Frequently, it is what the Exclusive Brethren do not say that speaks loudest.

Many will recall the first cult smear advertising that first hit the streets in New Zealand in 2005. Later, Australia suffered the same influx of brochures, pamphlets and handouts. They all had one thing in common - the group behind the material was never mentioned.

Rather than provide any normal route to identity, the Exclusive Brethren intentionally obfuscate their publications. When you consider the way they hide their tracks, this is perhaps understandable: false addresses, misleading names, even the business premises of their unsuspecting tenants … One thing is constant, the name of the Taylorite / Symington / Hales Exclusive Brethren never appears.

9/11 and now 'Black Saturday'

And now, in perhaps their most cynical effort todate, they use their own children in an effort to extract money from a public for whom they care nothing and even seemingly entrap a Prime Minister who has publicly declared them an “extremist cult” to assist them. And their public relations lever? The killer bush fires that swept across Victoria in southern Australia during February, less than a year ago.

‘ Firestorm: Black Saturday’s Tragedy‘ is published by Dennis Jones & Associates of Byswater, Victoria, Australia and there is even a website dedicated to the PR cause: http://www.blacksaturdaysfirestorm.com.au

The Glenvale School is an Exclusive Brethren school – one of those campuses that is set to receive some of the over $70 million hand-out authorized by Kevin Rudd over the next two years:

The Prime Minister provided a letter, accompanied by a photo, congratulating the Exclusive Brethren-run Glenvale School in Victoria for producing the book. The Brethren yesterday confirmed Mr Rudd was aware the sect was involved in the book when he agreed to provide the letter.

The letter is reproduced on a full page at the front of the book, which is billed as a fundraiser for the Country Fire Authority.

About 55,000 copies of Firestorm: Black Saturday’s Tragedy have been printed and are on sale for $50. The preface says the book was the work of “parents and friends” of Glenvale’s Lilydale and Berwick campuses, but fails to note the school is run by the sect.

From The Australian – Kevin Rudd endorses Exclusive Brethren fire book

At best this ‘fund raiser’ is a feeble Public Relations effort but those who know the Exclusive Brethren and their ways see a more sinister intent – a transparent ruse to try and improve their irrepairably damaged public reputation – on the backs of a gut-wrenching disaster and by the use of children that continue to be indoctrinated at the expense of the Australian tax-payer.

It will not escape the attention of many that the last time the Exclusive Brethren attempted anything like this, they were trumpeting their ‘assistance during the aftermath of 9/11‘ – as to exactly what their assistance was at that time, no one knows.

The fact that Glenvale School, the Publisher and the Exclusive Brethren’s public relations firm do not disclose who is behind this effort speaks louder than words – the silence is the continuing sneaky hallmark of one of the most destructive religious cults around today.

As Simon & Garfunkel knew: “silence like a cancer grows...”

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share…
No one dare
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools,” said I, “you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.”
“Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you.”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls,
And whisper’d in the sound of silence.”

The Exclusive Brethren have been desperate to repair some of the public damage caused to their reputation since their disasterous foray into international politics in 2003. Initially they attempted to handle their own public relations, but their inability to be persuasive in the media forced them to hire a public relations firm.

“In early 2007, senior members of the Exclusive Brethren Christian Fellowship approached Jackson Wells seeking assistance dealing with a sudden and intense increase in media interest…”

“At the heart of Jackson Wells strategy to assist the Brethren was to increase the Church’s engagement with the wider community, mainly through the media.”

“The Brethren Church still has some way to travel in gaining an accurate public understanding of the lifestyle of its members”

Jackson Wells: ‘understanding’ the Exclusive Brethren

The Exclusive Brethren have a track record of hypocrisy. For example, while still maintaining that the Internet was a “pipeline of filth”, they created a website that even today spouts:

“The Exclusive Brethren practice separation from evil, recognising this as God’s principle of unity. They shun the conduits of evil communications: television, the radio, and the Internet…”

The Exclusive Brethren: Who are they?

In an attempt to demonstrate a self-perceived commitment to public good deeds, The Exclusive Brethren used to trumpet the fact that they had offered unspecified assistance in the aftermath of 9/11 on their ‘evil’ website:

“The Exclusive Brethren assisted the rescue efforts at Ground Zero during the aftermath of the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.”

Previous Exclusive Brethren website

This changed following the February 2009 bushfires in Victoria Australia when Jackson Wells co-founder quietly leaked the fact that the Exclusive Brethren had donated $3 million to the Red Cross Appeal. (Source Peter Jackson blog )

Shortly afterward, the Exclusive Brethren website replaced their 9/11 self-congratulation with the Jackson Wells bushfire donation story:

“Members of the Exclusive Brethren donated more than A$3 million to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal to assist those affected by the devastating Black Saturday blazes in Victoria on February 7, 2009.

Many Brethren live close to areas burned and employ people who lost loved ones and property in the fires.”

Source – The Exclusive Brethren website

To ensure that the public get the message, an Exclusive Brethren school has now published a book labelled as a fund raiser. In a remarkable public relations coup, they even persuaded Kevin Rudd, the Australian Prime Minister to offer support for the enterprise!

The public relations smoke screen follows on the heels of the recent announcement that the Exclusive Brethren schools system have been granted over $70 million (AUS) in Australian federal funds over the next two years.

Brethren schools get $70m in funding
The Australian
by Rick Wallace
January 12, 2010

The Rudd government is handing more than $70 million to schools run by the Exclusive Brethren, a religious sect Kevin Rudd described as an “extremist cult” that breaks up families.

The sect’s schools have secured more than $8.4m under the government’s school building stimulus package and they will share in $62m in recurrent taxpayer funding.

Documents show a Brethren-run school at Swan Hill in northern Victoria was granted $1.2m for a library and $800,000 for a hall when its most recent annual report shows it had just 16 pupils and already had a library.

Grants data released by the commonwealth shows that Brethren schools in every state received funding under the $12.4 billion schools stimulus package. Despite the Brethren’s past disdain for computers, figures show its schools have received more than 300 under the commonwealth computers-in-school initiative.

Source: Brethren schools get $70m in funding

Although it might appear that ‘flying under the radar’ has recently proved beneficial to the secretive cult and their advisors, the confused signals from the Rudd administration have resulted in increased media scrutiny.  Rick Wallace of the Australian continues investigating the outrageous funding:

Exclusive Brethren enjoying $1m taxpayer windfall
The Australian
by Rick Wallace
January 13, 2010

Despite being assessed as wealthy, the Brethren’s mushrooming network of schools is being funded at a higher rate than independent schools in battling regional communities such as Bourke and Longreach.

The secretive but financially savvy sect has taken advantage of a “no-disadvantage” clause put in the funding system by the Howard government, of which the Brethren was a strong supporter.

…

The no-disadvantage clause means that despite the wealth of the Brethren schools’ communities, their funding level is preserved at that awarded to the original campus at Meadowbank in Sydney. Australian Education Union federal president Angelo Gavrielatos said the funding guarantee was costing taxpayers $3.5 billion a year and must be urgently reviewed.

“The over-funding of the Exclusive Brethren’s MET school is a prime example of a corrupted funding system, with half the private schools in the country funded above their entitlement,” Mr Gavrielatos said.

Source: Exclusive Brethren enjoying $1m taxpayer windfall

After a grueling full day in court, settlement was reached in the long-running law suit between Peebs.Net and the Exclusive Brethren. The fact of settlement is public, but not the terms.

We will publish what we are able as and when lawyers advise.

Meanwhile, the wording used by the Court Reporter seems to underline the effort of the process!

Case Name: Bible & Gospel Trust v. Twinam et al
Case Number: 1:07-cv-00017-jgm
Document Number: 159

MINUTE ENTRY for proceedings held before Judge J. Garvan Murtha: Status/Settlement Conference held in chambers on 11/23/2009. Present were Matthew Kirtland, Esq. on behalf of pltf; Ronald Shems, Esq. and Rebecca Boucher, Esq. on behalf of dft Timothy Twinam. Statements by counsel. After extensive negotiations and discussions between the parties, a confidential settlement was reached. The parties shall prepare a written settlement agreement and file a stipulation of dismissal. The record of this conference shall remain SEALED until further order of the Court.

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 and many other related news items in the Peebs.Net News Archives – http://peebs.net/ExclusiveBrethrenNews/NewsArchives.html)

There have been two SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) lawsuits aimed at the website owners since the site was formed. A more recent 2007 lawsuit brought by the Exclusive Brethren’s Bible & Gospel Trust achieved its primary objective in forcing the owners to disclose their identity (See Press Release on site home page – http://peebs.net). You can download Background information regarding the law suit here: http://peebs.net/ExclusiveBrethrenNews/Press/Backgrounder-20080220.pdf

The Harvard University / Oxford University affiliated Citizen Media Law Project has labeled the Exclusive Brethren’s attack against Peebs.Net as a Threat and is following the case in detail – see Bible & Gospel Trust . Twinam

The Peebs.Net Community has rallied magnificently since and have managed to support and fund a strong defence to the Exclusive Brethren lawsuit. The daily work of the website continues and the number of people involved with the community continues to grow.

We are asking for financial donations from anyone interested in supporting our right to free speech and our right to gather together and support each other. The level of psychological damage among those who have fallen foul of the Exclusive Brethren is almost overwhelming. As the world media, governments and other authorities continue to press for a deeper investigation of the Exclusive Brethren, we need to ensure that we are able to meet our current legal fees and keep this site operational.

All donations go directly to our lawyers and in the event of costs being found in our favor, all donations will be returned, so please make sure your contact information is accurate.

If you can help, please use the Donation button below to donate via PayPal.

If you prefer to deal direct with us, please write to info@peebs.net with the Subject – Peebs.Net Legal Fund Donation.

Further information about the Exclusive Brethren can now be gleaned from many places outside of this site – a Google Search today produces hundreds of thousands of hits, whereas five years ago this was barely in the hundreds. Peebs.Net view this as proof of both the success of their campaigns and a growing public awareness.

A well-researched book published in late 2008 “Behind the Exclusive Brethren” by Michael Bachelard gives an excellent overview of the cult and its activities. Michael devotes the final chapter of his ground-breaking book to the struggles of Richard Wyman and Tim and Sallie Twinam to tell the truth about the cult.

Should you have any questions, you are able to anonymously post questions onto the public forums on Peebs.Net. Our members are always pleased to give you straight answers as to the impact the Exclusive Brethren have had in their lives.

The reason you cannot see names of the site forum members is simply because the Exclusive Brethren watch this site and harass and threaten anyone they consider vulnerable.

Yeah – they’re that ‘christian’!

Recently, Tim and Sallie were discovered by the Vermont USA press, where the concept of a middle-aged couple fighting a wealthy and vindictive international cult from a log home in the Vermont woods captured the imagination of the rural population.

Burlington Free Press (April 2009) – Secretive worldwide sect battles Vermonter in court

Seven Days, Burlington Vermont (November 2009) – Might vs. Site

A blog hosted by 7 Days is attracting considerable attention by the ex-Exclusive Brethren Community and others. From Log Cabin in Vermont, Couple Fights Reclusive Religious Sect stands as a living indictment against the impact of man-made legalism and heartlessness.

The fight has so far cost Tim and Sallie Twinam their family home, their savings and countless hours at their computers. However with the formidable backing of their supporters and encouraged by growing public opinion, they continue to fight back.

The cause will happily accept your money of course, but will settle for just your good wishes and prayers!

Warmly,

Tim and Sallie Twinam

Vermont, USA

July 20th, 2008

It is possibly too soon to tell whether the two events are related, but reports are surfacing of two earthquakes in the Wellington region of New Zealand following the city’s visit this week by Bruce Hales, the world-wide leader of the Exclusive Brethren.

Although the media have not received full confirmation of the visit by the multi-millionaire leader of the vast Exclusive Brethren business empire, this site can confirm that Bruce Hales is scheduled to be in New Zealand for at least a week.

With earthquakes now hitting the region, it has been suggested that the launch of “Hollow Men The Movie” at Wellingtons film festival this afternoon might also be somehow related.

Hollow Men the movie premieres in capital

The film version of Nicky Hager’s critical probe into the National Party is being premiered in Wellington today.

“The Hollow Men” documents a two-year period, including the infamous links between former leader Don Brash and the Exclusive Brethren.

A full house is expected for the first showing, which is part of the city’s film festival.

Source: Newstalk – Hollow Men the movie premiere

Whatever the reason for the earthquakes, we can almost guarantee that there will be repercussions following the visit by the troubled Australian leader. There is always a reason for his travel to an Exclusive Brethren locality and doubtlessly the real purpose for the Exclusive Brethren equivalent of a papal visit was discussed behind closed doors …

Following the Churchill Rd Gospel Hall meeting, Hales was taken to the home of senior Wellington Brethren member, Geoff Wallace. He was joined by senior Brethren men from around the country. The church used to frown on material extravagance but they arrived in a collection of new, $100,000-plus cars. On Thursday, Hales and the local Brethren leaders travelled to other North Island meetings.

The security firm employed for the visit is called Provision, which is wholly owned by private detectives Thompson and Clark, whose spying on community groups for corporate clients came to light last year.

Source: Sunday Star Times – Brethren Leader visits NZ in secrecy

May 28, 2008

So David was ‘evicted’ from the Big Brother house because he was “boring”. What some people do not understand is that it can take years to recover from the damage caused from the trauma of being locked away from society. A typical ex-member of the Exclusive Brethren has been surrounded by rules and restrictions since birth. The ability to hold a ‘normal’ conversation with someone not part of the cult is a skill that has to be learned.

Certainly David Tchappat has had 13 or more years to learn how to socially interact, but his chosen routes of employment are telling – a policeman and currently a fireman. Both roles allow physical communication and an associated authority. Try and pick two other jobs (necessarily attainable without a university education) that depend more on rules and regulations as much as these … ex-Exclusive Brethren are expert at maintaining existence around rules. For the first few years, an ex-member without some form of structure is the psychological equivalent of a body without a skeleton.

It is common to hear of someone recently released from the cult as being described as ‘unstable’ or ‘fragile’. This is because we are ‘fish out of water’ – it is a form of social acrophobia to suddenly find ourselves in an environment where the conversation or interaction could literally be on any topic under the sun! With no TV, restricted media of all all types and a controlled schedule that surrounds mandatory Exclusive Brethren events, an ex-member is a social dwarf until enough life has been lived to play ‘catch-up’.

Big Brother evictee David Tchappat wants to release a book about his experiences growing up in the Exclusive Brethren sect.

The 33-year-old fire-fighter has already penned the story of his experiences growing up in the reclusive group who shun TV, radio and the outside world and is now looking for a publisher.

“I want to call it ‘Losing my religion’… there’s a bit of interest in it… A Current Affair want me this week some time… so hopefully something can come of it,” Tchappat told LIVENEWS.com.au

Tchappat escaped the isolated community of his upbringing at 19 where he had to start his life from scratch.

Before entering the ‘real world’ 13 years ago he’d never seen a movie, kissed a girl, listened to radio or seen a movie.

The American sect, that has 15,000 members in Australia, has cast out the good looking housemate out, forbidding him to break bread with his own family.

While the Christian group’s members don’t vote in elections because it interferes with God’s right to ordain who rules the earth but they do controversially fund the Liberal Party.

Source: Live News – Big Brother’s David to write ‘cult’ book

We certainly hope David is successful in producing his book. He at least he has a story to tell and the more people that tell their story and experiences, the more glimpses we can see of life within such a mysterious and reclusive environment. The faster society will start to realize that from the cradle to the grave, some people are being denied the right to Live the lives they could.

In a world where material possessions often denote rank and position, the Exclusive Brethren as a tiny sub-culture perhaps seem to have everything they need. They have nice homes, modern vehicles, their businesses are well-funded and successful. With no vacations to plan or pay for, no electronic entertainment centers to escape within, an average Exclusive Brethren family is normally politely remote – as you would expect from a culture that only lives among us because they must.

From the moment that JN Darby made the momentous decision to exclude rather than include in the mid-1800′s, the increasingly Exclusive Brethren have been moving toward the place they now find themselves – a cult frightened by the self-inflicted removal from an unknown world outside, an inability to communicate coherently and easily, a warped world-view and … increasingly damaged children.

In 1970, just following the Aberdeen Incident and the resulting major division among the Exclusive Brethren, it has been estimated that their world-wide numbers were approximately 18,000. Today, almost 40 years later, there are an estimated 45,000. As they do not actively recruit people to join them, this growth has come naturally from within through carefully arranged marriages. The EB hierarchy move their ‘young people’ around geographically but eventually natural genetics will begin to display the unmistakable signs of a limited genetic pool.

The Exclusive Brethren doctrine of Separation can be assessed by the most fundamental of Christian litmus tests – by its fruits. Has it caused Good? Is it Healthy? Is it Attractive? Is it Kind? Does it help fulfill the Great Commission? Is it of benefit to the human family? Some would call it systematized abuse.

It is arithmetically probable that the genetic damage caused by the Exclusive Brethren insistence of being separate from society will soon become obvious. Meanwhile it is our task to highlight the symptoms and warn.

A good first step would be to remove public funding from their growing school system.

May 26, 2008

David Tchappat is already a winner.

For those mentally and physically trapped within the Exclusive Brethren, leaving is not a rational option. From the moment you are taken as a child a few days old and immersed in a tub of luke warm water under the watchful eyes of your family members and a few local Exclusive Brethren representatives, you are given no choices. Your future is mapped and your ambitions will become sublimated to become part of ‘supporting the Assembly’.

The concept of ‘Household Baptism’ is just one example of where the Exclusive Brethren take choices out of the hands of an individual. To most Christians, Baptism is quite simply a personal decision and an outward expression of a life ‘reborn’. Although Christening is a common practice in many denominations, this is simpler to view as a dedication by the parents to bring up a child in the Christian tradition.

There is no ‘Believers Baptism’ in the Exclusive Brethren. This is the most common form of Baptism in the Christian community where a new believer will decide voluntarily to ‘be baptized’ as a public expression of their new faith and that they have left their old life behind them. It is this form of Baptism that many feel has the greatest meaning and significance – because they made the decision.

Not all who leave the Exclusive Brethren wish to maintain any form of religious observance. The only form of Christianity they have experienced has been forced and surrounded by rules and the decisions of others. To even the most uneducated observer, the Exclusive Brethren today offer very little to satisfy any form of spiritual hunger and this is primarily due to an assumption of ‘birthright’.

When born into an Exclusive Brethren family, there are no options. You will be immersed in water and then, a few years later, it will be made clear that the parents are expected to ensure the child takes the final outward step of partaking in the Lords Supper (holy communion). Once the child starts partaking of the home-made bread and sipping the Ruby Port wine a few minutes after 6:00 AM on a Sunday, the future is assumed secured for another member of the Exclusives.

There is only one further option open to a member and it is a huge decsion that should never be underestimated. Not many can handle even the concept, let alone have the tenacity to plan and enact an escape. It is a choice that no-one should ever have to make.

Double trouble for BB

After running away from a “strict and controlling” religious sect at the age of 19, Big Brother evictee David Tchappat said he doesn’t regret the decision that saw him cut off from his entire family.

The 33-year-old fire fighter was a member of the Exclusive Brethren group until he decided to leave the secretive confines of total domination and venture into the real world.

Despite discussing on national television the organisation’s authoritative stance over its members, Tchappat said he doesn’t fear any backlash from his former “brothers”.

“I don’t answer to them anymore… I’m happy with my life and they leave me alone now,” he said.

He spent three weeks in the Big Brother house before deciding to share the story of his unusual upbringing with his fellow housemates.

“It’s not something I go around promoting… I tell people when I am close to them.”

He attempted to leave the sect at 17-years-old, but was dragged back and “interrogated” by senior members for several months, he said.

Two years later he left for good and said he hasn’t looked back.

However, he said life was difficult for several years and he battled through some “tough experiences”, including the breakdown of his marriage, because of his naivety about the world.

“I had no idea… some people took advantage of me and I blew a lot of money but thankfully I didn’t do anything that was life-changing.

“If I had stayed out when I was 17, I probably would have crashed and burned.”

Leaving the sect required numerous sacrifices, including severing ties with his family, but Tchappat said he occasionally speaks with his parents.

“I don’t have much of a relationship with my family anymore… we moved in different directions and we have different lives.

“I took a punt in entering the real world and I think it has paid off.”

While every facet of his entire life was controlled, including who he would one day marry, Tchappat said he still had a happy childhood.

But life was vastly different to that of other Australian kids.

“I wasn’t allowed to do anything that was considered fun… playing sports, going to the movies, watching TV, sleeping over at a mate’s place, playing computer games, Christmas… I didn’t have any of that.

“We went to church every night, a half day on Saturday and all day Sunday… it’s a very strict and regimented life that is completely planned for you.

“Your life is controlled and you don’t have a choice about anything.”

Source: The Age – Double trouble for BB

When David Tchappat finally left the Exclusive Brethren, it was in a time where there was no established help available ‘outside’. David made the decision to leave as a teenager and the few words surrounding this decision hide the enormity of what he faced as a 17 year old trying to find a way in a world for which he had intentionally been untrained to handle.

He was brought back inside and the emotional and psychological brow-beatings began. It is possible to find similarities in the stories of prisoners-of-war who decide to demonstrate all the outward signs of repentance and willingness to obey the rules, while biding their time for the next opportunity to escape.

David tells us he eventually managed to escape when he was 19 – this means that he was again on his own in the late 1980′s – a time well before the Internet and any form of easy connectivity and communication among others who had left the cult.

Dick Wyman did not commence his web site until the late 1990′s and Peebs.Net has only been available on the Web since the Wyman site was forced to close by the Exclusive Brethren in 2004. Today there are over 100 people in 9 countries who will answer a telephone call or email within minutes of a request for help. In the 1980′s David Tchappat was on his own.

It takes a strong man to walk the road that David has walked. He admits his mistakes and his errors quite openly. But how can he be blamed? Part of the most sinister aspect of the Exclusive Brethren is their clamp-down on all matters relating to society. It is of course easily recognized as a standard Cult Tactic, but the ban on material and enforced Separation from all those not Exclusive Brethren results in social ‘pygmies’ with little or no appreciation of what the human family is about.

One look at the inability of the current leader, Bruce Hales in Sydney Australia, to conduct even a simple political campaign, underscores how ineffectual and intellectually lacking those that lead this group of 45,000 human beings actually are. They are starting to display the inescapable effect of over 40 years of banned meaningful further education for their young.

Reduced to employing non-EB teachers and other professionals, they maintain their restrictive form of education by controlling the syllabus and any form of contact with non-members. Hardly surprisingly, they fear the media with a ferocity born out of fear. When the structure of a cult is designed to restrict the flow of information, and then, when those who know the Truth start to find a voice, it is the most telling weapon that the Exclusive Brethren hierarchy have to face.

One cannot blame the parents – an easy target. They too are ‘pygmies’ who are far more deeply entrenched and trapped than their children will be for some time. For them it is not just their lives and the promise of freedom – there are extended families, mortgages, established businesses, loans – and the fear of losing eternal salvation.

David Tchappat left at the perfect time. He left before he could be forced into a loveless arranged marriage or was trapped by the money that flows freely among cult members. He left because something inside him would not allow him to stay – and he was successful.

Today, someone wishing to leave this restrictive and damaging cult can write an email requesting help. Within minutes, the request is being handled by those who live nearby. It is not necessary for those who take this huge leap into a world they have little knowledge of to do this alone – many have fought this deeply personal and intense battle themselves.

Some have lost the will to fight and have returned. Like breaking an addiction, it sometimes takes several attempts. Others were ground down to a level where the loneliness and entrenched fears brought them to a place of complete desperation and at that point they either succumb and return, fall deep into the self-medication offered by drugs or alcohol – or take their own lives.

Well done David – may your story and will to survive encourage those who read this and wish to leave.

If you wish to leave the Exclusive Brethren, contact us in complete confidence.

If you are already out and are feeling desperate – contact us or press the Emergency Button on the site front page.

If you want to Help, join our Helpers around the world.

The worst thing to do, is to do nothing. If the Exclusive Brethren apply to build a school or a new Meeting Room in your vicinity, it is your duty to try and prevent more children being forced to do what David eventually managed to achieve.  He had the will to survive, but we are not all made of the same stuff.

Children belong with their parents – and parents belong with their children. The most significant evil of the Exclusive Brethren is the way they do not hesitate to separate one from the other. It is an evil that they call ‘truth’ but really, it is just a psychological weapon of fear.

May 25th, 2008

So the ‘Big Brother’ era for David Tchappat is over. The level of interest stemming from his brief sojourn in the Australian reality TV series was quite noticeable. Hits on this blog and the Peebs.Net Exclusive Brethren Information web site increased by almost 25% following the announcement that an escaped cult member was going to appear on the aptly named ‘Big Brother’ show.

Two of Big Brother’s most controversial housemates were punted from the show tonight after a shock double eviction rocked the famous Gold Coast Share house.

Former cult member David bit the dust even after cleverly revealing his intriguing past strategically a fortnight into the show.

The 33-year-old firefighter was raised as a member of the ‘Exclusive Brethren’ an extreme Christian sect that denies members access to TV, radio, and even restaurants.

Sensationally, David escaped the cult as a 19-year-old.

Source: Live News – Blokes punted in shock double eviction

There is a genuine fascination with what life is like for those trapped inside the Exclusives. Although the Peebs.Net Forums have many hundred ex-members, the truth of what the Exclusive Brethren are prepared to do to families and those who oppose their dangerous teachings is only just starting to be understood by a wider society.

This site and its supporters are dedicated to helping members of the media and the general public understand the impact of having spent formative years separated from society – an impact that can kill.

The message that should be heard by those who seek to establish the truth surrounding the Exclusive Brethren is that today’s Exclusive Brethren are light years away from the sober genteel Christians who first became known as the Plymouth Brethren in the early 19th century. Following a destructive division in the 1840′s, the Darbyites or Closed Brethren were formed. From this group developed one of the most vicious and tyrannical regimes in modern-day ‘christianity’.

Other churches denounce their teachings and testimony, expressing concern that has mounted from the moment the ‘Bethesda Division’ occurred:

Published in 1869

“So late as March last one of the most extraordinary scenes of religious discord ever witnessed took place in the Freemasons’ Hall. Between four and five hundred Brethren were asked to come from all parts of the country to hold a conference together. The Darbyites and Bethesdaites were equally invited. Those who invited them did not mention for what special purpose they were to come. It was simply said it was desirable they should assemble together, and that the Holy Ghost would direct them as to what they should say and do when they met together. The expenses of the poorer Brethren were paid by some unknown and wealthy Brethren. They had only been met an hour or so before they were found controversially fighting with each other with a fierceness which could hardly be believed. And this state of things lasted four or five hours for three successive days. It by-and-by transpired that the real purpose for which the Conference was called was to endeavor to bring about a reconciliation between the Darby and Bethesda sections of Brethrenism. The very idea was enough to plunge the Darbyites into a state of something more than indignation. Scenes of indescribable uproar, mingled with expressions of the very worst feelings, took place on each of the three days. And I am assured by one who was present, who does not belong to either the Darbyite or Bethesda section of the Brethren, that not only the prime, but the sole movers in these most unseemly scenes were the Darbyites. What the exhibitions were which occurred may be inferred from the fact that a lady who was present said she could have wept tears of blood at what she saw and heard; and a gentleman of education and social position, who also witnessed these lamentable scenes, remarked to me that it was enough to have made even angels weep. This may seem incredible, but it is nevertheless the fact.

“But the saddest of all in connection with these deplorable scenes is that they are actually, in effect, represented as the results of the guidance of the Holy Ghost. There is no principle which the Darbyites more firmly hold, or to which they give greater prominence in their ‘teaching,’ than this—that the Holy Ghost is with them in all their assemblies, and that whatever conclusions they come to are the result of his special guidance.

- Charles H. Spurgeon quoting James Grant (June 1869)

And the die was cast. The famous and celebrated 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon went on to describe two unhappy 19th century scenes which astonishingly still occur to this day:

“Another illustration of the estrangement which Brethrenism causes in families, consisting with my own personal knowledge, presents itself at this moment to my mind. A Plymouth Sister, whose family do not share her views, cannot help expressing her dissent from any and every act of worship in the family. She even turns away her face when the head of the house asks the divine blessing on the meals of which they are all about to partake. Is not this sad? Does it not display a lamentable state of feeling on the part of the individual, and gives a deplorable view of the denominational system that could produce it.

“I am also acquainted personally with another case, in which it happened that a mother and daughter had adopted the opposite views on Brethrenism. The result was, that the two would not sit down together at the same Lord’s-table. What an unhappy condition it must have been, for each to be living together in this state of antagonism in relation to religious matters!”

- Charles H. Spurgeon quoting James Grant (June 1869)

It is a sad indictment that people are trained to treat others in this way – in the name of Jesus Christ, a man whose entire purpose and mission was one of love. Love is a commodity that the Exclusive Brethren may show to their own (providing you are a fully ‘paid-up’ member), but from their very beginnings, it is not a spiritual gift for which they are known from those outside their barred and gated compounds.

It should be a sobering thought for those who wish to view the Exclusive Brethren from a doctrinal viewpoint that the same Jesus whom the Exclusive Brethren profess to follow stated very clearly – “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:18-20).

The Testimony of the Exclusive Brethren is appalling. Merely scan the news headlines for the past few years! The headlines tell you all you need to know.

David, we’re sorry you’ve been kicked out mate – but our solid congratulations for having been kicked-out of the one that mattered. More importantly, you are a member of a very select band of survivors – we salute you!

Now go do something useful for Heaven’s sake!

May 24th, 2008

A news article published today in New Zealand highlights one of the most outrageous and frankly, stupid projects the Exclusive Brethren ever funded during their laughable ‘political’ enterprises in the last NZ elections.

When the book is finally written on the political impact of a cult living separated from society whose then new leader (Australian Bruce D. Hales) arbitrarily decided during 2004 to throw bushel-loads of money in ‘supporting’ selected political figures, the names of their ‘chosen’ immediately tell the tale:

• George Bush
• Donald Brash
• John Howard

You can almost hear the prayerful pleading of conservative politicians throughout the western world as new election cycles commence this year – “Please Exclusive Brethren, Oh please don’t support me!”. The concept of the ‘kiss of death’ certainly applies to the end results of their meetings and offered friendships to those they considered suitable recipients for their contributions. Politically of course, they continue to bat zero and indications are they have now decided to fly so low below the radar that they are hopefully permanently stalled. If this is the case, it would be the most intelligent Exclusive Brethren political decision to come out of Sydney, Australia since 2002.

But back to the news article. The Dominion Post – How our man in Moscow made a sprat of himself. The story is a summary of the strange tale of retired NZ diplomat Ian Noel Clark and how the KGB played upon and around his desire to increase his salary.

As part of the article, Phil Kitchin produces a list of other notable ‘Outed Spies’. Top of the list is:

OUTED SPIES

2006: It is revealed that a Dunedin private investigator, Wayne Idour, was hired indirectly by religious sect the Exclusive Brethren, through another private investigator, to spy on senior Labour MPs as well as Prime Minister Helen Clark and her husband, Peter Davis.

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4558576a6479.html

Although the Exclusive Brethren initially tried to convince an increasingly dubious public that their political efforts were ‘the work of individuals’ who were ‘acting on their own initiative’, it became increasingly obvious that there was a wider pattern and a centralized mandate. Documents came to light and recently escaped members spoke of ‘mandatory political fund collections’, ‘regional political officers’ and a centrally-designed and politically-focused campaign that covered all Exclusive Brethren territories.

There was nothing wrong with the Exclusive Brethren being involved in politics – it’s a right of any democratic society – but the way they went about it ranged from the extraordinary to the hilarious. They lied, they gave false addresses, they utilized the lowest smear-style tactics, they conducted secret meetings, they hired private detectives … and they politically damaged everyone they touched!

At the end of the day, perhaps the Exclusive Brethren are now starting to realize what they are good at – making money, operating a cult and ensuring a new generation of their labor force remains behind their fenced compounds.

We are sure that we are not alone in hoping that their forays into the world of politics have ended. The only way that the Exclusive Brethren could have helped politically would have been to conduct political campiagns with honesty, integrity and openness. These are hallmarks of those Christians who choose to operate in the carefully monitored world of international, national and regional politics.

On that basis alone, it is obvious that politics are not a sphere that the Exclusive Brethren are qualified to operate within.

May 21, 2008

It seems that the Exclusive Brethren in New Zealand are feeling “superior”. In just 5 years, the number of Exclusive Brethren kids in Exclusive Brethren schools has more than trebled. Superficially, everything is wonderful, but if you dig between the lines in a news story like this one from The Press – Exclusive Brethren schools treble rolls a number of rather disturbing truths emerge.

We shall attempt to throw some light on this story – as always with the Exclusive Brethren, nothing is what it seems.

Fact One – The Exclusive Brethren do not actively recruit new members

Sure, who would want to join them! But the point is that a high birth rate is their only form of growth. It appears that they are truly successful in this arena.

Fact Two – They cannot allow the children to leave

Of course they cannot – the children represent the survival of the cult – so they maintain a dangerously incorrect version of a gross misinterpretation of scripture called ‘Separation from evil’. Basic Christian philosophy accepts that a Christian should avoid doing things or going places that are ‘bad’ – but this is a matter of individual choice for 99.9% of practicing Christians and most other religions in our diverse planet. This is not good enough for the EB and so they have created a complete cultural divide that is maintained by fear and rules. Like any good cult, they know knowledge (and access to knowledge) is the most dangerous threat they have … and so their schools must be separate and their kids must be ‘protected’ and their books must be censored … etc.

A network of Exclusive Brethren private schools has more than trebled its roll from 476 to 1555 in five years.

Figures released to The Press reveal the reclusive sect’s burgeoning school roll will see it benefit from more than $2 million of government funding this year, despite having “an enormous amount of money”.

The usually media shy Brethren has gone on the front foot over its Westmount schools, declaring them superior institutions.

Marcella Marshall, administrator for the Westmount school in Templeton, south of Christchurch, said the schools were popular because they had a better environment than “normal” schools. “The kids respect there’s never been a fight here at school,” she said.

“You just don’t get any of the things you get at normal state schools. I’d say the kids are more of a higher class.

“They’re still normal kids, you do get behaviour problems, you just don’t get the graffiti, and the chewing gum and the knives and whatever else you get at normal schools.”

The Brethren’s Westmount Schools were established in their current form at Mangere, in Auckland, in 2004.

There are now 15 “satellite” schools nationwide, including in Templeton, Oamaru, Invercargill, Nelson, Timaru, Westport and Blenheim.

Source – The Press, NZ

Now so far all seems OK, right? The Exclusive Brethren have proudly demonstrated that they can procreate and have lots of money but still want the NZ tax payer to dish out over $2 Million this year – ($50 Million in Australia).

Fact 3 – You can’t attend either their schools of their ‘churches’

Now in NZ of course, you don’t have to prove you’re a ‘public‘ place of worship. You just have to worship. This is good of course, nothing wrong with a bit of worship. But doesn’t it start to gall you a little that their windowless, barred, steel-gated fortress-style ‘churches’ receive all that extra tax-exemption? In other countries, municipalities are starting to wake up to this – in Brisbane for example, they really forced matters to a head (see more here ).

Fact 4 – The Exclusive Brethren prevent their kids from attending university

That’s right – no matter how “superior” this education, at age 18 it’s all over. Girls can work until they start their main task – breeding. Boys will be given a job in an Exclusive Brethren-owned business or, they’ll be helped to start their own business. They are very good at business, no question…

Massey University historian Peter Lineham, who was brought up as a Brethren and has studied the sect, said the Brethren’s Westmount schools were growing because Brethren were worried about their children being socialised in to wider society.

“They would have generally been concerned about some science instruction but they were mostly allowed to go through normal schooling,” he said.

Lineham said the Brethren had “an enormous amount of money” to spend on their schools. “It’s not that difficult to set up a school, and if they can find that much money for a silly political campaign, they’re much more likely these days to put their money in to schools because, as they learned to their cost, they’re not so popular when they try to influence the outcome of the election.”

Marshall said the Templeton roll had gone up from 90 last year to 140 this year. Children came from Rangiora and Ashburton to attend the school, which has 17 teachers.

Teachers at the schools are all non-Brethren because members of the religious group do not attend tertiary education so cannot be registered teachers. Only practising Brethren children can attend the schools, however.

Source – The Press, NZ

Fact 5 – The impact of leaving the Exclusive Brethren can be fatal

Consider the situation: you are brought up an EB kid in an EB family. You are protected from all outside influences – no radio, no TV, screened news paper access, censored books, very recently limited access to the Internet is allowed under supervision. You are not allowed tertiary education and your work experience will be with Exclusive Brethren businesses. Your entire family, history and future lies within the Brethren. Add to this that any mortgage will be EB supplied, your wife will be from yet another EB family and any business loans or affiliations will be via other Exclusive Brethren, and you can see that this is a very tight ship.

To leave the Exclusive Brethren can be one of the most heart-wrenching experiences and only the truly brave will survive. In most cases, the father will leave alone. The mother and children will remain and all their costs will be met by the EB. Their attitude in custody and access proceedings is truly chilling. It has led many to the verge of suicide … and some didn’t make it.

So when you hear a news report that states “The usually media shy Brethren has gone on the front foot over its Westmount schools, declaring them superior institutions”, remember to look between the lines and consider all the facts.

These are not just ordinary schools – they are an extension to the high fences and steel gates that represent ‘Separation’ – and for most it is a lifetime sentence.

And that is precisely why Peebs.Net exists.