http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9779000/9779638.stm

This shows persons posting comments against my friends the Plymouth Brethren are just personal for whatever reason drives them on.

All religion should rally to support the Plymouth Brethren in their efforts to fight the Charity Commission decision that they are not for public benefit.

Thankfully, there has been an excellent speech by Baroness Berridge in the House of Lords and various MP’s are beginning to see the true identity of this group.

Baroness Berridge calls for Church Enquiry into Christian Sect

Start of Speech

The role of religion in society is recognised in our charity law but this has become contentious in the case of Preston Down Trust. Is this the thin end of the wedge for the charitable status of churches?

No I would say due to a curious comment in the decision letter from the Charity Commission which says “the question will turn on the doctrines of this religious persuasion” which also explains why none of the main denominations are concerned.

This religious persuasion are the Exclusive Brethren who sit under the universal leadership of Bruce Hales in Australia. In August they incorporated as the Plymouth Brethren (Exclusive Brethren) Christian Church Limited. I have family in the Hales Exclusive Brethren. They are not the open brethren who are churches or other closed brethren groups.

The Hales Exclusive Brethren hold to the doctrine of separation, so exclusives cannot live in semi detached houses as this has a party wall with non brethren, cannot eat with non brethren, cannot have friends who are non brethren, cannot join membership groups like trade unions, or the AA. No TV, radio, cafes etc. Attendance in brethren schools only now and work for brethren business. Attending university is banned.

Is it not contradictory to give gift aid to charities to encourage young people into university and also to groups whose beliefs prohibit that choice for their young people.

This is a very controlled environment to live and grow up in, and unsurprisingly the preliminary findings of Andrew Mayer’s from Bournemouth University and Jill Mytton are that mental health outcomes are poor. I await with eager interest their full report.

I spoke to a man last night, who told me of someone currently in the Exclusive Brethren,

“ Unfortunately the man had been to a pub and been spotted by Brethren brother. He was shut up, for a few months now, so to keep the assembly pure nobody from the brethren can live with him, so the wife and family were moved out by the leadership and they have stopped doing business with him.”

The man had left but his parents are still in. The only contact is a five minute conversation and he said they will not even have a cup of tea with me. He told me My Lords “I miss my parents so much.” But what about his children, that was the position I grew up in, cut off from your only living grandparent living 8 miles away because I was not Exclusive Brethren.

This is why the Former Australian PM, Kevin Rudd, once said

“I believe this is an extremist cult and sect, I also believe that it breaks up families”

“If this is Christianity it is not as we have known it before.”

So I thoroughly congratulate the Charity Commission for seeking to deal with this Christian sect but many who would give evidence fear for the implications for family still in. The Charity Commission must ensure that victims can give evidence and tell their story anonymously.

Groups where there is credible evidence that they harm health, split families and send no one to university can exist in a liberal society but should they be charities, I doubt.

Religion and public benefit need clarity but we also need clarity on the outer limits on what is acceptable charitable behaviour of religious groups.

But the Exclusive Brethren is a matter for the church collectively and I believe there needs to be a church led enquiry into the Exclusive Brethren, this Christian sect, a theological and psychological enquiry. Perhaps chaired by a former Archbishop. It is not a noble or honest response to seek to deal with fudgy law but turn a blind eye to these victims. The Exclusive Brethren maintain these assertions are without foundation so they should welcome such an enquiry.

Victims can be hard to find, but I hope many ex-Exclusive Brethren will hear this debate so please check my website as I will host an event in parliament early next year for ex-Exclusive Brethren so parliamentarians can hear their stories. Parliament is open to all and you do not have to have the riches of the Exclusive Brethren for your voice to be heard.

My apologies to the noble Lord Singh not to have a celebratory type speech but I cannot get out of my mind that a young person might be listening to our debate, in a brethren school who might want to go to university and it is important that we say this is not wrong.

End of Speech

To watch the speech on Parliament TV visit: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=11763

For a transcript of the speech please read the Hansard for the day: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard

Full article: http://baronessberridge.com
Also read http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/11/exclusive-brethren-the-whole-truth.html

First of all the group in question are not Plymouth Brethren, they are in fact the “Exclusive Brethren” led by a “Universal Leader” Mr Bruce Hales based in Australia, and in that country they are known as “The Exclusive Brethren”, where in circles of government they are known as a Cult. The group was formed around 1848 when the Plymouth Brethren had a huge division creating two distinct groups with vastly different practices “Open Brethren” and “Exclusive Brethren”.

When the decision of the Charity Commission was made, the Exclusive Brethren who had a website under the same name until Nov 2012, choose to re brand themselves as the more innocent sounding “Plymouth Brethren Christian Church”. If you don’t believe me check out the following link –

http://web.archive.org/web/20110718171429/http://www.theexclusivebrethren.com/

There is a huge campaign of deceit and mis information being waged by the Exclusive Brethren, some of it very subtle. In talking to the UK Parliament and the Media, they have not been honest about who they really are. They are known to split families if one person leaves the group, they believe through a twisted interpretation of 2 Timothy 2 that all others not in their group are “evil” and “iniquitous”. They will not eat with any not in their group. Despite the impression given they do not follow the King James Version of the Bible as they have led the UK Parliament to believe, but they only use the JN Darby version in al their services. They only follow that bible through the eyes of their previous leaders interpretations, men such as FE Raven, James Taylor, J Symington.

The Exclusive Brethren now known under their new disguise of the “Plymouth Brethren Christian Church” are not what they seem, they believe and practice that all other churches, Christian or not, are in error.

If you don’t believe me ask about their previous leaders. One of the UK representatives a certain Garth Christie who gave evidence to the UK Parliament and appeared on TV in the last few weeks under the banner of the “Plymouth Brethren Christian Church”, also appeared in the BBC Documentary “Everyman”, in 2003 under the banner of representing the “Exclusive Brethren” – total hypocrisy. (search for the program on You Tube and watch it)

Why did the Exclusive Brethren aka Plymouth Brethren Christian Church try to draw all Churched nominations into the debate when the Charity Commission specifically stated in a letter to the brethren on 7th June 2012 that –

““this case as confined to the circumstances of the individual group. The forthcoming appeal also relates to this individual organisation, not other religious groups”.

As ever its all about checking and re checking facts and asking probing questions first, before jumping on a bandwagon.

Please, consider this seriously.