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.
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New EB HQ planned for Diamond Creek
The Leader, Australia
by Engel Schmidl
March 11, 2009
A controversial Christian church is planning to make a proposed prayer hall in Diamond Creek, for up to 2000 people, its new Melbourne headquarters.
The Exclusive Brethren, which has built five smaller meeting halls in the north-eastern suburbs in recent years, has been accused by former members and critics of being cult-like and secretive.
The proposed hall in Diamond Creek Rd will replace the church’s main hall in Glenroy.
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Ever since the message eventually sunk home with Bruce Hales – that whatever he is as leader of the Exclusive Brethren, he is not exactly expert in matters political – governments and political circles have mostly breathed a sign of relief.
Not so Australia’s Peter Costello who has seemingly missed his old wealthy friends so much, he was forced to go find a replacement!
Costello continues to catch the fire
22 January 2009
by Bernard Keane
Canberra correspondent
Peter Costello will continue his long association with the extreme Christian group Catch the Fire ministries on Australia Day, when the group holds a “prayer celebration” at Melbourne Town Hall.
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Question:
What do the ‘Brisbane Christian Fellowship’ and ‘The Exclusive Brethren Christian Fellowship’ have in common?
Possible Answers:
1 – They both have ‘Christian Fellowship’ in their preferred title?
2 – They both break up families?
3 – Their leaders both live in Australia?
4 – There are reports of sexual abuse in both organizations?
5 – Both are accused of spiritual and emotional abuse?
6 – Both are sparking demands for a full government level investigation?
7 – Investigative reporters have just published compelling books on both?
8 – They give Christianity a bad name?
9 – All of the above?
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The Exclusive Brethren’s network of separatist schools continues to grow despite signs of a long-awaited community backlash. As the public begin to realize just how little the Exclusive Brethren truly care about the communities they decide to move into, and just how far they are prepared to go to get what they want, there is normally a reaction.
Kids are kids and school are just schools … in almost every other situation. In the case of the Exclusive Brethren, they are determined to have their own schools for one reason – they do not want their children ‘contaminated’ by the outside world. They view contact with ‘worldlies’ (that’s you and me) to be in breach of their base doctrine of Separation. This pervasive doctrine was taught by the founder of the Exclusive Brethren, John Nelson Darby.
The Exclusive Brethren should not be confused with the Plymouth Brethren – although they share the same roots, the Exclusives have shunned the world and maintained strict separatist walls since the mid 1800′s. A visual review of a typical Exclusive Brethren Meeting Room says it all – high security fences, padlocked gates, no windows and absolutely no ‘All are Welcome’ signs at their entrances.
They do not evangelize or prosetelyze – all growth is from within. This growth is fiercely protected – hence their huge and ambitious shool systems. By careful planning and brilliant manouvering and lobbying, the Exclusive Brethren have so far managed to receive $Hundreds of Millions in tax concessions for both their schools and their fortress-style Meeting Rooms.
Does it not seem extraordinary that the average Tax-Payer is being allowed to finance the continuance of a cult?
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August 27th, 2008
COMMITTEES
Community Affairs Committee Reference Debate
resumed from 26 August, on motion by Senator Bob Brown:
That the following matters be referred to the Community Affairs Committee for inquiry and report by 26 November 2008:
(a) exemptions for the Exclusive Brethren and its members from Australian laws or administrative decisions;
(b) public funding, tax or other arrangements which do or may advantage the Exclusive Brethren over other community organisations;
(c) the activities of the Exclusive Brethren or its members which threaten or harm families, in particular, the best interests of children;
(d) the covert, as against overt, activities of the Exclusive Brethren or its members in the political process in Australia; and (e) any related matters.
Senator MILNE (Tasmania) (6.14 pm)
—I rise in continuance of the debate on Senator Brown’s motion. Last night, in beginning my remarks, I was commenting on the fact that when I was teaching on the northwest coast of Tasmania many years ago I had a very bright and capable young woman in my class who was not allowed to go on to further education because the Exclusive Brethren prohibited it. They prohibit their young people from being able to go to university at all. As a former Meadowbank school principal, David Stewart, an Exclusive Brethren principal said:
We do not go in for higher learning. We gave up universities in the 1960s as the hotbed of atheism. They prove that everything is nothing to their own satisfaction. We have suffered no loss to our knowledge. We particularly recoil from novels and cinemas.
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June 25th, 2008
An interesting article in Australia’s Diamond Valley Leader indicates that the growing inerest by the Exclusive Brethren in purchasing more and more real estate may have its roots in a local congregation maximum of 50. Certain statements by their Planning Consultant indicate that this was a reason for seeking a fourth church in the town of Nillumbik.
Their trademark windowless fortresses, with barred and padlocked gates, are of increasing concern in many communities.
Brethren’s bid for Eltham site
by Engel Schmidl
A RECLUSIVE Christian group may get its fourth church in four years in Nillumbik if a planning application succeeds.
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Exclusive Brethren Instructions to the Family Court – 2005
Many have been outraged at the recent Australian Family Court decision to separate an ex-member of the cult from his children. Most will look squarely at the Judge responsible and ask how this could happen? But this is only the latest case in a series of similar lawsuits.
The Exclusive Brethren do not recruit; they do not evangelise in order to increase membership. They increase from within. Great pressure is brought to bear on the young to marry and produce offspring. The resulting children are their future – estimated to be approximately 17,000 strong following the 1970 Aberdeen Incident, the cult today numbers in excess of 46,000 worldwide in over 10 countries.
The Exclusive Brethren protect their young with survivalist intensity. Putting their (and tax-payer) money where their mouth is, they have created a large international network of fiercely private schools that are there for one sole purpose – to keep their children separate from the outside ‘evil’ world. It is more than ironic that the Exclusive Brethren have to recruit non-member teachers to operate their growing number of schools as there is a worldwide ban on attending university for all children. The cult’s educational trusts are monitored closely by Exclusive Brethren ‘volunteers’ to ensure that there is no deviation from a carefully constructed EB-approved syllabus.
It is therefore vital to protect the young assets, those whom the Exclusive Brethren are raising protectively within themselves, behind intentionally closed doors. With this in mind, they weed out the troublemakers (normally young men) and do their utmost to prevent any further contamination of the cult’s ideas and doctrinal restrictions.
Dated January 2005, the following submission was made to Australian Parliament’s Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs by the Exclusive Brethren following a request by then Senator Evans. ((See original submission at http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/estimates/add_0607/ag/qon_18.pdf)
It lays out clearly their tactical approach to Family Court cases.