brethren schools to get IT lessons check - The West, Australia

  "Exclusive Brethren schools in WA will be inspected by State Government authorities to determine if they are meeting the requirements of their accreditation after allegations students are not allowed to use computers or learn information technology.
  
  Questions also were asked yesterday about whether any taxpayer money given to the schools was diverted to clandestine political campaigns.
  
  In WA, the Exclusive Brethren operates schools in Willetton, Dalwallinu, Gnowangerup and Cunderdin and recently got approval to build one in Kalgoorlie. It gets on average about $350,000 a year from the State Government and a similar amount from the Federal Government in general recurrent grants.
  
  The money is issued to Woodthorpe Drive Secondary School in Willetton, which then distributes it to the other schools.
  
  Even though Exclusive Brethren members were not allowed to vote or seek political office, their schools in NSW were used as addresses for pro-Howard election advertisements.
  
  “If their schools are used for the purposes of election advertising, it begs the question of whether they are also using school money to pay for those ads,” Senator Milne said." >>>More

September 26th, 2006 (EB News)

• Greens fear Brethren 'dirty tricks' - Sydney Morning Herald

  "There are fears the secretive Christian sect the Exclusive Brethren could use its "bag of dirty tricks" to influence next year's state election, the NSW Greens say.
  
  New Zealand's National Party leader Don Brash was this week forced to sever all links to the group after it allegedly hired detectives to dig up dirt on senior Labour Government figures.
  
  Ms Rhiannon called on conservative parties in NSW to publicly distance themselves from the group.
  
  "The Coalition and the Christian Democrats need to publicly disassociate themselves from these tactics - that's absolutely critical," she said.
  
  "We're used to the rough and tumble of politics, but this is a whole new bag of dirty tricks and they're not appropriate here."
  
  On ABC TV's Four Corners last night, former members of the sect alleged large sums of cash were illegally transported across international borders and accused it of hushing up child abuse." >>>More

 

• PM met with Exclusive Brethren - Sydney Morning Herald

  "Prime Minister John Howard has admitted he met with members of the fundamentalist Christian sect, the Exclusive Brethren.
  
  Mr Howard admitted for the first time he had met with representatives of the sect, but said he had talked to many other fanatical groups in his time as a politician.
  
  "I've met a lot more fanatical people in my life than the Exclusive Brethren," he said.
  
  "It's a free country. They are not breaking the law (and), like any other group, they are entitled to put their views to the government."
  
  In its response, the department said the prime minister had met with members of Exclusive Brethren, but refused to reveal the details, saying they were confidential.
  
  The Brethren's leader, Bruce Hales, lives in Mr Howard's Sydney seat of Bennelong where the group campaigned against Greens' candidate Andrew Wilkie at the 2004 federal election.
  
  Former members of the sect have alleged on ABC Television's Four Corners program that large sums of cash have been transported by members across international borders and have accused the group of hushing up child abuse." >>>More

 

• Govt is picking on us: Brethren - Manawatu Standard, NZ

  "We feel unfairly targeted," Mr Goudie said. "We see what happens in the papers, but I don't really know what to comment about it. I certainly would say it doesn't go unnoticed." The group has been used by the Government to score political points, Mr Goudie said.
  
  National Party leader Don Brash's links with the church have come under the microscope, but Mr Goudie said the Exclusive Brethren are not affiliated with any political party ``per se''.
  
  "Our goal is to have a better government that will give the people good leadership in terms of good moral principles and a better standard of living.">>>More

 

• Exclusive Brethren speak out: 'no regrets' over political involvement - Radio NZ

  "The Exclusive Brethren have broken their silence on growing criticism of their involvement in New Zealand politics, and say they have no regrets.
  
  In an open letter to MPs, the sect defended its activity during the 2005 general election and described recent attacks on it as a "vicious smear campaign" waged for political purposes.
  
  Church members spent more than $1 million on a leaflet campaign before last year's election. Last week it was revealed they hired private detectives to spy on politicians and their families.
  
  National Party leader Don Brash said on Monday he will now have nothing to do with the church.
  
  He says the Brethren have not broken any laws, but he considers their behaviour underhand and inappropriate.
  
  One of seven church members who claimed responsibility for the 2005 leaflet campaign says he would do the same thing again if it was necessary. Neville Simmons says he is disturbed by the attacks the Government is making." >>>More

September 25th, 2006 (EB News)

The ABC Four Corners broadcast is something that should be studied by any that doubt the extent of corruption within the group known as the Exclusive Brethren:

• The web site for ABC Four Corners: - Web Link
• The web site for ABC Four Corners: - PDF Version
• Transcript of the TV Broadcast - Web Link
• Transcript of the TV Broadcast - PDF Version
• Transcript of Ron Fawkes Interview on TV Broadcast - Web Link
• Transcript of Ron Fawkes Interview on TV Broadcast - PDF Version
• Transcript of Ngaire Thomas Interview on TV Broadcast - Web Link
• Transcript of Ngaire Thomas Interview on TV Broadcast - PDF Version
• Video - Joy Nason speaks on Four Corners - Broadband - Real
• Video - Joy Nason speaks on Four Corners - Dial Up - Real
• Video - Selwyn Wallace speaks on Four Corners - Broadband - Real
• Video - Selwyn Wallace speaks on Four Corners - Dial Up - Real

• NZ Opposition cuts ties with Exclusive Brethren - ABC News Online

  "The New Zealand Opposition has cut its ties with the Exclusive Brethren.
  
  The Exclusive Brethren's fall from grace has been swift and dramatic.
  
  Just two days ago Opposition Leader Don Brash said he was not about to sever ties with the secretive sect, which helped bankroll the National Party's last election campaign.
  
  "Quite often I bump into those people... they normally simply say 'we're praying for you'," he said.
  
  Mr Brash says he now wants nothing to do with the Brethren or the underhand tactics he says they have used to influence the New Zealand political process.
  
  His colleagues say they have done more harm than help to the conservative cause.
  
  It is also likely they will also lose their exempt status under the labour laws, which has kept trade union officials locked out of Brethren businesses.

 

• Brash moves to cut any ties with Exclusive Brethren - Radio NZ

  "Dr Brash says he will be telling his MPs at their caucus meeting on Tuesday that National will have nothing to do with a group which stoops to use such underhand tactics to influence the political process.
  
  Mr Williamson says politicians are constantly approached by interest groups offering to lobby on their behalf and it has taken time for the Exclusive Brethren to be revealed in their true colours.">>>More

 

September 24th, 2006 (EB News)

• Ex-members 'expose' Exclusive Brethren - The Age, Australia

  "Former members of the Exclusive Brethren allege that large sums of cash have been transported across international borders and accuse the church of hushing up child abuse. The allegations are among several made by former church members that will be aired on ABC TV's Four Corners program on Monday.
  
  The former Australian leader of the Exclusive Brethren Ron Fawkes alleged that he illegally transported large sums of cash across international borders for the former world leader James Symington.
  
  Joy Nason, who left the church in 1968, said she had heard other members confess to child abuse. "I have heard people confess to molesting children," Ms Nason said.
  
  Ms Nason said during the time she was with the Exclusive Brethren the church forgave the perpetrators of the alleged abuse. She said the abuse was not reported to police." >>>More

  Also see:
  The Sydney Morning Herald
  Border Mail

 

• Labour strikes back at sect - Manatawu Standard, NZ

  "The Government is looking to strip the Exclusive Brethren of labour law exemptions in response to their foray into politics.
  
  The Department of Labour said 649 employers have exemption certificates. They are believed to be held almost solely by the country's estimated 10,000 Exclusive Brethren.
  
  Ms Dyson said the sect's representations for exemption had always been on the basis it remained outside mainstream political processes.
  
  "The revelations over the last 12 months have clearly put paid to that and gives their earlier submissions no credibility at all," she said." >>>More

 

• Brethren school kids 'brainwashed' - The Australian

  "CHILDREN at taxpayer-funded schools run by the Exclusive Brethren sect are brainwashed and their basic texts are crudely censored, say former teachers.
  
  Several teachers have told The Australian they left Brethren schools in disgust at "excessive control" over what children were allowed to read and study.
  
  "The children are told what jobs they will do and who they will marry. They were not being equipped to live in the outside world. The Brethren were cutting off the children's pathways."
  
  Most modern novels were banned, pages were removed even from permitted 19th-century works and entire chapters were censored from science books.
  
  "One science book had all the chapters on reproduction cut out," one teacher said. "Most modern texts were banned." >>>More

 

Oh brother - Sunday Star Times, NZ (Sept 24, 2006) "The Exclusive Brethren tried to spend a quiet million dollars helping the Lord and the National Party. Now they are a political cuss word and an embarrassment to their chosen vessel, National Party leader Don Brash. Labour hurls daily brimstone at the Brethren, but they show no signs of folding. Prime Minister Helen Clark calls them a weird sect, and cabinet ministers liken them to the devil and the Taliban, a wounding insult to law-abiding church-goers. "The Brethren are a liability to whatever political party they're associated with," says Auckland political scientist Barry Gustafson. Their beliefs were "bizarre" and their strategy secretive. "


The worldwide church has about 45,000 members and is led by Sydney office supplies businessman Bruce Hales, known as the Elect Vessel. Sydney journalist David Marr, who studied the church, says it was after Hales took over from his father in 2002 that the Brethren abandoned their traditional stance of shunning politics. For 175 years they had rejected political activity, just as they had rejected tertiary education, many forms of modern technology and "worldliness".>>>More

 

• Extent of National's Brethren lies now clear - NZ Labor Party Press Release (Sept 24, 2006)

  "The full extent of the National Party cover up of their involvement with the Exclusive Brethren is becoming clear today with revelations that all but three National MPs accepted support from the Church, Labour strategist Pete Hodgson said.
  
  In today's Sunday Star-Times, National MP Katherine Rich revealed that all National MPs were offered support from the Brethren and all but Rich, Simon Power and Maurice Williamson accepted it.
  
  "Coupled with Brash's admission that he has met with the Brethren since the election and his refusal to end his political partnership with the Church, the lies revealed today are a fatal blow to Brash's integrity.
  
  "His leadership has had a corrosive effect on politics in New Zealand and he should resign."" >>>More

Which all goes to show that you should choose your friends wisely. Mind you, it is admittedly difficult to spot a true hypocrite.

The Exclusive Brethren bring new meaning to the term 'corrosive' as to their impact on marriage and family life, let alone their witness as so-called 'Christians'. To call the Exclusive Brethren a 'Church' dishonors both the term and the millions of law-abiding, family-loving church-goers who contribute to global society.

The leaders of the Exclusive Brethren should also resign.

September 23rd, 2006 (EB News)

• Greens senator calls for religious group to come clean - ABC, Australia (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "Senator Milne says it is an outrageous situation.
  
  "But it's very clear that they have made a decision under Bruce Hales leadership to intervene in elections around the world, even though they don't stand for office themselves and they don't vote," she said.
  
  "He should reveal whether or not they're hiring private detectives to follow round the Greens and Labor Party MPs in Australia and also to rule out that kind of behaviour in the future."
  
  The Exclusive Brethren says it is not aware of any spy activity of that type in Australia." >>>More

 

• National MP: Impossible to keep Exclusive Brethren at bay - Radio NZ (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "Senator Milne says it is an outrageous situation.
  
  "Meanwhile, Labour Party strategist and Cabinet Minister Pete Hodgson says Dr Brash should resign for refusing to sever his links with the Exclusive Brethren." >>>More

 

• Brethren cost Nats win - Sunday Star & Times, NZ (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "Two senior National MPs are now blaming the Exclusive Brethren for the party's election loss - and the support of the religious extremists is dividing its caucus.
  
  The group has become political poison after last week being outed for hiring a private investigator to dig dirt on Prime Minister Helen Clark, her husband and Labour Party ministers.
  
  National is now desperate to distance itself from the group. Rich told the Star-Times on Friday that she believed the Brethren had cost the party the election, saying the whiff of association was off-putting to voters.
  
  And Brownlee yesterday said that "as far as I am concerned they have been nothing but a thorn in the side, completely unhelpful and I personally want nothing to do with them... not that I ever had had". He said the group "would have had as much to do with our election loss (than) any success we had".
  
  The Brethren, which collected a $1.2 million war-chest to try to get National elected, "had no business sticking their nose into politics," he said. " >>>More

 

• Govt considers inquiry into snooping - One News/Newtalk, NZ (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "The government is considering launching an official inquiry into allegations that the Exclusive Brethren hired a private investigator to look into the Labour Party.
  
  Party leader Don Brash says he speaks with Exclusive Brethren members and had a private meeting with them this year where they raised concerns about the Labour government.
  
  Hodgson claims Don Brash has no option other than to resign." >>>More

 

• 'I was a spy for the Brethren' - The Dominion Post, NZ (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "The political war rages on with a private eye claiming he was paid by the Exclusive Brethren to dig dirt on the Government. After earlier denying any involvement, Dunedin investigator Wayne Idour said last night that he was hired indirectly by the secretive religious sect, through another investigator, to delve into the lives of Labour MPs.
  
  Mr Idour said he was some way into the investigation before it was confirmed to him that the client was a senior member of the Exclusive Brethren.
  
  Senior Exclusive Brethren could not be contacted last night." >>>More

 

• Hell's fury ranks behind outpouring - Sydney Morning Herald, Australia (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "THEY speak carefully down the line. Their voices are saturated with pain. They give no names. These former members of the Exclusive Brethren apologise for being so cautious but fear the sect that expelled them.
  
  Whether they're calling from America, Britain or Melbourne, they tell much the same story: after tangling with the Brethren hierarchy, they've been "put out" of the sect and their families. Their lives are shattered. Some have never seen their children again. One said: "The damage, sir, done around the world to people is incomprehensible."
  
  The sect is having legal problems on other fronts. In June, the High Court confirmed a ruling that the Brethren's fortress-like meeting halls in Brisbane are not "places of public worship" and it must therefore pay rates. These halls stand on prime real estate all over Australia. The Brethren are up for millions." >>>More

 

• I was hired by Brethren to dig dirt: detective - ABC, Australia (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "It sounds a bit like a plot from a Dan Brown thriller; the case of the Prime Minister, the private eyes and the religious sect. But across the Tasman this week, truth has been stranger than fiction. First Helen Clark claimed a smear campaign aimed at her and her husband has been organised and orchestrated by the Exclusive Brethren. Now a private detective has confirmed he was hired by the Brethren to try to dig up dirt on Labour." >>>More

  Listen to the interview in Real Audio.

 

Brethren reap millions in tax-free donations - The Age (Sept, 23, 2006) "THE leaders of secretive Christian sect the Exclusive Brethren enrich themselves to the tune of millions of dollars a year, tax free, by drawing systematic donations from their flock. Former Australian Brethren leader Ron Fawkes told The Age that a previous world leader, American James Symington, boasted of buying 600 hectares of prime North Dakota ranch land out of the proceeds of the donations. Mr Fawkes was excommunicated in 1984 and cannot comment on the size of gifts going to the current "Elect Vessel" of the church, Sydney office equipment supplier Bruce Hales, but believes they would be worth millions of dollars a year." >>>More

 

• Believers a world apart - The Age (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "IN THE minds of the 40,000 or so worldwide devotees of Bruce Hales, the world is divided into "us", the Exclusive Brethren, who live in the light of God's love, and "them", the rest of the community. Only through this, the doctrine of separation, can the Brethren be understood. "You come in touch with worldly people; if you get a little close to them, you'll have some sense of defilement," says Hales in one of his regular sermons.
  
  In this singular scripture, Hales, a tangle-tongued Sydney office equipment supplier, is the direct spiritual descendant of the sect's biblical hero, St Paul; he is God's representative on Earth, the only route to salvation. The Exclusive Brethren's God is judgemental and interventionist, particularly in politics. "We do not mix in politics; we are not of the world; we do not vote," said church founder John Nelson Darby in 1878." >>>More

 

• Shunning the 'evils' of the rest of society - The Age (Sept, 23, 2006)

  "WHEN a pair of Exclusive Brethren came to visit Melbourne Presbyterian minister Rowland Ward they refused even a cup of tea. As a member of the Free Church, Ward is about as theologically conservative as a Protestant can get, but he wasn't pure enough for them. "A cup of tea is fellowship, and that's not acceptable — they have to be utterly separate," says Ward, author of Religious Bodies in Australia." >>>More

 

• Power wielded from the fringes - The Age (Sept, 23, 2006)

  Quotes by Bruce Hales:
  On the judicial system:
  "Of course, the (Brethren) assembly is the highest court, so that's a matter that we can take comfort in. It's a very great matter, I think, to know that this place, the assembly, is the highest court. It's the area of God's direct dealings, and it's got the power to overrule other judgements if there's a righteous basis."
  
  On mobile phones:
  "The mobile telephone in it's current form is a tool of the devil, it's an instrument of hell. I have no doubt pronouncing on it as that … And it's also, I would say, the greatest tool of disorganisation that business has ever taken on!" >>>More

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Some NZ Video news items

• Religion preaching politics - NZ News video (July 9, 2005)
• Private eye claims take new twist - NZ News video (Sept 21, 2006)
• Member reveals use of PI's - NZ News video (Sept 22, 2006)
• PM considers inquiry into spying - NZ News video (Sept 23, 2006)

September 20h, 2006 (EB News)