A really good point, Yabby, about the child abuse. Many young members were born into the church and don't know better. Kids are kept away from outsiders. If they befriend outsiders, they are kept away from their parents.

Thing is, when prosecuted for abuse, they have this special fat fighting fund set aside. Being a very wealthy cult they have no cashflow problems.
They're not allowed to spend any money on luxuries or holidays so most of the money goes to the church.
The money for this fighting fund comes from the daily Brethren meetings donations.

They want special treatment, too, in court. I hope this link works:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/brethren-sect-sought-special-treatment/2006/09/21/1158431844366.html

Has anyone watched Four Corners?
The program showed me what I anticipated.
These poor dads being separated from their kids was so sad!

Looks like a totally sick environment- amazing that so many people have fallen for this crazy leader. Man of God! Ha!

And dress codes for women?

There was talk also about illegally handing over money. So much secrecy. What else don't we know?

Amazing that people like this are allowed to operate, let alone influence our government!

Yup I saw the programme. Looks like Philo perhaps did too and
has now gone to ground about this :)

I call them the Christian Taliban, much the same religious
zealotery involved it seems.

Yabby,
I did not see the programme. I take people I know at how they relate to me. Your view that they are the Christian Taliban is so ridiculous. They make no attempt to influence opinion outside their their own family and exclusive community. Hence their name.

When was the last time they practised honour killings, or beheaded dissidents or infidels. It is Bob Brown who has stirred up their community by his threatening inquiry into their community.

The Exclusive Brethren is a very conservative religious organisation, similar to the Amish in the United States of America. Members of the Brethren are not allowed to vote. They are not allowed to support any political party, its members are discouraged from voting.

Bob Brown is merely on a witch hunt in an endeavour to control their pratcises and views by introducing his laws. Apparently members of the Brethren campaigned during the Tasmanian election, which antagonised the Greens. Senator Bob Brown, leader of the Greens, recently moved a motion in the Federal Parliament calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the activities of the Brethren during the election.

Bob Brown's motion was soundly defeated by the combined votes of the Liberal Party, the National Party and the Australian Labor Party. Only the Greens voted for the inquiry. If they are supposed to a terrorist group as painted by you and the Greens; then surely one other Party would have supported an inquiry.

I grew up in a country town on the North coast of NSW, in a family of seven siblings, and during a difficult financial time it was members of the Exclusive Brethren that supplied our family with gifts of cereal and clothes from their factories.

"Your view that they are the Christian Taliban is so ridiculous."

Actaully in terms of religious zealotry, its not ridiculous
at all Philo, as you would have seen if you watched the
programme.

Are you aware of the families that are split, with no contact
between some husbands, wives, children etc, for years and
years? All this in the name of Christianity?

You, who preach family values etc, are saying its fine
that the EB split families like that?

Lots more in the programme which was interesting, but I guess
there are none so blind, as those who will not see :)

Philo,
Here just for you; you can watch the video here, or read the transcript:
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1746895.htm

Here Yabby and others interested, a new article about what teachers at a brethren school think about this sect:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20470419-2702,00.html

“CHILDREN at taxpayer-funded schools run by the Exclusive Brethren sect are brainwashed and their basic texts are crudely censored, say former teachers.

And this is as hilarious as it is sad: “Most modern novels were banned, pages were removed even from permitted 19th-century works and entire chapters were censored from science books.”
"One science book had all the chapters on reproduction cut out…"

Do they teach the kids that babies come from storks?

Ironic!
Since they do not allow tertiary education (coz it damages the soul), they must rely on teachers outside their sect to teach their children.
So they hire people with damaged souls to teach their kids? Yeah, sounds intelligent!

Who wants their taxmoney spend on deceiving schoolkids!?

Seriously, Philo, they might have helped your family, and I am not saying anything about individual members- the excommunicated ones we saw on the program seemed very lovely indeed. I feel for them! But the 'man of God' and the EB's leaders are charming!

In some ways EB are not like the Taliban, but I agree with Yabby that in terms of religious zealotry, there are similarities.
EB bully, dictate, have rules for everything just like taliban.
They oppress women who may not work once married outside the family business, who have dress code, who cannot cut their hair, who must speak less than their husband, who are not allowed to use contraception.

Oh where have I heard similar rules before? Taliban perhaps?

They are after the Greens because they are a extremely homophobic lot, just like the...taliban.

The Greens have every right to question them. Anyway, if they have nothing to hide, why are they being so secretive and so scared to be questioned?

Philo, watch the video and tell us what you think.

If you still have the same opinion, then you must be either a cult apologist or anti-anti cult.