The freaky Exclusive Brethren cult has been criticised by the judge in a court case in which an ex-member of the cult sought custody of his three children, aged 6-16, from their mother, who remains a member of the cult. The mother had cut the father off from access to the children, failing to comply with the court-ordered bi-monthly visits. The wealthy cult had funded the mother's court battle.
During the court proceedings, the mother was asked what she would do if the court granted custody to the father.
The mother said she would want a relationship with them, but only if they were faithful to the Exclusive Brethren
Yeah, that's a mother worthy of having custody over her children. She puts the interests of her religion before the interests of her children.
The judge also ordered that the father was not allowed to expose the children to tv, radio or non-members of the Exclusive Brethren cult.
Despite the judge's criticism of the mother's behaviour, which he described as 'abusive', this is essentially a case of the court enforcing the indoctrination of children into a cult. I have little doubt that if the Exclusive Brethren did not call themselves christian and were not swimming in money that no court in the land would have sent down an order that essentially forced children to remain within a cult against the wishes of a parent.
The judge did point out that up until 2003, when the father left the cult, it was the father himself who was party to enforcing the tenets of the cult upon the children. But so what? If he used to flog them with a belt up until 2003 when he realised he was wrong, would it be 'disruptive' to the children if he suddenly stopped? That's pretty fucked up reasoning.
Of course, the father is still a religious nutbag. He now belongs to another slightly less nutty christian fundamentalist church/cult. The kids are already well-indoctrinated, having expressed a desire never to see their father again (after no doubt being told the man is in the clutches of Satan himself). If the mother has the right to indoctrinate the kids then why not the father?
The Exclusive Brethren are seriously fucked up. What's even more scary is that (despite refusing to vote in elections) they are in bed with the Liberal party and support them financially. Money from people with such hideous beliefs should be viewed as tainted. If an equally nutty muslim cult was giving money to the ALP the government would be all over it. Besides, seeing as the EB refuse to vote in elections, doesn't that mean the Liberal party is taking money from people who are quite blatantly breaking Australian law?
4 comments:
I concur on everything.
Without hearing the particulars of the case, it's hard to make a judgement, but it sure sounds pretty messed up.
Amen. The EB are evil. If Jesus were alive today he'd take one look at them, shake his head, and go hang out with prostitutes instead.
Mikey, back in circa 30AD Jesus was hanging out with prostitutes and not religious nutbags anyway :)
And the tax collectors. And the samaratins*
*The parable was about the fact that one of the most despised groups of people of the day was the one that stopped to tend to a victim of a robbery. Equivalent I suppose of a koori in a run down neighbourhood being the only one to help the victim of a mugging (from a white Oz perspectiv).
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