The Pot Calls the Kettle Black - Stow-in-the-Wold, UK
November 7th, 2008
Quite an insight into the psyche of the Exclusive Brethren was made available this week in the quaint English market town of Stow-in-the-Wold. A number of citizens of the small Cotswold town had decided that there was more to the extravagant recent planning applications and sudden ‘outpouring’ of community interest displayed by their contingent of Exclusive Brethren than perhaps met the eye!
They did some research, wrote some emails … did their homework. They then circulated their findings quite openly.
They were against the application to build a comparatively huge new Exclusive Brethren windowless fortress on the outskirts of their town. After viewing the Brethren documents and considering the aspects that were clearly missing from their application, most rational people would probably agree!
But the Exclusive Brethren cried foul …
Religious sect say they are victims of propaganda
Gloucestershire Echo
November 7th, 2008Stow Brethren has hit out against an anonymous circular it claims is drumming up opposition against its bid for a new gospel hall.
The religious sect has revealed the leaflet distributed around the town is why it boycotted a public meeting because it felt it would not get a fair hearing.
Representatives from the 120-strong Exclusive Brethren didn’t attend the open forum, called by Stow Town Council, to discuss a hugely controversial planning application for a 600-seat meeting hall and 81-space car park on land next to Tesco on the A429 Fosseway.
In the latest twist to the row the Brethren’s planning agent, Mark Chadwick, from Hunter Page Planning at Cheltenham, says the circular was to blame.
It has emerged he sent an email hitting out at the leaflet to the town council clerk Mike Corker for public record – little more than an hour before the meeting.
He also questioned the town council’s role in calling the meeting.
In his email Mr Chadwick said: “A considerable level of opposition has been drummed up in the past 24 hours against my clients’ planning application.
“The tone within a circular, that I believe has been distributed to homes in the town, is personal.
“The message is clearly a negative one and encourages attendance to the meeting to object. It is clear the meeting will not present a fair and open opportunity for the facts behind the application to be aired.”
Therefore, he added, a representative would not be coming.
“If the town council or town councillors are closely involved in the proceedings, I am concerned the correct procedures and probity protocol are not being followed in respect of this application,” he said.
He said the Brethren had undertaken an extensive public consultation exercise to help shape the proposal and held a public drop-in session for residents to come to their own ‘informed’ decision.
In reply, Mr Corker told Mr Chadwick the plan was of ‘great importance to the people of Stow’ and the town council had not influenced the meeting.
He said: “Just as your clients sought to consult public opinion before they finalised their application, Stow Town Council sought to consult public opinion before they decided on the matter.
“Stow Town Council is due to make its decision on the planning application on November 13.”
Source: Gloucestershire Echo - Religious sect say they are victims of propaganda
To place this into perspective, one must realize that this is the same group that unmercifully smeared select political targets through the use of anonymous tracts and leaflets recently in New Zealand and Australia. Not only were the contents of the Exclusive Brethren leaflets and advertisements pure political smear material, the Brethren ‘forgot’ to place real names and addresses on them. On several occasions they used false names and addresses!
This is also the same group that hired a private detective to investigate the New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark - to try and find some dirt that they could then doubtlessly use in further anonymous leaflets or pass to rival political parties.
But when the worried inhabitants of a small English village decide to collect and circulate the truth about their organization, the bully couldn’t take its own medicine … and sulked at home.
There is something about a bully that is so massively fragile. All it takes is the courage to stand up to them.
Well done Stow-in-the-Wold!
NZ Prime Ministers name Is Helen Clark not Helen Smith. She will hopefully have been kicked to curb by the time you read this
Thanks for the typo catch!
“He said the Brethren had undertaken an extensive public consultation exercise to help shape the proposal and held a public drop-in session for residents to come to their own ‘informed’ decision.”(Mr Chadwick)
The Exclusives idea of “informed” means carefull distribution of under the radar disinformation that the deluded may actualy believe, however it is always a cover for the truth.
May God help the Stow Town Council to unearth the real truth behind the opperations of this Cult.
iIN THAT THEY CLAIM THAT GOD ALONE, WITHOUT THE VOTING RIGHTS OF MAN APPLIED AND VALIDATED, DETERMINES WHO IS IN POWER WILL THE EXCLUSIVE BRETHREN THEN ACCEPT THAT THE DECISION IN RESPECT OF A SO-CALLED “GOSPEL HALL” IS THE LORD’S DOING AND IS GLORIOUS IN OUR EYES? THE SAD FACT REMAINS THAT THEIR VIEW OF THE GOSPEL is an eminently constricted one failing the gospel of reconciliation,hope for the present,help for the poor,giving to the GIDEONS, Christian Aid, RSPCC, HELP THE AGED,LEPROSY MISSION, COMMON GRACE, THE LORD’S TABLE FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE, while to that sect their’s is ANOTHER GOSPEL only preached in their screened-off fortresses. Jesus began to DO and to teach.May Heaven open their understandings so shackled by unbelief and flawed concepts of God’s mind for all.