You know that sound that pennies make when they hit the floor after being in free-fall for a while? It just happened.
It all started with a surprisingly (one could say comradely, friendly, even nauseously) gentle article in yesterday’s The Australian that shone a whole new shade of pink over the Topic du Jour – the Exclusive Brethren and their outright panic over the about-to-be-launched ‘Behind The Exclusive Brethren’ by investigative journalist, Michael Bachelard.
For those with a strong stomach, we present:
Brethren lift veil on their exclusive lifestyle
The Australian
Brad Norington
September 20, 2008Daniel Hales says talking to his neighbours would help dispel negative perceptions about the Exclusive Brethren straight away.
“If you went up and down our street,” Hales says, “they would say, ‘oh yeah, they’ve got some funny beliefs, but gee, they’re nice people, they’re good people’.”
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September 21st, 2008
Sect attempted secret donations to Howard
WA Today / The Age
by Michael Bachelard
September 21st, 2008
Members of the Exclusive Brethren attempted to donate to John Howard’s re-election campaign last year in a way that meant the cash injection would never have been disclosed to the public.
September 21st, 2008
Members of the Exclusive Brethren were actively attempting to donate to John Howard’s re-election campaign last year in a manner that meant the cash injection would not have been disclosed to the public, according to a new book about the secretive Christian sect.
Fairfax newspapers say a senior Liberal Party source has confirmed in the book, Behind The Exclusive Brethren, that in the weeks leading up to the November election he was approached by a group of Exclusive Brethren men in a Sydney hotel who offered him a large, anonymous financial donation. Continue reading »
September 20th, 2008
The Exclusive Brethren sect has attempted to prevent a sick 85-year-old former member from revealing her terrible life story by saying that if she remained silent she could be reunited before she dies with the children she was separated from 28 years ago.
Alison Alderton’s family was torn apart at the order of the sect’s world leader in 1980, and she has barely had contact with her children, who are “in fellowship”, since.
Inside the sect, kept apart from Mrs Alderton by the Brethren’s founding doctrine of “separation,” are three daughters and a son, 18 grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren she does not know and cannot count. Continue reading »
September 19th, 2008
Extracts of the eagerly awaited book ‘Behind the Exclusive Brethren’ by premier Australian investigative reporter Michael Bachelard, are due to be published in the “Good Weekend” lift-out of the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age this weekend.
As anticipated, the Exclusive Brethren are not only worried, they’re petrified! Their new PR spin-doctors (they’ve been through several) are now Jackson-Wells, an Australian firm, who have decided to use the name of Daniel Hales as the Exclusive Brethren spokesman.
Daniel Hales is the brother of the cult leader Bruce Hales and has been largely a background figure in the Hales dynasty, far more concerned with financial matters than the spiritual aspects of life.
Here is their media release, dated today – September 19th, 2008.
MEDIA STATEMENT
Brethren say Fairfax article outdated, inaccurate
Extracts from a new book by journalist Michael Bachelard that will appear in the Good Weekend magazine tomorrow are out of date and contain significant factual inaccuracies, says the Exclusive Brethren Church.
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The general reaction in the ex-Exclusive Brethren community to the forthcoming ‘Behind the Exclusive Brethren’ is: “it’s about time! “. Michael Bachelard has used his remarkable investigative and writing abilities to rip back the covers on a cult that has given new meaning to the word Hypocrisy.
If Michael Bachelard is respected as one of the foremost investigative journalists in Australia, David Marr is the other name that immediately comes to mind. Both men have assisted the purpose of this website in ensuring the Truth is told regarding the Exclusive Brethren. Bruce D. Hales, the current leader of the cult, assisted matters brilliantly from 2003 onward by forcing the 45,000 world-wide membership to contribute money for their ‘political’ campaigns in several countries – including USA, Canada, Sweden, UK, New Zealand and Australia.
David Marr is quoted on the proposed cover of this new book, due for publication in October 2008:
‘Shocking and compelling. Michael Bachelard has written an eye-opening account of power and cruelty in a tiny Christian sect that enjoys a privileged existence in Australia.’ - David Marr
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