ELITIST CHURCH MEMBERS STRIVE TO IGNORE SUICIDE PUBLICITY.

THE SUNDAY TIMES -- NOV. 1992

Bevan Malcolm’s suicide was exactly the publicity that members of the secretive, elitist Exclusive Brethren Church strove to avoid and ignore. Evidence that the 38-year old father of eight was pressured by the church before he committed suicide led Timaru coroner Edgar Bradley to say: “When religion ceases to be concerned with love, humility and tolerance then, whatever it is, it is certainly not Christian.” Mr Malcolm gassed himself in 1980.

Since then there has been at least one other suicide of a man previously involved in the church. Before 1980 there had been at least six. Tasman MP Nick Smith this week spoke of “extreme forms of psychological blackmail” and “brainwashing” by the church in a case where three children were taken from their Nelson parents in favour of their Exclusive Brethren grandparents. Auckland lawyer Kevin Ryan acted for Mr Malcolm’s wife Sarah, and the Malcolm’s children during the coroners court hearing into Mr Malcolm’s death.

Mr Ryan tried several times to have the publication of Mr Malcolm’s diary stopped saying it had nothing to do with his death.

Excerpts from the diary revealed Mr Malcolm had been temporarily ousted from the church because he opposed the strict rules.

For seven months before his death Mr Malcolm was pressured by two members – Alister Suckling and John Brewerton – to sign separation papers drawn up by Mr Ryan, according to the diary.

It traces the breakup of the family, including Mr Malcolm allowing three of his eight children to leave home rather than see them made outcasts by the church. A week before he killed himself, Mr Malcolm was again approached by Mr Suckling and Mr Brewerton to sign the papers but he refused, saying: “They would not talk other than saying they were acting on instructions.”

Mr Brewerton was contacted by the Sunday Times but refused to talk about the last meeting with Mr Malcolm. “Its none of your business,” he said. No other church members would talk to the Sunday Times.

Many former members refused to be named but told similar stories of the church’s rigid rules tearing apart families. One man, the son of a church member who committed suicide, not only refused to talk but rang back anxiously asking that he did not want to be quoted as saying he did not want to be quoted.

Jim Veitch, senior lecturer in world religions at Victoria University, said the Exclusive Brethren Church began in England back in 1848. He said members felt they had discovered something about religious truth and erected a barrier around themselves to stop people coming in without the right convictions. That barrier around male-dominated Brethren communities, or groups of between 50 and 100 members included having as little as possible to do with non-church members, he said. There were about five thousand members in New Zealand.

They had no sporting or political interests though they did tend to favour strict conservative governments strong on law and order. Television, radios, dancing, alcohol, public transport and computers were banned, and they had few hobbies. “They are courteous, formal, sober, thrifty. They just want to get on with their lives.”

Exclusive Brethren were sometimes very wealthy people, tending toward professional jobs or occupations where contact with the public could be negligible or limited. The only social gatherings were among themselves, he said. Unless children were assimilated into the religion by the time they reached 13 it was taken as God’s indication they were not ready for the church, Dr Veitch said. A family would still be concerned with the child till that child was old enough to leave. “Maybe that separation is forever, it depends on whether the youngster wanted to come back.”

The pressure that could be exerted by the church could be “ quite pronounced.” Dr Veitch said: “It is quite proper and right when a community becomes conscious that children are forced into straight-jackets that are injuring them emotionally and mentally, that it is a matter of concern.” “That is where some of these religious groups are getting themselves into difficulty,” he said.

Though the Exclusive Brethren care a lot about their kids it was their view that eternity with God is the goal of life.

“That is much more important than giving into the bullying of a secular society. They are committed to believing they are a sanctified tribe of people.”