After the Exclusive Brethren – Craig Hoyle begins life

Craig Hoyle also featured in a December 2009 episode of 60 Minutes on NZ TV

Final Part of the Craig Hoyle story

And immediately, we refute our own heading – no way is this the final instalment in the story of Craig Hoyle! The bubbly infectious personality that Craig enjoys means that this 20 year old man has many more pages to write.

Craig had the courage to publicize his experiences as a young gay male both within and then outside the homophobic Exclusive Brethren cult. The stories he has told of disciplinary measures, ‘chemical castration’ and the manner in which even his own family was forced to disown him has shocked all who have followed his story.

This website has received hate-mail for even reproducing his story! Comments from several Exclusive Brethren members have been so obnoxious that they could not be printed even after editing. How a group that attempts to call themselves ‘christian’ can produce members who offer such hate-filled correspondence is beyond extraordinary, it is perhaps the most compelling argument of all that the Exclusive Brethren are no longer Christian.

They have extensive historical Christian roots and up to 40 years ago, they were well respected in all areas of society. The impact of American James Taylor Junior in the 1960’s and subsequent leaders has been spiritually catastrophic. The Taylor/Symington/Hales branch of the Exclusive Plymouth Brethren is rightly described as a cult by many today.

The story of Craig Hoyle was published in late 2009 by GayNZ.com and it led to Craig’s appearance on NZ’s 60 Minutes. (Click here or the image above to watch the TV3 episode)

Read the three Craig Hoyle Articles:

Part 1 – What is it like to be gay in the Exclusive Brethren?

Part 2 – Excommunication fron the Exclusive Brethren

and Part 3 - After the Exclusive Brethren: Craig looks ahead

Craig Hoyle, NZ

Part 2 of the Craig Hoyle story

If you ever wondered how the Exclusive Brethren treat those who dare to question their rules and lifestyle, Craig Hoyle’s continuing story will tell you far more than you probably want to know.

Craig Hoyle is gay – a ‘mortal sin’ and, as far as the Exclusive Brethren cult are concerned, a sickness that must be suppressed and cured. The way that Craig was treated is both heart-rending and anger-inducing.

How dare these people call themselves ‘Christian’!

We continue Craig’s story below. The first part of his journey can be read here - ‘What is it like to be gay in the Exclusive Brethren’ -

20-year-old Craig Hoyle, who was brought up in the Exclusive Brethren Church, risked losing everything when he told his priests and family he was gay.

After several meetings with church leaders, and a period under hormonal suppressant medication given to him by a Brethren doctor, Craig just couldn’t take it anymore. He was placed into the first stage of ‘excommunication’.

Craig continues his extraordinary story (Part 2).

New Zealander Craig Hoyle

Part 1 of the Craig Hoyle Story

New Zealander Craig Hoyle is hilarious, intelligent, warm, loving … and gay. What is especially remarkable is that 20-year-old Craig Hoyle, like generations of his family, was brought up in the Exclusive Brethren Church – one of the most homophobic of modern-day cults.

As you read Craig’s story, you will begin to understand why his life became unbearable and why he decided he had no choice but to leave the Exclusive Brethren.

It is sad to add that Craig’s story is not unique – not by any means.

The special thing about Craig Hoyle is his courage.

We salute the man Craig Hoyle!

Notoriously isolationist and conservative, the Brethren started in the UK in the 1820s but it only arrived in Invercargill, NZ in December 1992. It now has around 160 members in NZ’s southern-most city.

The eldest in a family of seven children ranging down to nine years old, Craig until recently worked in his dad’s Invercargill tyre shop. His whole life, from his day to day work and leisure through to his lifetime prospects, were mapped out inflexibly, and enforced, by the church.

Perhaps it might have been a bearably conformist life if Craig wasn’t gay.
In his own words Craig, comfortable with being identified by his real name and background, tells his remarkable and inspirational story to GayNZ.com’s Matt Akersten.

Read Part 2 of Craig’s story

The Exclusive Brethren prefer to attempt to silence criticism. Convinced as they are that they represent the only true church in Christendom, they do not believe in ‘turning the other cheek’ or even in attempting to enter into any form of meaningful public discussion as to their beliefs and practices.

The Exclusive Brethren do not attempt to recruit from the ‘outside world’ and prefer to cut themselves off from society quoting a doctrine of ‘Separation from Evil’ as their basis for doing so. The impact of this man-made edict is the vicious and enforced separation of family members should one or more suffer ‘Assembly Discipline’. The offenders are literally ‘cut off’.

The Peebs.Net website is not the first to have attempted to tell the truth regarding the Exclusive Brethren. In the late 1990’s a man called Richard Wyman operated a trail-blazing website that the Exclusive Brethren targeted for closure. A 2003 lawsuit was eventually settled out of court when Wyman realized the financial pressure that the Exclusive Brethren could use as leverage was vastly greater than his own resources. The Exclusive Brethren then took control of the Wyman website and it immediately ceased to exist as a way for family members to attempt to maintain contact.

Peebs.Net commenced operations within weeks of the closure of Richard Wymans site in early 2004. Since that time, the owners and operators have struggled to rebuild content and to recreate an infrastructure that enables thousands of affected people to renew old friendships, find lost family members and generally to stay in touch with events both within and surrounding a group of whom the Australian Prime Minister recently stated: “I believe this is an extremist cult and sect.” Kevin Rudd then stated “I also believe that it breaks up families”. (See http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22288747-11949,00.html Read all »

We have been sent a remarkable document written by a New Zealander while she was still an Exclusive Brethren cult-member in 2008. As can be seen, Lindy Simmons put a great deal of time and thought into organizing her thoughts.

In mid-2008, Lindy decided she needed some answers and mailed the following document to Bruce D. Hales, the current leader of the cult, in Ermington, NSW, Australia.

Bruce Hales did not, or could not reply.

Lindy Simmons left the Exclusive Brethren at the end of 2008 and is now coming to terms with freedom from one of the most restrictive modern-day religious groups.

Lindy’s List

Lindy Simmons – Summary Letter

21 August 2008

The aim of this letter is to summarise my questions and issues about the E.B. It is an appeal for increased understanding and answers in regard to these things.

Obviously, I will have to go over them in greater detail before my current thinking could be changed, if I was to be thoroughly settled and convinced about them.

Where I am currently at is that I have such questions and issues about foundational EB beliefs, principles and practises that I feel I can no longer belong to the EB church.

However if they can be answered, their reason for existence explained, or if I become convinced some other way that before God I must remain an EB, then I may do so, as I believe the Word of God is law and obedience to Him is highest priority.

Brief summary of my questions/issues about the Exclusive Brethren: Read all »

June 1st, 2009

We were sent a copy of David Tchappat’s ‘Breakout: My Escape from the Exclusive Brethren’ and have just finished reading this 278 page book – officially released today.

David has written an unique autobiography in that it represents the first published story of life in the Exclusive Brethren during the last 30 years.  There have been a number of books written regarding life in the 1950’s and 1960’s, but David Tchappat was born after the Aberdeen Incident of 1970 and grew up in a brethren family in Australia under the iron-fisted rule of Neche, ND pig farmer James Symington and following his death, John Hales who is the father of Bruce Hales, the current Exclusive Brethren leader.

It is very much an Australian book – Aussie slang terms pepper the pages – non-Aussie readers will need to know the meaning of such words as ‘stoked‘, ‘bloke‘ and the visually effective ‘ropeable‘.

Written over a 5 year period, the autobiography covers the author’s upbringing in the Exclusive Brethren cult and his eventual departure as a 19 year old in the mid-1990’s. It is an important publication in that it is the most contemporary book detailing life within the EB. Read all »

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

A LETTER OF PAIN

I wish to emphasize that this factual account is not written in any spirit of revenge or vindictiveness against the Exclusive Brethren. In the spirit of Christ I have refrained from exposing those who were once my friends and associates and who through fear and ignorance were led astray by their leaders who demanded complete obedience and subservience. Apart from one letter to the Minister of Justice at the request of a Member of Parliament I have never taken steps to publicly expose or condemn those who have so ruined my life and the lives of others, but now I feel the time has come to speak out, as others are beginning to do, in order that more lives may not be destroyed.

I am now on my own and 76 years old. Nothing can ever make up for the misery I suffered, and am still suffering, from the cruel and heartless actions of The Exclusive Brethren. The time has come to speak out and have their alleged malpractices investigated. Read all »